Tag: retain

How to Retain Truck Drivers through the Holidays

Posted on by Jake Peters

The holiday season can be a frustrating time for truck driver recruiters. Many of the drivers you hired throughout the year will leave your company to spend this time with their family. If you take the right steps you can retain your truck drivers. Follow this guide and retain your truck drivers this holiday season.

Santa Claus driving a truck. Truck driver wearing Santa Claus and smiling happy on Christmas Day. Workers in transportation and delivery business are working in celebration holidays. Merry Christmas

Offer a Significant Holiday Bonus 

Money talks, it is the oldest trick in the retention book.

It is common for truck drivers to quit their jobs right before the holiday season starts and find new work in January. The promise of a hefty holiday bonus towards the end of the holiday season would help keep drivers from leaving your company.

The holiday bonus is a motivation for drivers to stay with your company and it makes them feel valued by your company.

You must make sure the bonus you are offering is worthwhile. Drivers are more than likely not going to stick around for a $50 Amazon card. Make the bonus big enough that your truck drivers think it is worth it to keep working instead of taking time off.

Throw a Big Company Holiday Party 

A company holiday party is a fun strategy that you can use to retain truck drivers through the holiday season. Who doesn’t love to party?!

Celebrating the end of another year with a large celebration is an incentive for drivers to stay around. However, you need to make the party a great time, it cannot be a mediocre party.

You can throw an excellent party by allowing employees to bring their families, having the event catered, and specifically having a special moment for the children. If the kids of your drivers are looking towards your holiday party every year then the kids will convince your drivers to stay with your company.

Every year at your company party, make sure to designate some time to specifically celebrate the truck drivers in front of the entire company. You have no company without your drivers and the whole company should celebrate them.

Company throws holiday party to retain truck drivers

Provide Paid Time Off for Longest Tenured Drivers

Clearly, you do not need to worry about your longest-tenured truck drivers job-hopping. If they have stuck with your company for multiple years, it is safe to assume they have no plans for job-hopping.

Not only do these truck drivers deserve to be rewarded for their loyalty, but they are also an example for recently hired drivers. This policy will establish a company culture that says it rewards loyalty.

Giving tenured drivers paid time off is a walking example of what can happen for the new drivers if they stick with the company. The new truck drivers will be determined to stay with your company so they earn paid time off.

Extend an Abundance of Gratitude and Appreciation

At the end of the day, truck driver retention boils down to gratitude and appreciation. Truck drivers are like everyone else and want to work for a company that values them.

If you work for a carrier that is unable to afford bonuses, holiday parties, and paid time off you can still retain your drivers. Gratitude and appreciation are free to give away.

Take time out of every day this holiday season to express how much you value your drivers. Also, encourage all of your non-driving employees to do the same.

The Holiday season is a tricky season to navigate for trucking companies. An increased number of drivers begin to job hop this time of year. This adds extra stress to the truck driver recruiter. Avoid this stress by following these tips and retaining your truck drivers through the holiday season.

How ADAS Features Help Retain Truck Drivers

Posted on by admin

Purchasing trucks for carriers is often a purely financial decision. Carriers will evaluate how much they need to spend on their trucks in order to get the maximum value. One thing that often gets overlooked is purchasing new trucks with the latest ADAS features improves driver retention.

ADAS Lead to Fewer and Cheaper Accidents

“Research shows that the vast majority of motor vehicle accidents are tied to human error, and safety systems that are available on the market today save lives and can reduce damage,” said Kary Schaefer at her safety presentation for the TCA.

Getting in an accident is one of the biggest reasons that drivers switch careers. Collisions rattle rookie drivers and vets alike. It makes sense, would you want to stay at a job where you nearly lost your life, possibly hurt another person, and caused thousands of dollars in damage?

Trucks that are equipped with the latest Advanced Driver Assistance Systems (ADAS) are proven to experience fewer accidents, and when they do crash there is less damage. ADAS prevent accidents with system interventions. New trucks will stop on their own, gauge its own speed, and keep the truck in the proper lane.

Fleets that were experiencing average repair costs of $7,500 per accident saw that number drop to $300 per repair when they began using new ADAS technology.

Trucks that can keep drivers safe are trucks that keep drivers working for you. With the assistance of ADAS drivers will be far less likely to leave the career because they will not be in as many accidents. This helps you retain drivers and avoid idle trucks.

ADAS features make it possible for trucks to react to hazards on its own.

Truck Cabs are Safer With ADAS Cameras

The dangers of driving across the country scare away many promising drivers. One of these dangers is thievery. While drivers are stopped, it is common for them to have items stolen out of their truck cab. This leads to the drivers feeling like they are not safe.

External environmental cameras can be used to record information while the truck is not in motion, serving as a theft deterrent. People will not want to steal from trucks that catch them on camera.

Drivers that are in trucks with the latest safety features will no longer have to worry about their items being stolen. Experiencing a safer truck cab will keep drivers from leaving in fear.

Driver Position is Less Fatiguing With ADAS

In the past driving has been a physically taxing position. Driving through hazardous conditions was especially difficult because the truck did very little to help the driver steer.

New trucks now use active steering lane keep assist to make the driver’s job less fatiguing. Active steering provides slight adjustments to the steering that are prevalent at slow speeds and backing up. Lane keep assistance ensures the truck stays in the middle of the lane with hardly any effort from the driver.

With the new advanced driver assistance systems older drivers can now stay on the road instead of retiring. Older drivers will be physically capable of driving for much longer than in the past, keeping your fleet on the road.

Reduced Insurance Premiums Open Retention Funds 

Commercial vehicle safety systems may reduce insurance premiums in the future. The reason that premiums will go down is because carriers can collect data from the truck and prove to their insurance providers that their trucks are getting in fewer accidents.

Advancing safety features on trucks saves your company money which can be used to your retention budget. As your company spends more on retention, your turnover rate will decrease.

Commercial insurance premiums are reduced with ADAS.

Driver retention is one of the biggest factors that makes a carrier successful or not. Carriers should do everything in their power to keep turnover as low as possible. Having a fleet with the latest safety features improves driver retention. Accidents will happen less, cabs are safer, the driver position becomes less fatiguing, and your company will have more money to spend on retention.