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Is it ever OK to be less than truthful with drivers during the recruiting process?
Quote of the Day
"Management is nothing more than motivating other people."
-- Lee Iacocca
Four basic personality traits
By Greg Mechler
Much has been written in the trucking trade press about using personality assessment tools to help select drivers. These tools can be quite effective for selection but are even more important as tools to understand the differing personality ingredients of individual drivers and how to apply this knowledge to build more effective relationships. Many assessment tools are available, and most are based on the four-trait concept of personality.
One tool used for driver analysis -- Professional Dynametrics Program (PDP) -- measures four traits: dominance, extroversion, pace (patience) and conformity. PDP assessment produces a profile of these four traits for an individual completing the survey. This profile depicts the relative level of each trait, which can be either high or low. The highest trait has the strongest impact on a person's behavior tendencies. A generalized result for truck drivers (based on a validation study) is that they tend to be high on patience and conformity and low on dominance and extroversion. However, any individual could have a very different profile.
Driver Personality Types
This analysis identifies four distinct behavioral traits that exist in all people, including truck drivers. One trait is usually more prominent than the others, which makes that behavior quite predictable. The four traits are briefly defined below.
Dominance: "The Charger" (D)
High "D" individuals are hard drivers.
They control their environment through direct, forceful action.
They are competitive; they want to be the best.
They get things done.
They may be abrasive and challenge your authority.
They often overcome opposition in unfavorable situations.
Extroversion : "The Talker" (E)
High "E" individuals are effective in persuading and interacting with others.
They are outgoing, empathetic and optimistic.
They are good communicators.
They are motivated by social interaction and recognition.
They may have trouble with time management (late deliveries).
Pace : "Easygoing" (P)
High "P" individuals are patient, stable and calm.
They are cooperative and have a steady, consistent manner.
They are slow to change and prefer predictable work routines.
They function most effectively in a secure, repetitious environment.
Conformity : "Mr. Right" (C)
High "C" individuals are loyal and reserved.
They resist change.
They have a strong sense of knowing "right from wrong."
They like accurate details and set their own high standards.
They favor quality over quantity.
People with low levels of each of these traits exhibit the opposite characteristics to the trait descriptions above.
Greg Mechler, president of Human Advantage, has more than 30 years of transportation management and consulting experience. This article is an excerpt from Chapter 8 of the "Daily Dispatch Challenge Training Guide." For more information, call 972-618-2262, visit www.thehumanadvantage.com or e-mail greg.mechler@att.net.
