How to Keep Truck Drivers Happy

Trucking Guidance

July 3, 2021

Now more than ever, the question of how to make drivers happy is to keep fleet managers and trucking supervisors awake at night. If you run a logistics company, making your drivers happy should be your top priority. After all, without them, you cannot deliver the goods to the destination. If you want to provide world-class service while ensuring fast turnover and staying safe, you must retain the best drivers. Driver retention is a serious problem in the logistics industry. In order to keep your drivers, you need to make sure they are happy. It’s not as simple as giving them more money. Here are a few areas to focus on to keep your drivers satisfied.

1. Consistency

If you want drivers to have consistent performance, you must provide them with a unified operating environment. Yes, their course may change, but the expectations set for them must remain the same. If policies are constantly changing, or if their orders or operations are frequently cancelled, drivers will quickly become frustrated. You need to build an internal system that they can trust.

2. Keep Your Promises about Scheduling and Home Time

A large percentage of drivers cited timing and time at home as the main reasons for looking for work elsewhere. First, make sure that the dispatch is fair and clearly communicated when the driver is hired. If changes are required, everyone should be notified as soon as possible. If you promise a certain amount of time at home and on certain days, please stick to the driver’s expectations and plans, and do not make changes at the last minute unless it is absolutely unavoidable.

3. Reward Them for Safety and Performance

Although doing the job well is a reward in itself, it is important to recognize those who have exceeded the minimum. After all, it can be daunting for drivers to find that the laziest person in the team makes exactly the same money when they give everything they have. Rewarding consistent performance and continued safety is a great way to motivate drivers and encourage them to stay longer. Yes, it costs more money, but turnover and accidents often cost more.

4. Be Realistic When Hiring

As competition for drivers is more fierce than ever, HR staff and professional recruiters tend to use bright, unrealistic terms to describe certain details, such as cargo or route challenges, just to make another person Occupy the driver’s position. If the result is unexpectedly demanding load, or the driver often finds himself stuck in urban traffic instead of the uncrowded rural route he envisioned in the interview, the disillusioned new employee will often leave as soon as possible. Face the reality of the job directly and discuss all possible shortcomings and positives frankly. Setting the right expectations is essential to the success of any relationship.

5. Safe, Reliable Equipment

For truck drivers, the equipment they use is not just part of their job; there is a job. When the truck is out of date or malfunctions, the driver has little patience. After all, bad transportation equipment is not only annoying. This can be very dangerous. Make sure your fleet is maintained, your hardware has been updated, and your software has been updated. When you have a good team, other transportation tasks seem less attractive.

6. Clear, Consistent Communication

Although many drivers value their independence, they don’t like the feeling of being abandoned. The company should always be there to guide you, answer questions, and keep you updated when changes occur. The problem is that it is difficult for some companies to hire night dispatchers. Instead of outsourcing these tasks to overseas call centers (which will not please drivers), we provide seamless transportation services integrated with their own systems. Our goal is to keep your drivers up to date while providing them with the visibility they need in today’s logistics world.

trucking admin