Archive for the ‘Speaking from Experience’ Category

I did a retention workshop a couple of weeks ago with a 350 truck fleet and after I learned their numbers, I shared with them this editorial that I wrote previously, as I think it’s worth another look by trucking companies with lease programs and drivers tempted to take a chance Would anyone like to…

I have done a dozen or more Retention Action Plan rollouts over the past couple of years.  One of the key questions that I pose to folks during the on-site workshop that revolves around the TCA’s “Best Fleets to Drive For” contest and “The Safest Fleets in North America” contest is as follows, “What do…

Question: How does a trucking company differentiate itself from other companies vying for the same drivers and then afterward, achieve best in class driver retention? I know I don’t have all the answers, but I do have a few, and I have a few to share with you. Let’s call them the Do’s and the…

The following article is an edited excerpt from the Truckload Carriers Association’s Driver Retention Manual, Chapter 30. OBJECTIVE: To get much more granular in measuring driver turnover by focusing on sub-categories such as dispatch board, Company Driver vs. O/O and entry-level drivers. This exercise will reveal where your company strengths and weaknesses are – providing…

Here we are at the end of this series. If you were to try and follow this process from beginning to end, I would suspect that the whole process would take six to twelve months. If done correctly you should see a substantial reduction in your turnover numbers. The trick is how to sustain and…

As I’m sure everyone is aware, the driver retention process cannot be successful by jumping around the different parts or steps. Each section is designed to build on the last. So, we have done the groundwork, the platform, the safety focus, the communication level, the recognition level and now we’re going to talk about self-actualization…

Recapping what we have learned so far would have us remember step one which was; creating a firm foundation for change starting with a commitment from the senior leadership. Part 2 was determining where you are in the marketplace for driver compensation and matching your position to your company’s growth strategy. Part 3 was emphasizing…

An old saying goes, “Sometimes silence speaks louder than words”. If your company doesn’t have an effective, robust, communication strategy, then I would guess that your retention numbers are suffering much from the neglect. Humans are by nature social animals that need to interact, and that transcends beyond family and friends. For a driver, beyond…