Opinion: Driver Satisfaction About More Than Pay

This Opinion piece appears in the July 7 print edition of Transport Topics. Click here to subscribe today.

By David Youkers

Senior Account Manager

Trincon Group

A lot of attention has been given recently to the ongoing driver shortage and the various strategies to resolve it. Much of the focus has been on driver pay. While no one disputes that pay is critical, compensation is just one element of a complicated issue. The recent focus on drivers is a welcome sign, but what is needed is a more holistic approach to consider a wider range of other factors involved in keeping qualified drivers happy and contributing to your fleet.

You can’t just throw money at drivers and treat them as a commodity to be traded to the highest bidder — that only makes the turnover problem worse.  The answer lies within the industry and how carriers, shippers and consignees view drivers and the value they provide to the success of the total supply chain.

For their part, carriers need to look at drivers as employees. This means:

• Doing your homework to define your requirements consistent with your business model and objectives.

• Defining operational requirements — customer needs, lane requirements and asset utilization strategies — that enable you to not only maximize productivity but use your drivers effectively, efficiently and safely.

• Developing job descriptions to define your requirements and expectations and establish guidelines for accountability for both operations management and drivers.

• Creating within your company a business culture that is supportive of the driver’s needs and ambitions.

• Providing a career path that offers opportunity for personal and professional growth — from entry-level to senior drivers, to driver trainers and driver managers.

• Providing a compensation strategy and benefits that not only provide adequate security, but recognize the driver’s contribution to the success of the company. This includes a combination of base salary and performance or incentive bonus programs.

There are other, more subtle strategies — again beyond better pay — that encourage an organization to maintain a healthy support system for drivers.

Often overlooked is a supportive organizational structure that includes not only trained driver managers, but a human resources department that supports the welfare of all employees.

Like many other employees, drivers appreciate feedback on their performance. That’s another strategy: provide regular and frequent performance evaluations. Many companies only review driver performance when there is a problem. Reviews should be conducted regularly and be focused on recognition and continuous improvement.

Other intangible but nevertheless important strategies to driver retention are:

• Implementing communication channels that encourage a sense of community and driver contribution. Communication needs to be two-way, giving the driver the opportunity to participate in business operations and provide input. Regular communication programs can go a long way toward promoting a needed sense

of community. 

• Implementing “onboarding” and orientation programs that provide adequate training and prepare new hires to be contributing members of the team. The specifics of ideal onboarding and orientation programs vary depending on the new hire’s situation. The focus of the onboarding process should be to reinforce the recruiting process and to give time for the company and the driver to evaluate each other and establish an environment that promotes success and long-term employment.

• Establishing a recruiting policy that focuses not only on putting “hands on the wheel,” but making sure you’re getting the right person for the job. There is no single description of a “truck driver” — the requirements for the job vary depending on the company and its needs, and the people who are prospective hires differ in their attitudes, needs and aspirations.

Recruiting is a marketing and sales process — selling driving as a viable career option and selling your company as the ideal place to realize a candidate’s career objectives. This may depend on the individual, but it also involves reaching out to “communities” of potential candidates — e.g., ex-military, high schools, trade and vocational schools, truck driver schools, trade groups, social organizations, etc.

Partnership with local truck driving schools is an obvious source of potential employees. It also has the advantage of being able to potentially influence curriculum and assist in the development of highly qualified candidates consistent with your business needs.

Look at nontraditional sources for qualified drivers. Depending on an individual carrier’s business model, sources such as recent retirees or others looking for part-time employment can serve in shorthaul situations or work as fill-ins to cover for regular drivers during hours-of-

service reset hours to increase truck utilization and productivity.

• Shippers and consignees can improve driver satisfaction by working with carriers to improve the planning and scheduling of shipments and receipts, looking at ways to reduce delays, and considering the automation of load documentation and tracking.

This transition to a more holistic approach to driver satisfaction is not easy. It requires planning, the careful evaluation of the management team to make sure the right people are in position to effectively implement and support new programs, and it requires education and training. Most importantly, it requires the long-term commitment of senior management, driven from the top down, and it requires immediate action. But it’s worth it — qualified drivers are out there and waiting to be hired or retained.

Trincon Group, founded in 1982 and headquartered in Columbus, Ohio, is a business advisory and technology firm specializing in operational and financial issues facing the trucking industry.