7 Ways to Increase Driver Retention and Keep an Efficient Fleet On the Road

For years, fleet-driven businesses have watched the pool of available drivers shrink. The shortage is fueled by a number of factors, everything from younger workers coming into the industry at a lower rate than experienced drivers are leaving, to the amplifying impact of COVID-19.

For businesses that depend on drivers to deliver goods and services, this trend can be crippling. Finding new drivers is a challenge – and recruiting and training is expensive. Today, host John Carione shares 7 ways you can increase driver retention and keep your fleet on the road.

You can download a short guide that captures all of these ideas plus some pro tips at: https://info.intellishift.com/retention

Transcript

7 Ways to Increase Driver Retention and Keep an Efficient Fleet On The Road

Hello, I’m John Carione, host of the ConnectedOps Visionaries podcast. Today I’ve got one of our shorter “connected insight” episodes for you. These special episodes deliver actionable insights and best practices that you can immediately put to work in your business.

For years, fleet-driven businesses have watched as the pool of available drivers shrinks. The shortage is driven by a number of factors, everything from younger workers coming into the industry at a lower rate than experienced drivers are leaving, to the amplifying impact of COVID-19.

If your business depends on drivers to deliver products or services, this trend can be crippling. Not only is finding new drivers a challenge – recruiting and training is expensive. Retaining your current drivers is critical, and today I want to outline 7 ways you can increase driver satisfaction and, ultimately, retention – to keep your fleet staffed and productive. 

Number 1: Reduce paperwork. Like everyone else, your drivers want to be efficient and productive. If you're still burdening them with paper-based processes like daily inspections, a switch to digital inspections will streamline your operation and improve driver satisfaction. Customize the forms to your exact vehicle protocols and the driver's workflow to make inspections fast, easy and accurate. You'll get real-time reporting, and your drivers get more time to focus on the road.

Number 2: "They don't appreciate me" is often given as the reason for employee separation in all walks of life, and drivers are no exception. There are a number of actions you can take to turn this around. Add an award program based on scorecard results. And simply make time to ask drivers how they're doing. Ask for feedback on ways you can help them do their job better. We often hear our customers say they’ve picked up best practices that can be implemented across their fleet when they have an open communication loop with drivers. And when you really listen – and act on driver feedback – you send the message: you’re valued. 

Number 3: Get creative with benefits. Little perks can make a big difference in satisfaction and retention. Things like a free or discounted gym or warehouse club membership can set you apart from the competition. Can you offer floating days off, or allow workers to drive their vehicle home? If yes, let them know your policy and all that it covers – like mileage and fuel, and that telematics documents all vehicle use . . . on and off the job. 

Number 4: Offer a professional development plan. Some drivers will always be road warriors. Others want opportunities to jump on a management track when they’re ready to get off the road. A professional development plan will keep your drivers engaged. Offer continuing training to build skill and confidence on the road – giving your drivers more peace of mind and increasing safety for your business – as well as opportunities to build supervisory and leadership skills.

Number 5: Develop a referral program. Your happy drivers are your best recruiters. If you don't have one already, a referral program should offer a nice bonus to anyone who refers in a safe driver. Create a flyer or card that drivers can hand out when they stop at a truck stop or are waiting in a receiver's driver lounge.

Number 6: Protect your drivers against false claims of liability. When an accident occurs, commercial vehicles are easy blame targets. In fact, studies show that as much as 80% of liability claims against commercial drivers are false. While drivers may have an initial hesitance about having a camera in the cab, they soon see that a video telematics solution can be their best companion on the road – providing evidence to exonerate them from false claims. In fact, we hear from customers who say that when an incident happens, drivers are the first to ask to pull up the video to prove their innocence. Implementing a video-based safety program protects your business and shows drivers you’ve got their back.

And Number 7: Provide safe, well-maintained equipment. Like most people, drivers take pride in their ride, especially when it offers greater safety and comfort, and even a few new bells and whistles. When you consider the cost of driver turnover, keeping your fleet up to date takes on a new level of importance. Sticking to a preventative maintenance program based on mileage and proactively resolving DTCs and other alerts helps prevent breakdowns, keeping drivers safe and productive.

I’m confident that if you put these tips into action, you’ll find it easier to retain your current drivers and even grow your team. And don’t worry if you didn’t have a chance to capture all of these tips as I went through them. You can download a short guide that captures all of these ideas plus some pro tips at: info.intellishift.com/retention. You can also find the link in the show notes. 

Have a great day!