This fireside chat recap is from FreightWaves’ Enterprise Fleet Summit.
FIRESIDE CHAT TOPIC: Finding drivers for specialized hauling
DETAILS: A discussion on the recruitment and retention of flatbed drivers.
INTERVIEWER AND SPEAKER: Joe Antoshak, senior editorial researcher at FreightWaves, and Daniel Schilling, VP at Fraley & Schilling.
BIO: Schilling started out cleaning trucks and working in the maintenance department for the Rushville, Indiana-based carrier. He has worked in multiple areas at F&S since, recently building the most successful recruiting team the company has ever had.
KEY QUOTES FROM SCHILLING:
On making recruitment of flatbed drivers easier: “We have a lot of variety for our drivers. A driver comes here for flatbed and can do flatbed for maybe a year or two. As the driver ages or wants to do something different, see different lanes, different markets, then we can actually transition that driver over into one of those different modes.”
On changes to the pay plan: “We made the transition to percentage-based pay over the last year. So in today’s current environment that results in … we’re raising pay for our drivers almost weekly.”
On the outlook moving forward: “We feel very positive about the rest of this year. However, we do acknowledge that a downturn in the market is on the horizon. But for us here at F&S it’s worth noting that we’ve done really well in a downturn market as a result of our lightweight equipment. We do see that coming, but we feel good about the rest of this year.”
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