Retaining drivers is a constant and costly struggle for companies trying to keep their trucks seated, particularly in a market where leverage over rates is showing signs of shifting from shippers to carriers.
FreightWaves recently examined some of the primary factors behind high driver turnover in the trucking industry, which frequently occurs within the first 180 days. That first half-year of a driver’s experience with a company includes the onboarding process — which is why carriers must pay close attention to how they manage it.
“Onboarding goes beyond what the application process looks like but extends to what does the orientation process look like and what does the paperwork process look like — and is all of that being made easy for the driver,” Marilyn Surber, transportation adviser for Tulsa, Oklahoma-based trucking compliance consultant Tenstreet, told FreightWaves.
“Are they getting what they need from training to start that job? And what does the transition look like from recruiting to training to operations when they’re actually being dispatched to pick up a load? Carriers need to make sure everyone at each of those touch points and handoffs is delivering the same message so that you’re continuing to meet driver expectations.”
That includes the condition of the truck, Surber added. “Nothing is more discouraging for a driver than graduating from orientation and when they go to get in their truck, it doesn’t start.”
Dealing with compensation
Balancing driver pay with other operational costs is always a challenge, and some trucking companies have made efforts to raise driver pay within the past several years to attract more drivers. But because not all companies are in the position to raise pay by $20,000 per year per driver, eliminating pay fluctuation can be a helpful start to keeping drivers.
“If a driver makes $50,000 a year but can make $1,000 one week and $200 the next, that can certainly contribute to high turnover,” Surber said. “Pay needs to be consistent, and companies that figure out how to do that will have better retention.”
Surveying drivers on how they prefer to be compensated can help with turnover as well, she said. “For example, if drivers responded that detention pay is more important, maybe your company can raise it and maybe they can’t. But asking questions and responding to the answers helps drivers feel more valued.”
Beyond monetary compensation, finding ways to provide choices in different aspects of the job is also important for addressing turnover, according to Surber, such as being able to allow drivers to choose among load options, or the ability to choose among accounts, if possible. Even giving drivers the ability to choose their fleet manager (based on the manager’s profile), instead of assigning someone to them — if that’s possible — can boost retention, she says.
Keeping them healthy
With health issues being one of the largest contributors to driver turnover, many companies have adopted wellness programs. But the trucking companies and the industry overall should be complementing those programs by educating student drivers on effective ways to address challenges associated with the trucking lifestyle, and making sure they understand as they train to get their commercial driver’s license (CDL) that certain health problems can keep them from holding a job.
“It’s not common knowledge, for example, that if you become an insulin-dependent diabetic, you can be disqualified from getting a CDL” due to federal medical requirements, Surber said. “Also, having high blood pressure can also impose limits on the ability to obtain a license. The day in the life of a truck driver is very difficult and they’re being asked to do a lot of different things, and I think companies are doing a better job overall of educating them about what is involved physically when choosing this career.”
More education
Getting the message out early and often about the realities of driving a truck can be one of the best ways to deal with driver turnover, Surber added.
“It’s not ‘Smokey and the Bandit’ anymore. It’s a sophisticated job that drivers are doing, but I think there’s that misconceived notion before they’re ever a truck driver about what the job is.” She pointed out that while carriers have been collaborating with driving schools on education, there’s probably more involvement and education that the industry can do to help schools from a “this-is-what-to-expect” standpoint.
Until someone can figure out how to eliminate driver turnover, carriers with customers requiring long-haul freight transportation must figure out where their retention rate needs to be versus what salary levels they can afford before trying to adjust an operation that requires drivers being away from home much of the time, Surber said.
“Companies can’t go out of business attempting to get drivers home every night.”
Mike
This is a six figure job when adjusted to inflation. It has been 30+ years out here, and the wages are less than when I started.
Bob
These articles are written over and over again!
Are they so stupid that they don’t under stand drivers need a livable wage, benefits and decent work conditions and home time, time paid for all time worked!
Waiting to load or unload is time worked!
Troy
After 4 years as a company driver and 17 as an owner operator, I have seen many many companies come and go. Then the remaining ones are driver mills. They churn out new people everyday pay them 300 a week for 70 plus hours. Yeah I say plus. You can only be on duty 70 but what about all preparation you do before you even get to the Pretrip. Planning your route, cleaning your vehicle, etc., all while off duty while “training”. Which is kind of funny since they are still moving a load at a normal rate. Why aren’t they charging the customers less for training loads. Lol .. However that’s their model. Once a driver catches on to the game it’s off they go for a few cent more. The only differences in the big companies are what model and color truck do you prefer. Blue, orange, white, or black. Kenworth, peterbilt, Volvo.
Craig Draper
You are all wrong, what the main problem is, is the fact that every trucking company is telling lies to there drivers, not paying the fuel and safety bonus as awarded. You always have to fight for home time and last but not least, just recently my eld quit working, I reported it to my d.m, he told me to report it to maintence, and I did and they said they could not fix it, call zonar. So for 2 weeks I drove on paper logs they did not care, but I was at risk for getting a 2500 fine for logging over 7 days and they did not care. Why should the drivers have to fix what we do not own. They all promise big money, miles and bonuses and no one gets them, just ask legend transportation drivers. The industries companies have let all of us down, who would stay under any of these conditions.
Troy
Lol I think you just said “you all are wrong” You just repeated everything the last 4 guys said.
Duane johnson
If these companies want to keep drivers than be honest to them. A lot of companies will tell you nothing but lies
Driver not a slave.
A few first steps to try to keep drivers,.
1. Treat us like people. Shippers, receivers, and trucking companies. If your customer treats us like garbage and blows a whole day, that’s the same as the boss treating us like garbage. Dispatcher + Broker lies are rampant and uncalled for. Tell us the truth, so we can plan.
2. Pay a living wage, we work up to 70 hrs a week. Most companies, think 50k is great, it’s dilusional. That’s less than $12/hr in a normal job with overtime, but we don’t get to go home.
3. Don’t tell driver’s to not idle if you’re company is too cheap to have alternate heating/cooling solutions. My infamous response to this was, is the air on in the office, or at home? So is mine.
Ebro
If a driver is getting paid by the mile and he has a load for say, like Walmart, the wait time will kill his ability to earn a descent wage. Walmart just don’t care how long they hold driver’s up. They will run your clock out and kick you off their property with no drive time. Companies should have some kind of plan to deal with those situations.