Onboarding new drivers is a notoriously expensive and time-consuming task. Annual driver turnover rates continue to hover around 90%, according to the American Trucking Associations. This means that carriers must dedicate a significant amount of time to conducting pre-hire screenings and performing post-hire training to keep their trucks moving as drivers rotate in and out throughout the year.
In an industry characterized by these sky-high turnover rates, neither carriers nor drivers can afford to rely on outdated or clunky application and onboarding tools. Antiquated onboarding processes – like requiring drivers to show up to terminals for mundane tasks like paperwork and drug tests – are costly and keep drivers off the road longer, while a difficult application process will dissuade a driver from applying at all.
Tenstreet works to tackle both of these widespread challenges through its Driver Pulse mobile application. Driver Pulse works to bridge the gap between drivers and carriers, starting with the application process.
Driver Pulse streamlines the application process for drivers by storing their information and allowing them to use autofill each time after completing an initial application. This allows drivers to apply to open roles with any of the other nearly 8,000 carriers on the app at the push of a button, saving them valuable time and energy on the road.
“Once drivers get past the hurdle of downloading the app, it basically becomes like updating a resume,” Exxact Express Senior Director of Safety Jay Whealton said. “In the transportation industry, that is huge. A driver may have 8-10 jobs in the last 10 years, and it is difficult to remember those details based on memory alone. Tenstreet streamlines the process so drivers don’t have to start fresh and fill out a new application every time.”
Currently, over 1.5 million drivers store their data on Tenstreet’s secure platform. Driver Pulse helps carriers market job postings to its driver pool while making efforts to ensure each posting is shown to drivers who will be the best fit for the job.
This approach works. According to Tenstreet, about 39,000 applications are submitted via Driver Pulse each month, the largest single source of driver applications in the market.
The perks of the Driver Pulse app aren’t limited to the application process. Tenstreet also helps carriers optimize their onboarding processes. Over 80% of drivers complete onboarding tasks via cell phone, meaning it is more important than ever for carriers to use a mobile-friendly platform throughout the onboarding process. Not only was the Driver Pulse app built specifically for mobile, it brings together a whole slew of Tenstreet tools that make it possible to onboard a driver in a 100% mobile environment. Essentially, the Driver Pulse app – combined with the Driver Pulse portal for carriers – facilitates everything except a handshake.
Pulse provides access to a full training library, returns Clearinghouse reports 35% faster than competitors, and pre-populates onboarding forms for drivers, according to data collected by Tenstreet.
Exxact has a completely paperless onboarding process and utilizing Tenstreet’s digital checklists makes it easy to ensure drivers have completed all required paperwork before hitting the road, according to Exxact Express Safety Supervisor Caitlyn Salters. The trucking company also stores annual documents, updates driver files, and conducts performance reviews through the Tenstreet platform, consolidating important paperwork even more.
“It is a huge time saver, especially now that we are electronic,” Salters said. “If we were using different platforms, we would have to download and move files from place-to-place. It is helpful that we can do it all from Tenstreet.”
Since partnering with Tenstreet to streamline their hiring processes, Exxact has also been able to take advantage of the other solutions the company offers. While Whealton did not initially expect to use solutions like Tenstreet’s forms package and driver safety management platform, he has been glad to have a partner that is well-equipped to meet a whole host of the company’s needs as it evolves.
“Even if you don’t have a need for some of the tech they have now, the potential is incredible,” Whealton said. “We have grown into the options we resisted at first.”
Ultimately, everything Tenstreet does is about making tasks easier for drivers and carriers alike. In 2022, that means making a driver’s smartphone a one-stop shop for as many things as possible.
“Drivers don’t have to be sitting at a computer,” Whealton said. “If you’ve got a smartphone, we can do virtually anything we need to with a driver through the Pulse app.”