You expect trust and respect from your employees and, in order to reduce driver turnover, your truck drivers must be able to expect these things from the company as well. Establish a company culture that prioritizes communication and collaboration, starting at the top.<\/p>\n

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• Put It in Practice: Use truck driver surveys to evaluate current pain points. Make them anonymous (you\u2019re more likely to get honest and candid survey results if you offer anonymity) and then work to develop a strategy to prioritize and address any discovered issues. This will demonstrate to your commercial drivers that not only will you listen to them, but you will work to earn their trust by taking an active interest in their concerns.<\/li>\n<\/ul>\n

  Check in with New Truck Drivers Early and Often<\/h2>\n

  Many of the statistics for driver turnover demonstrate that commercial drivers are more likely to leave in the first few years of employment with a company. This can be the case for many reasons, but by checking in with your rookie truck drivers on a consistent basis, you can help identify and correct any issues that may be causing new drivers to leave.<\/p>\n

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  • Put it in Practice: Set-up a schedule wherein fleet managers conduct regular check-ins with new commercial drivers\u2014after their first week, and then monthly throughout their first year with the company. Not only will this help you reduce driver turnover, it will also help new truck drivers establish a relationship with and investment in the company.<\/li>\n<\/ul>\n

    Make Positivity a Priority<\/h2>\n

    One element of a commercial trucking company\u2019s culture that can discourage commercial drivers is a feeling that they are not recognized or appreciated. Rather than only directly addressing truck drivers when there is an issue or problem, make an effort to regularly communicate successes and affirmative recognition with them as well.<\/p>\n

    \n
    • Put It Into Practice: Institute a process where fleet managers identify and give positive feedback to a certain number of your truck drivers every week or every month. This helps solidify a beneficial relationship between the commercial drivers and the fleet managers, while also making your drivers feel like their hard work is noticed and valued.<\/li>\n<\/ul>\n

      Provide Opportunities for Learning and Advancement<\/h2>\n

      A commercial truck driver, especially a younger one, is unlikely to stay with a company for a long period of time if they feel that they have no opportunities for learning or advancement. Combat this by offering continuous learning opportunities, such as seminars and classes where commercial drivers can learn about technological advancements and trends impacting the industry. Publicize new job openings and job advancement opportunities at all levels of your company, so that any qualified truck drivers are aware and have the ability to apply.<\/p>\n

      \n
      • Put it Into Practice:
        \no For Learning Opportunities: Arrange for commercial drivers to have the opportunity for advanced learning through webinars (online seminars that can be joined remotely via phone or an internet connection). Potential topics for these seminars include: overview and updates on new ELD mandates, Red Cross certified first aid\/CPR training, and more.
        \no For Job Advancement Opportunities: Include notices and applicable information about advancement opportunities and job openings in company communications and e-mail newsletters.<\/li>\n<\/ul>\n

        Offer Better (and More Innovative) Benefits<\/h2>\n

        While salary isn\u2019t necessarily making or breaking a commercial driver\u2019s decision to start at or stay with your company, your benefits package might be. With salaries holding fairly steady across the board, truck drivers can easily make lateral moves, knowing that they won\u2019t be taking a major cut in any area\u2014pay, insurance, and other benefits\u2014in doing so. Discourage driver turnover by offering graduated incentives, so that the longer a truck driver stays with the company, the better their benefits get.<\/p>\n

        \n
        • Put it Into Practice: Consider implementing a graduated incentives program, where benefits increase at the 6-month, 1-year, 3-year, 5-year mark, and so on. This way, truck drivers are incentivized to stay with your company, as opposed to seeking similar compensation and benefits elsewhere. Some ideas of benefits to consider increasing include: home time, paid vacation time, bonuses, 401(k) match amounts, and more.<\/li>\n<\/ul>\n

          Evaluate Your Company\u2019s Unique Needs<\/h2>\n

          While these strategies and actionable suggestions are a great starting point, it\u2019s important to remember that there is no perfect solution or exact right answer for the problem of how to improve truck driver retention and lower commercial driver turnover rates. Every company and each truck driver is different, and establishing the unique needs and priorities of your company and your drivers is an important first step on the road to helping your fleet company find and keep happy truck drivers.<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"

          It\u2019s no secret that the commercial trucking industry is currently experiencing a dramatic shortage of truck drivers. Each year, more and more Baby Boomers are retiring, leaving a hole in the industry that, as of yet, younger generations have not filled. According to the American Trucking Association\u2019s Truck Driver Shortage Analysis for 2015, the shortage […]<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":5,"featured_media":0,"comment_status":"open","ping_status":"open","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"footnotes":""},"categories":[5],"tags":[],"acf":[],"yoast_head":"\n