If you wish to be really successful in this highly competitive trucking industry, the secret is to keep your truckers happy or what is often called ‘driver retention’.
We get hundreds of truck drivers onboarded for our clients every month, but if they don’t stay with the company then it was all in vain. Our most successful clients, the ones that are constantly growing their fleet size, understand that retention is just as important as recruitment.
Once you’ve onboarded qualified drivers, your work is only just beginning.
A key secret you must know is how to retain your truck drivers and improve their productivity. There can be no trucking business without the trucks and the trucks are useless if there are no drivers to drive them. That is why keeping your truck drivers happy is a business strategy that will prove beneficial in the long run.
Here is what most of the successful trucking company owners are doing to retain the best talent.
Raise pay and benefits.
In any industry, higher salaries and benefits are what attract the best talents. Check out what your competitors are offering and make sure that you are offering the same or better. You should also consider offering health and wellness benefits.
Create work and life balance.
Spending days on roads and away from home can be stressful both for the truckers and their families. Create schedules that allow your drivers to be with their families more often.
Invest in new technology.
Technology like rear-facing cameras to help navigate blind spots, automated logs to keep records and automatic transmissions for driving comfort are features that you can invest in to improve job satisfaction for your truck drivers.
Provide a career path.
Remember your employees don’t just want jobs, they want a career that’s meaningful. If you want your truck drivers to stay longer with you, provide them with opportunities for advancement and improving their career.
Like all employees, truckers also want good pay, great benefits, and a promising career.
Appreciation and respect goes a long way to the contribution to the success of the company. Make sure you are providing them all their due benefits including paid driver training, insurance coverage, adequate home time, and bonuses. Looking for more qualified truck drivers? Schedule a call with us today at Get Truck Drivers.
Amrit is the founder of GetTruckDrivers.com and a Trucking Consultant who has helped North America’s largest trucking businesses to grow exponentially. His area of expertise lies in driver recruitment and customer acquisition for ethical fleet owners.