Retain Drivers: A Few Tips

This article will provide a few tips which could help retain drivers. Unfortunately, carrier companies within the trucking industry experience a fairly high turnover amongst their drivers. Often times truck drivers change carrier companies because they are unhappy with compensation or equipment. These are a few tips that could help reduce the turnover in your company and help you hang on to your talented drivers.

Incentive Programs

Incentive programs are an extremely effective way to retain drivers. The way one of these programs can be set up is by offering a pay increase for each year a driver remains with the company, this the longer the driver stays with your company the more they make. There are obviously limits on how much carrier companies are capable of increasing their driver salaries, but even a small annual pay raise can be enough to keep your drivers around. Other kinds of incentive programs exist to keep drivers engaged with and supportive of your company. Some examples of these other programs could be compensation for the number of deliveries made or improvements in the quality and technology of existing vehicles and equipment.

Keeping Drivers Happy

As a carrier company employer hoping to retain drivers, it is important to keep them happy. This can be done in a number of different ways, but one of the most effective is through taking feedback and creating changes. This can be done by offering a simple survey to drivers. The drivers will fill out the surveys and bring forward any changes they believe would make the operation run more smoothly or make their job more enjoyable. By taking on these suggestions, and doing your best as an employer to make some changes in response, you can keep your drivers happy and involved. As with any employee, drivers want to know that they are valued as employees and that their hard work does not go unnoticed. When things like these are overlooked drivers often find a new company to work for and employers are left with a position to fill.

Reasons Why Drivers Leave

There are many reasons why drivers choose to leave their carrier companies. Some of these are unpreventable such as family relocation, change of career, or work preference. On the other hand, however, many drivers leave for reasons that can be prevented by carrier companies. Possibly the most important of these reasons is not feeling valued by their company. This occurs when a driver feels as though their carrier company does not value them or the work that they are doing. The most sure-fire way to prevent this from being the cause of turnover in your company is to listen to your drivers. The programs and tips offered in the earlier paragraphs of this article are great ways to negate this reason for turnover and retain drivers.

Bottom Line

With carrier companies experiencing high levels of turnover amongst their drivers, it is vital that they begin finding ways to retain drivers. There are several effective ways of becoming more appealing to drivers such as incentive programs and employee surveys. These solutions could solve the main problems causing drivers to leave their carrier companies which are varying levels of feeling undervalued. We hope these tips have been helpful, and that they successfully decrease your turnover!

Source: Fleet Owner

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