Recruitment & Retention: Strategies to Consider in a Tough Market 

Conversion Interactive Agency and PDA conducted a driver survey earlier this year revealing a whopping 37.4% of drivers said they’re looking for work outside their current employer. Competition for drivers is incredibly fierce, so it’s important for fleet managers to pay special attention to the recruitment and retention quality talent. 

Here are a few tips for evaluating retention and recruitment efforts: 

Offer competitive pay. The Conversion Interactive Agency and PDA survey revealed that 35.9% of truckers who were looking to switch carriers cited their quality pay as the primary reason. If your fleet is experiencing an influx of resignations, you might consider conducting exit interviews to gauge if pay is a contributing factor.  

Provide a clear job description. Be totally transparent during the hiring process to build trust and loyalty after drivers join the team. The actual job the trucker is performing should clearly represent the role they applied for. Specifically, drivers expect clear details on pay (83% of respondents), time at home (69%), equipment (32%), freight (25%) and carrier safety initiatives (22%).  

Consider the driver-manager relationship. Employees’ relationships with and opinions of management can make a huge difference in retention. While 65% of survey respondents rated their relationship with management as good, nearly 24% said they don’t think their managers care about their success. Even when communicating with employees virtually, it’s important to do so in an intentional manner. 

Reduce driver downtime. Downtime due to equipment and parts shortages creates less income for drivers — 28% of survey respondents said it’s currently taking longer to get trucks fixed, meaning they’re sidelined and not making money. Fleet managers may consider investigating ways to safely speed up repair times or provide unique solutions for drivers to keep working even if their rigs are in the shop. 

Improve parking efficiency. The electronic logging device (ELD) mandate has exacerbated the country’s severe parking shortage for professional drivers. ELDs prevent truckers from continuing to drive after they’ve been on the road for 14 hours, which means there’s no flexibility to accommodate drivers’ efforts to find a safe parking spot. Nearly half (46%) of respondents said it takes between 30 minutes and an hour to find a parking spot. Additionally, the survey revealed that 37% of truckers want fleets to pay for parking, and 24% want carriers to provide suggested parking locations ahead of time. 

By listening to team members and evaluating recruitment and retention efforts, fleet managers can improve driver satisfaction and build an advantage over competitors.