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Increasing Retention by Creating Loyal Drivers

By Ray Duval

So, you have advertised, recruited and trained your new drivers. The sales pitch from recruiting has been made to the drivers and you have done the required background checks. Everything seems to be in place. There is one question that all of us have yet to address and that is how long will the drivers stay.

Industry statistics state that the first 90 days are the most crucial for new recruits. If we can get them past the 90-day mark, we believe that we will retain those drivers for a period of time before they move on to the competition. We all know in the back of our minds that the majority of the recruits that we hired today will move on; it’s just a matter of trying to predict when they will. Of course, all recruits won’t move on, but the majority of them will and for various reasons. Some of the reasons we have all heard about, and some are new ones that we have not.

Quotes like, “The driver doesn’t know what he wants” to “Drivers, they’re just different,” have been voiced by all of us at different times. Of course, it couldn’t be our fault; it has to be the driver’s fault. “We offer competitive wages, we try to make sure that the driver gets home on a regular basis and we treat our drivers like family,” are phrases that we hear daily. If we are truly doing these things, then why won’t the driver stay with the company after he is hired?

Ask yourself the following questions:

* Is your company indispensable to your drivers and their families?

* What sets you apart from your competition?

* Does the company really understand the value of the driver?

Is your company indispensable to your drivers and their families?

Is your company the type of company that practices the five behavioral patterns that drive your company to be indispensable? Does your company practice constant communication, does it create community and does it create big picture outcome? Does your company engage, enchant and enthrall the driver? If your company doesn’t do this, then you are not going to be indispensable to the drivers and your employees and the “grass is greener” syndrome will continue to be the cancer that spreads throughout your company.

Ask yourself this: If I were a driver, would my company be a company that my family and I couldn’t live without? It sounds a little funny, but it’s very true. You know what your perception of your company is, but do you know what the driver’s perception of your company really is? It is said that “a driver’s story about your company is crafted by your words and deeds.” What kind of a story is really being told about your company?

What sets you apart from your competition?

Very simply put, what makes your company different from your competitors? We all have the same makes and models of equipment, the same type of freight and generally the same type of compensation. What is it that makes your company stand out from the others? What added value can you bring to the table for the driver that others can’t?

Does the company really understand the value of the driver?

We see the company driver and owner-operator as a mode of moving freight from point A to point B. While this is true in its most basic form, the driver is much more than this. Think of the following statement: “The driver is the one individual who has the most profound impact on every area of the company on a daily basis.” Some might say that this is not true, but think about it. The driver is responsible for marketing, sales, maintenance, recruiting, customer service, security, new business, repeat business, lead generation, pricing, public relations, image and cash flow. If the driver does not perform his or her duties properly, one or more of these areas will be affected in some way. To be blunt, the driver is one of the most important individuals on your team because he or she essentially provides your paycheck!

Freight levels are at an all-time high. The industry has the luxury now of weeding out companies that cost too much and won’t pay the going rates. We are an industry on the mend, and we are an industry that has great potential for growth in the coming years. Each of us is analyzing our own situations, and we are continuing to run lean, productive companies by investing in cutting-edge technologies to help us spot trends and statistics. What technology exists today for managing one of your most important assets, your driver? Software is now becoming available to track vacation and home time, but this is not enough to stop the constant industry churn when it comes to drivers.

In order to decrease your turnover, you must become that company that is indispensable to your drivers and their families. You must create an environment where the drivers don’t want to leave the company. Create an environment where the drivers acknowledge that they are receiving added value that they cannot get at any other company.

As you strive to keep valued customers for life, so must you strive to keep valued drivers for life. You must strive to create driver loyalty in your company, not just driver satisfaction. If you create a loyal driver, you will have a driver that will give word-of-mouth advertising to other drivers, and the best of the best will be knocking at your door for employment and, once onboard, they will never want to leave your company. Remember, strive to create loyal drivers, not satisfied drivers, and your company turnover will reduce at a rapid pace.

Ray Duval is the founder and president of Worldwide Consulting, LLC in Solon, OH. Duval has been involved with the trucking industry for 28 years, helping companies add bottom-line revenue by creating both customer and employee loyalty. He can be reached via e-mail at: worldconsult@sbcglobal.net.

"Pay your people the least possible and you'll get from them the same."

-- Malcolm S. Forbes