Show Your Drivers You Care! Put a Healthy Trucking Kiosk in Your Terminal
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Quote of the Day
Given our ongoing “Healthy Trucking Initiative” and our health-oriented theme for this issue of Inside Trucking Online, it seems appropriate to run some healthy famous quotes, most of which are deadly serious.
“If you have health, you probably will be happy, and if you have health and happiness, you have all the wealth you need, even if it is not all you want.”
– Elbert Hubbard
“The only way to keep your health is to eat what you don’t want, drink what you don’t like, and do what you’d druther not.”
– Mark Twain
“Health is like money; we never have a true idea of its value until we lose it.”
– Josh Billings
“Health is worth more than learning.”
– Thomas Jefferson
“Getting my lifelong weight struggle under control has come from a process of treating myself as well as I treat others in every way.”
– Oprah Winfrey
“To lengthen thy life, lessen thy meals.”
– Benjamin Franklin
Market Changes Fuel the Path to Better Retention
By Duff Swain
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With slow economic activity and fuel prices at an all time high, many trucking companies are beginning to feel financial pressure. According to Avondale Partners research, 935 trucking companies filed for bankruptcy in the first quarter of 2008, displacing a record number of qualified drivers. But for the companies surviving this economic downturn, an increase in the number of available experienced drivers offers an opportunity to improve the fleet.
While the industry has recently experienced a nationwide shortage of qualified drivers, the current economic conditions make it a more competitive marketplace for both drivers and trucking companies. In order to attract and retain quality drivers, top management needs to better understand their own recruitment and retention practices.
Change starts at the top. Communication between top management and recruiters is the key to recruiting and retaining quality drivers. Too many managers have left themselves out of the recruiting mix, leaving a gap in essential communication. According to Jim Buchanan, vice president of operations at Trincon Group and previous CEO of Buchanan Machinery Transport, in order to attract drivers, top management needs to understand what the company has to offer a driver and convey that message to all levels of management. All levels of management must deliver the opportunities being set by the recruiters.
By creating consistent expectations both internally and externally, top management is able to create a credible company that drivers want stay with for the long haul. Recruiters can’t promise 2,800 miles a week when the company can only offer 2,200. According to Buchanan, too many trucking companies are over-promising and under-delivering, leaving drivers feeling unappreciated and causing high turnover rates. Once the communication gap is closed, recruiters can focus on finding qualified drivers.
Recruiting is selling. Once credibility has been established and recruiters understand what the company can offer a driver, a pre-screening process should be used to weed out any under- qualified candidates. In the age of e-mail, online applications and the Web, recruiters have the tools available to find the perfect candidate. Recruiters need to be responsive to e-mails regarding positions and ask the proper questions to find what a driver is looking for in a position. Once the person qualifies for the position, it is the recruiter’s job to sell the company, the job, the quality of life and the future the company can offer.
Selling doesn’t stop with recruiting. Once a candidate is chosen for the position, selling needs to continue into the orientation process. Orientation can be an important step to retention and a step that most trucking companies overlook. Orientation is not training; drivers have already been trained to drive. Orientation is the time to explain driving requirements and responsibilities, and review key company perks such as health benefits, 401(k) plans and available incentives. Orientation is a valuable investment, as it properly prepares the new employee and creates a commitment by both parties. The result will be a better-prepared driver who will be committed to the job and the company.
Creating a career. New and existing drivers need to see an attainable career path to want to stay with a company. Drivers should be recognized for their experience, performance, skills and tenure within the company. Expectations and a career path should be defined, such as:
* New hires should be required to “graduate” from orientation before entering a probationary period.
* All new hires should be placed on probation for 90 days and must live up to specific standards to be accepted permanently.
* Experience should be defined and recognized by title: driver trainee, driver, senior driver, team captain, driver trainer, driver specialist, service provider, etc.
It is clear from the high turnover rates and driver shortage that a change is needed within the trucking industry. With the ease in driver shortage, now is the time for top management to take the upper hand. By creating a credible company, properly recruiting and creating a defined career path, retention rates will improve, generating the best fleet in the industry.
Duff Swain is president of Columbus, OH-based TRINCON Group, a national transportation industry consulting firm. Swain has served as an expert consultant for more than 20 years and is frequently featured in national publications to discuss issues that affect the shipping and transportation industries. He has authored several white papers on the subjects of productivity, hours-of-service rules and driver hiring and retention. More information is available at www.trincon.com, or by calling 614-442-0590.
