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Driver turnover is a serious problem and there's no way to sugarcoat it . . . or is there?
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"The achievements of an organization are the results of the combined effort of each individual."
-- Vince Lombardi
Driver & Dispatcher DNA
By Marc Bailey
Your goal is to get all those trucks parked out by the fence on the road hauling for dollars, but until you get your driver turnover under control, all of your new hires are replacements. While the OTR average for driver turnover is about 120 percent, there are carriers who have figured out how to get it down to 40 percent.The purpose of this article is to show you one way to improve your driver turnover numbers.
Here’s the good news: You’re already paying for the key to keeping drivers -- it’s your dispatchers. All you have to do is discover what we call your “Driver & Dispatcher DNA,” then align your boards to optimize compatibility between drivers and dispatchers. When we say DNA we’re talking about personal traits like assertiveness, sensitivity, teamwork, rules compliance, sociability, intelligence and problem-solving. There are inexpensive online tools for measuring DNA.
How can you tell if you have a Driver & Dispatcher DNA problem? If some of your boards have a lot more turnover than others, your problem is probably not pay scale, home time, safety reputation or equipment. You probably have driver/dispatcher DNA incompatibility.
Let’s look at a real life example. Dispatcher John’s DNA has average intelligence, mid-high assertiveness, high sensitivity, high rules compliance, a laid-back work style and low sociability. When we measured the drivers on John’s board we discovered three different driver DNA combinations. Drivers with high assertiveness and high sensitivity had a turnover rate of 150 percent while drivers with low assertiveness and low sensitivity had turnover of 70 percent. Obviously, it’s a bad idea to have sensitive drivers being managed by sensitive dispatchers.
The results were even more striking on the subject of assertiveness. When a high-assertive dispatcher managed a high-assertive driver, the turnover rate in the first six months on the job was nearly 200 percent! Low-assertive dispatchers managing high-assertive drivers had turnover of just 100 percent. It’s pretty easy to identify some of these poisonous DNA combinations.
An OTR driver either fits with a dispatcher’s profile or it’s in conflict. Senior management needs to use available management tools to measure Driver & Dispatcher DNA, to discover incompatibilities, and to restructure OTR boards to optimize compatibility. Senior management also needs to use driver DNA to choose new dispatchers when there’s an opening. This is state-of-the-art organizational development.
One final thought: Having dispatchers with the right DNA scores isn’t enough. In fact, it’s just the starting point. It does no good to have your DNA profiles aligned if your dispatchers don’t care about retention. And caring is useless unless it’s proven with behavior. The way a dispatcher shows he cares is by consistently tending to his drivers’ needs. Dispatchers cannot be moody people, i.e. Jekyll and Hydes. Drivers have to know what to expect from their dispatcher . . . every time. And your dispatchers have to know that you care about driver retention. Announcing a driver retention campaign is always a good decision.
In summary, there are many different poisonous combinations of drivers and dispatchers. If you have boards with these dangerous combinations you are guaranteeing high driver turnover. The solution is to measure your drivers and your dispatchers, and then align your boards with an eye on compatibility of their DNA. It’s not easy and it costs money. But it doesn’t cost anywhere near the kind of money that driver turnover is costing you. And we all know you’ll never grow your fleet if you can’t get driver turnover under control. It’s not how many you hire; it’s how many you keep.
Marc Bailey is the CEO of TamingTurnover, a provider of online software designed to optimize the fit between managers and workers in the fields of OTR trucking and skilled construction. TamingTurnover, located in Alpharetta, GA, can be reached at 678-990-4864 or via www.TamingTurnover.com.
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