Driver recruiting strategies are currently a hot topic due to the driver shortage companies are experiencing lately when searching for reliable employees for their fleet operation. The decline in driver availability started around a decade ago and is now touching its highest point, with a turnover rate of 100% and a large proportion of the current workforce retiring in the next two years.
The pressing question employers now face not only concerns how to recruit the right people but also how to retain them; and there are a number of factors to consider, from the company reputation to the use of technology and much more. But what do drivers want?
An American survey published by National Retail Systems Inc. in 2014 (the US are also experiencing a high driver shortage, especially in trucking) listed some of the most important factors for drivers took into account when choosing a job:
Amount of home time – 67%
Benefits – 52%
New equipment – 47%
Location – 36%
Type of run – 32%
Company reputation – 31%
Sign-on bonus – 13%
Training – 11%
Not sure – 2%
According to these results, there are some areas companies can explore in order to improve the conditions on offer to drivers, even if they are unable to offer a higher salary. Apart from those, technology has to be considered as it can assist companies to monitor drivers’ performance (and provide some insight into employee contentment) through metrics on safety, vehicle activity and rest times.
With the answers from the survey and the information available from telematics software, you could easily formulate a strategy to recruit and retain the best drivers. What then are the main points to consider?
1. The first point refers to “amount of home time”: apart from the regulation on working hours which should be respected, drivers obviously value home time highly. If you adopt a system for streamlining journeys and planning efficient routes, drivers will surely spend less time on the road and their home time will therefore increase.
2. The second refers to “benefits”: technology can help you to establish a driver programme where the good performances, the safe drivers and those who adopt a fuel-saving style can be rewarded accordingly.
3. The third refers to “new equipment”: vehicles should always be maintained and kept roadworthy; that way they are always in good order. But they also need to be replaced at the appropriate time—again, something telematics can help with, as you can measure vehicle performance and detect any problem.
4. The sixth point refers to “company reputation”: we have often dealt with that in the past, explaining the role that technology can play in improving a business’s reputation. Companies that retain their drivers will automatically be regarded as superior, so start implementing these suggestions and your company reputation will improve per se!
5. The eighth point refers to “training”, which not only benefits drivers by improving their preparation, but companies too, since a trained driver is safer and assists the employer in operating a safer, better company.
These are some tips to help you retain your driver talent, which will eventually result in attracting and recruiting more drivers. If you want to know more on how technology can help, contact us!
