When a truck driver hands in their notice, many companies treat the departure as a done deal rather than a final opportunity.
Exit interviews can offer unmatched insight into what’s working and what’s not when it comes to your company’s recruiting and driver retention efforts. For carriers facing persistent driver shortages and rising turnover, this often-overlooked tool can be a powerful force for change.
By asking the right questions and acting on the answers, you can identify patterns, improve retention strategies, and begin to shift company culture from the ground up.
The High Stakes of Driver Turnover
According to the American Trucking Associations, turnover among large truckload carriers consistently remains above 80 percent. Replacing a single driver can cost anywhere from $6,000 to $12,000 in recruitment, onboarding, and lost productivity. Given these costs, understanding why drivers leave truly is essential.
Many fleets invest heavily in recruitment strategies but neglect the critical last step: collecting feedback from departing employees. Exit interviews, when conducted thoughtfully, can uncover root causes of dissatisfaction that might not surface during regular check-ins or satisfaction surveys.
Why Exit Interviews Are Underused in Trucking
In many industries, exit interviews are a routine part of HR processes. In trucking, however, they are less common or often reduced to a generic checklist. The nature of the industry plays a role, as drivers may leave suddenly, can be hard to meet in person, or may not trust that their feedback will lead to any change.
However, digital tools now make it easier to conduct remote, structured exit interviews via phone, video, or secure online forms. Platforms like WorkHound, Tenstreet, or even customizable survey tools such as SurveyMonkey and Typeform can help gather and analyze feedback efficiently.
What to Ask and What to Listen For
Generic questions like “Why are you leaving?” or “Would you recommend us to another driver?” rarely reveal the deeper motivations behind a driver’s departure. Instead, you should aim for open-ended, specific, and behavior-based questions.
Some examples might include:
- What aspects of your job did you enjoy the most?
- Were there situations where you felt unsupported or undervalued?
- How would you describe your communication with dispatch and management?
- Were there any company policies or procedures that made your job more difficult?
- What would have made you stay?
Such questions can lead to more nuanced feedback around company culture, scheduling pressures, equipment issues, or relationship challenges with dispatch. Drivers may be more honest on the way out than they were while employed, making this moment uniquely valuable.
Turning Insights Into Action
Collecting exit interview feedback is only helpful if you are ready to review and act on it. This means identifying trends over time rather than treating each interview as a standalone data point. For example, if five out of ten departing drivers cite issues with time at home, that suggests a systemic problem, not a one-off complaint.
Many leading fleets now incorporate this feedback into continuous improvement processes. If communication breakdowns are a repeated concern, it may signal a need to retrain dispatchers or improve mobile app interfaces. If poor equipment is cited often, it could justify prioritizing upgrades in the next capital expenditure cycle.
Importantly, sharing these insights (in a generalized, anonymized form) with leadership and operational teams can drive broader cultural change. It shows that feedback is valued, and it demonstrates your commitment to becoming a better place to work, even for those who are already walking out the door.
Bridging the Trust Gap
Some drivers may hesitate to be fully honest, especially if they fear their comments will be ignored or used against them. Creating a culture of trust is key. Let drivers know that their exit feedback is confidential and will be used only to improve the company for future employees.
It can also be useful to have a neutral party, such as an HR team member or third-party service, conduct the interview, rather than a direct supervisor or dispatcher. This separation can help drivers feel safer sharing candid input.
