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How to Set Your Truck Drivers Up for Success

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Nearly every truck driver can tell a story about taking a job with a company that does not provide them with the tools and resources they need to be successful. Whether it’s poorly maintained trucks or a confusing onboarding process, there are some clear indicating factors that will impact a company’s driver retention rate. Truck driving is already a stressful occupation, which is why drivers will not hesitate to change companies if they feel their needs are not being met.  

To ensure that your company has a strong driver retention rate, you should set your drivers up for success from the moment they first apply to work for you. 

Clear Application & Onboarding Processes: Long applications, lack of response, or being treated like a number are several reasons drivers have cited about why they decided to join another company. To keep quality drivers, you must first be able to hire and onboard them successfully, which is why this step is so critical. Work with your recruiting department to ensure that there are clear goals about responding to drivers in a timely manner, making them feel welcome, and following up regularly during the process. Solid communication during this initial phase of employment lays the foundation for the drivers’ experience with your company as a whole. It is also advisable to have a driver mentor program to help facilitate a new driver’s experience once they join the team.  

Set Realistic Delivery Goals: Once drivers have joined your team there are several areas that they may run into issues while working, but we have noticed the top one is related to delivery. Many shipping companies set timelines that are extremely tight providing truck drivers with little room for error. Delivery times can be impacted by many factors including traffic and weather, so it is important to give drivers some flexibility to account for unexpected events. The last thing your company needs is drivers driving recklessly to meet tight deadlines.  

Providing Resources for Mental & Physical Health: Truck driving takes a toll on a person’s body both mentally and physically, which is why providing resources for your drivers is a key way to help set them up for success. Health issues common amongst truck drivers include stress, high blood pressure, obesity, depression, lack of sleep, and more. To mitigate these issues, it is worth providing benefits that allow drivers to take better care of their health including insurance, gym memberships, schedules that allow for sufficient rest, and paid time off. Companies can also provide equipment to help trucks become more comfortable including seat cushions which provide lumbar support.  

Balance Home Time with Time on the Road: Another way companies can help drivers be more successful and lead a healthier, happier life is by balancing time at home, with time on the road. As mentioned above, depression is one of the biggest issues facing truck drivers today and it is largely due to the amount of time spent alone. To help your drivers combat loneliness, it is important to make sure their schedule does not keep them away from home for weeks at a time and that they have plenty of breaks to communicate with their families.   

Regularly Maintain Trucks & Equipment: Deliveries are only possible if drivers can arrive at their destination safely and without issue. Drivers are often faced with trucks and other equipment that is not functioning properly. To ensure your team is able to do their jobs successfully, maintaining trucks and equipment regularly is a must.  

The market for experienced and quality truck drivers remains competitive, which is why it is vital to consider new and innovative ways to increase driver retention. For more tips on how to increase driver retention, make sure to check out our blog for employers regularly.  

Why Your Company Should Have a Driver Mentor Program

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Driver retention is one of the most important, and sometimes most challenging, parts of the recruiting process. With the current driver shortage and evolving recruiting practices, it’s more imperative than ever to stay ahead of the curve and keep your drivers safe, satisfied, and engaged.  

 

One sure fire way to foster a team environment, while improving driver safety and retention rates, is to create a driver mentor program. By pairing new hires with more experienced team members, you can show your drivers that you appreciate their work and are willing to invest in them. In addition, mentoring relationships at any stage of your career can help you achieve personal and professional development goals, such as learning a new skill, strengthening a competency, or becoming more productive, just to name a few. Keep reading to find out why a mentor program could be the best move for your company.  

 

Mentor vs. Manager: What’s the Difference? 

You might be asking yourself: what’s the point of a mentor when you have a great team of managers on the payroll? Mentors play a less formal role, allowing management to maintain the necessary level of professionalism. A mentor gives new drivers a chance to ask questions they might not be comfortable asking managers, and takes the pressure off while they are initially familiarizing themselves with company protocols. Mentoring is open and collaborative relationship between a mentor and mentee that is built on trust.  The relationship is defined by both parties. It can be formal or informal.  

 

“Engagement is the key to learning and development and being involved in a mentoring relationship can be quite profound as both mentors and mentees make themselves vulnerable, trusting in the process as they confidentially share insecurities, struggles ,mistakes, and valuable learnings with each other. It’s a level of transparency that makes this experience unique and helps accelerate one’s personal and professional development. Having a strong mentoring program not only helps to engage and advance women in the organization, it builds supportive relationships and fosters a culture of learning.” 

⁠—Beth Potratz, President and CEO, Drive My Way 

  

What Are the Benefits? 

By instating a driver mentor program, you aren’t just helping your newest team members. You are also helping the experienced drivers who become mentors, as well as your company as a whole!  

 

For the mentee, the benefits cannot be understated.  

  • A low pressure way to learn about company culture and expectations.  
  • Access to an experienced driver’s tips, tricks, and advice.  
  • Guidance whenever they have questions.  

 

At the same time, experienced drivers who take on the responsibility of becoming a mentor will experience benefits too.  

  • A chance to progress their career by developing coaching skills.  
  • Increased pay or other company incentives. 
  • The feeling of company recognition for being selected in this important role.  

 

Besides increased retention rates, there are other ways a mentor program can benefit your company.  

  • Lower your insurance rates with safer drivers.  
  • Foster a team environment through increased positivity and communication.  
  • Save money on training seminars.  

 

Changing the Face of Trucking, One Mentor at a Time 

Driver mentor programs also offer another benefit, one that will help in developing the entire trucking industry. As more women and members of underrepresented communities enter the field, mentors are a great way to ensure they receive the support and guidance they need while forging new paths in the industry.  

 

Organizations such as Women In Trucking (WIT) offer their own mentorship opportunities, including their Mentor Match Program and online community platform Engage. Through these programs, WIT promotes connection, support, and mentoring for women entering the field and offers a chance for experienced drivers to give back.  

 

Although programs like these are changing the trucking industry, there is no better way to support your drivers than by starting at a company level. A driver mentor program demonstrates to these employees that you appreciate and prioritize them, enabling you to grow your fleet while attracting top talent from diverse backgrounds.  

 

 

Driver mentor programs are a great way to save money and time while demonstrating to your drivers that their success is your top priority. Mentors also encourage diversity and growth in an evolving industry and are becoming an important differentiating factor in today’s highly competitive market.  

 

We’d love to hear any mentor success stories, or lessons you’ve learned while pairing up drivers, so be sure to reach out to us on social media! 

Best Ways to Celebrate Your Drivers During National Truck Driver Appreciation Week

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Truck driving is a career that is not for the faint of heart. With long hours, physical demands, and the stress of working on the road, it goes without saying that truck drivers are some of the hardest workers out there. Not only is truck driving a strenuous job, but it is also a vital one. Without the dedication of America’s truck drivers, communities across the nation would go without necessary goods; from food to clothing, truck drivers are the cornerstone of transportation in this country. For this and many other reasons, we honor our truck drivers every year during National Truck Driver Appreciation Week.  

History of National Truck Driver Appreciation Week  

According to the American Trucking Associations (ATA), National Truck Driver Appreciation Week is a time for Americans to show gratitude to the millions of truck drivers who make sure goods are delivered to communities across the country. This program is an annual celebration that was started by the ATA in 1988 to recognize the vital role that truck drivers play in our supply chain and economy. To put it into perspective, at least 80% of communities throughout the U.S. rely on trucks to meet their freight transportation needs. This year, National Truck Driver Appreciation Week is September 10th –16th.  

 

Best Ways to Celebrate Your Drivers During National Truck Driver Appreciation Week  

There are many wonderful appreciation ideas for celebrating your drivers during National Truck Driver Appreciation Week. From bonuses to free lunches, these gestures go a long way in showing gratitude for your drivers. Some other creative ways to celebrate your drivers include:  

Ask Your Drivers: One of the best ways to celebrate your team is asking for their feedback. By having an open dialogue with your drivers, you can see the areas where the company is excelling, and the areas that could use improvement. Perhaps your drivers would benefit from the use of new technology. Do you have a bonus structure in place? Even new seats in their trucks could go a long way in showing that you value your drivers’ well-being. By asking them what would make their job more comfortable, you not only are able to show appreciation, but also demonstrate that their opinion has an impact on the company as a whole.  

Survival Kits: Way cooler than a gift basket, survival kits are a creative way to put together items that your drivers can use while they are on a haul. From healthy snacks to new tech, a truck driver survival kit is a fun gift that shows your team that you value their hard work and are dedicated to providing them with tools they need to continue to do their job well.  

Family Time: Truck driving is demanding physically, but it is also draining emotionally. Many drivers spend weeks at a time away from their families, which is tough. A great way to show appreciation for drivers is to include extra time with family. Whether that is an extra day off, family company events, or the option to bring your family on the road, these gestures mean the world to drivers. This story, shared on Healthy Trucking of America, highlights the ups and downs of having a parent that is an OTR driver. By ensuring that your drivers have a healthy work-life balance and plenty of time to spend with family, you can not only increase driver retention, but show your team that you genuinely care about them having quality time to spend with their spouses and children.  

 

Showing Gratitude for Your Drivers Year-Round  

While showing your gratitude to your drivers during National Truck Driver Appreciation Week is a wonderful gesture, year-round appreciation is an important tool for companies to invest time and energy into, so they can increase driver retention. For additional truck driver appreciation ideas, download our Quick Guide to Truck Driver Appreciation.  

 

What are some ways your company shows appreciation for your drivers during National Truck Driver Appreciation Week, or year-round? Connect with us on Facebook, LinkedIn, or Instagram; we would love to hear from you!  

4 Tips for Recruiting Truck Drivers

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If the ongoing  shortage of truck drivers  has made one thing clear, it’s that recruiting and retaining drivers is more important than ever. Hiring, training, and retaining dedicated drivers is crucial to finding success in today’s economy, and it all starts with the recruitment of the right candidates for the job.  

Struggling to attract talent or recruit them into your organization? Wondering how to meet the demands of the market and stay competitive in an ever-changing industry? These 4 tips are sure to help you set your organization up for success when recruiting truck drivers.  

  1. Make Your Marketing Driver-Centric

In today’s world, drivers look to the regular marketing channels to find information about prospective companies and fleets. This means that good recruitment strategies begin with strong marketing and carefully curated content.  

What kinds of content currently exist on the company website and social media pages? Information about how successful a company is won’t be of much interest to a potential employee. It’s important to highlight driver-centric content, or the kinds of benefits a driver can receive from your company.  

Ultimately, a driver wants to know that the company will treat their drivers with care and provide the benefits they are looking for.  

Highlight any wellness programs or culture initiatives that differentiate your company from the competition. Providing information on schedules, work-life balance, and fleet amenities can help drivers see how much you care. Including testimonials from current, satisfied employees builds trust and offers the real insight drivers are looking for.  

Remember, drivers are always wondering “what can they do for me?” Driver-centric marketing will leave no doubt in their mind that you’re the right company for them.  

  1. Target the Right Audience 

Before you start moving prospective drivers through the recruitment pipeline, you have to be sure you’re selecting from the best pool of candidates for the job.  

Many driving fleets have very specific needs and requirements that not all candidates are ideal for. Knowing how to target the right segment of candidates will make the process more efficient and effective.  

Databases allow you to select drivers based on driver type, years of experience, haul experience, geographical location, and other factors. Focusing on any of these segments early in the recruiting process can save you time and energy. It will also increase the overall effectiveness of the company. By not optimizing this stage of recruitment, you could potentially lose hours chasing leads which were never well suited for that particular fleet or job.  

If you don’t have an easy or effective way to browse data on prospective drivers, Drive My Way can help you target the specific segment of drivers needed for your particular situation.  

  1. Use the Latest Digital Recruiting Methods

Driver recruitment methods are constantly changing, so it’s important to stay up to date with the latest and most effective strategies. Social media continues to evolve as a tool, and drivers use these platforms to research companies, read comments, and evaluate employers. Since drivers are often on the road, they’ll use their mobile devices to search for job leads.  

When viewers like, follow, share, or comment on your content, it can increase the audience exponentially. But advertising job postings on social media channels isn’t enough to attract the talent you’re looking for.  

Post engaging content on your platforms which drivers will want to view. In addition, search engine optimization of your content will ensure that your website is receiving as much traffic as possible. Use software like Google Analytics and Google Keyword Planner to optimize your post by including trending phrases and words.  

Applications should be short and mobile-friendly to avoid any bottlenecking in the recruiting process. Drivers often don’t have enough time to fill out a long application, so a shorter version with only basic information required is best initially, with the option to complete the remaining components later.  

It’s helpful to stay on top of the latest digital tools for recruiting and analyze which strategies could be useful for your company.   

  1. Re-engage Old Leads

In the trucking industry, the unusually high turnover rate of drivers poses a unique challenge for recruiters.  

One of the best ways a recruiter can continually bring people into the pipeline is by re-engaging old leads or cold leads.  

Many drivers who could be a perfect fit but were previously unavailable or chose to drive for a different fleet might be available and looking for opportunities again. Leads and prospects that have gone cold or did not convert into driver status should not be forgotten. Instead, keep them in mind for the future and maintain a connection.  

Drip marketing, engaging content on blogs, social media, and newsletters are all great strategies to stay connected to old leads and assure that your fleet remains fresh on their minds when they’re considering a new employer.  

 

 

While driver recruiting in the trucking industry can be daunting, many of the unique challenges you face can be combated by these solutions. Master these four tips to experience recruiting as it should be: easy, effective, and rewarding.  

10 Fleet Amenities to Help Attract Truck Drivers

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semi truck amenities

Over the past few years, working from home has become increasingly popular in many industries. Companies that used to have brick and mortar offices are finding it better for their finances and their employees’ happiness to switch to a work from home model. 

For obvious reasons, this isn’t a possibility in the trucking industry. But that doesn’t mean that drivers shouldn’t have the comfort and amenities they have at home while they’re on the road.  

Enter semi-truck amenities. As the labor market for qualified truck drivers doesn’t show any signs of loosening, carriers need to find every possible way to appeal to these drivers. One of these ways is to offer drivers more comfortable and high-tech truck amenities that give them a taste of home while on the road.  

Benefits of Offering Semi-Truck Amenities

Upgrading the amenities for your fleet of trucks can be a costly venture for organizations. However, carriers should consider that the increased driver retention that comes from offering amenities might be worth the initial investment. 

People want to be comfortable where they work. Hence the shift of office jobs to work from home settings. Truck drivers have that same desire, but since that isn’t possible in the trucking industry, consider fleet amenities as the work from home equivalent. If your fleet is serious about attracting and retaining the best drivers, having these amenities may be the thing that sways them to your carrier as opposed to a competitor.  

But semi-truck amenities don’t just make drivers more comfortable. They can lead drivers to live a more healthy, stress-free lifestyle. Better seats can lead to less back problems. Larger refrigerators means that drivers can eat healthy pre-packed lunches from home instead of fast food or truck stop food. Soundproofing and insulation can lead to a better night’s sleep and less tired drivers on the road.  

10 of the Best Semi Truck Amenities

  • Comfortable seating 
  • Memory foam mattress 
  • LED lighting with dimmer switches 
  • Soundproofing and Insulation 
  • APU units 
  • Refrigerators 
  • Microwave 
  • Cabinets and/or built-in storage space 
  • Premium TV / Audio system 
  • Sirius XM Radio subscription 

Investing in all of these amenities would cost a lot. That’s why carriers should ask their drivers what matters most to them. Consider sending out a survey in your next company-wide email to gauge drivers’ interest in any of the above amenities. When sending out the survey, be sure to explain the reasoning behind these upgrades—to help drivers be more comfortable on the road and increase their job satisfaction. 

While adding fleet amenities are a great perk that will help you recruit and retain top driver talent, it’s still just a small part of the equation. Offering competitive pay and benefits, offering reasonable home time, and creating a driver-centric culture are still the biggest ways that your carrier can start bringing in the right drivers.  

Comprehensive CDL Recruitment Solutions

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