Photo: Aaron Marsh
Fleetowner 33010 070218 Younger Truck Driver Agm 0
Fleetowner 33010 070218 Younger Truck Driver Agm 0
Fleetowner 33010 070218 Younger Truck Driver Agm 0
Fleetowner 33010 070218 Younger Truck Driver Agm 0
Fleetowner 33010 070218 Younger Truck Driver Agm 0

Early engagement, certain interactions could be key factors in driver retention: Study

July 20, 2018
How well a trucking company manages the onboarding process and some specific employee interactions that truck drivers have may be important retention factors.

How well a trucking company or fleet manages the onboarding process and some specific employee interactions that truck drivers have may be important factors in whether those drivers will quit and work elsewhere, according to a study from an employee feedback and training solutions provider.

Stay Metrics looked at its data from employee surveys that have included 62,000 drivers at more than 100 trucking companies. The company compared the data with a model of employee turnover drawn from research.

More than seven out of 10 drivers who leave a company will do so in their first year of employment, Stay Metrics finds. And more than a third—35%—of drivers who quit will make that decision in the first three months.

That was a sharper exit than a four-month critical turnover period than the research model suggested, Stay Metrics noted.

High rates of driver turnover may be leading trucking companies to breeze through the hiring process, since they're looking to bring on new employees faster. But recruiting the right people and giving them the appropriate information from the start could help keep drivers happy and reduce their likelihood of leaving, according to Tim Hindes, CEO and a co-founder of Stay Metrics.

The study debunked some common assumptions. While some may think millennials are more likely to bounce from job to job, for instance, Stay Metrics determined that millennials are no more likely to leave during their first year than Baby Boomers are.

But experience, on the other hand, does show a correlation. Drivers with at least one year of experience are likelier to leave within that first year of employment, according to Stay Metrics. Perhaps they have a clearer idea of the job and what they expect from it, and can tell if their experience at the company is falling short.

Even so, once those more experienced drivers reach the one-year mark with the company, they're more likely to stay on than new drivers are, according to the study.

The most significant finding is that a driver's relationship and interaction with his or her recruiter and dispatcher are key indicators of whether the driver will quit or not. That is, if a driver is grumbling about or neglected by those fleet employees, the company stands a better chance of losing that driver.

The Stay Metrics study suggests that better communication between the driver and the recruiter and dispatcher "is a fix, but not the cure." "High-quality recruiter/ dispatcher communication reduces early-stage turnover," the study authors wrote.

Being more deliberate in your hiring process and using employee feedback surveys such as those that Stay Metrics provides can be a help, according to the study.

"The report highlights the value of recruiting with driver retention in mind and using survey data at critical periods of the employment lifecycle to reduce driver turnover," Hindes noted. "Carriers can use this data to understand the importance of good relationships between drivers and their recruiters and dispatchers."

That said, the fleet or trucking company's objective shouldn't necessarily be to be the "nice guy" with new driver employees. Hindes noted that it's more important to communicate the company's expectations of drivers truthfully and precisely—and what they in turn can expect from the company.

"Carriers that are good at communicating exactly what a driver's experience will be like gain a reputation for 'truth-telling,'" Hindes said. He emphasized that relationships are essential and suggested getting a driver mentoring program in place.

"If the carrier can successfully use this data [from employee feedback] and an evidence-based engagement program to create a driver-centric culture, it will create magnetism," Hindes contended.

About the Author

Aaron Marsh

Before computerization had fully taken hold and automotive work took someone who speaks engine, Aaron grew up in Upstate New York taking cars apart and fixing and rewiring them, keeping more than a few great jalopies (classics) on the road that probably didn't deserve to be. He spent a decade inside the Beltway covering Congress and the intricacies of the health care system before a stint in local New England news, picking up awards for both pen and camera.

He's written about you-name-it, from transportation and law and the courts to events of all kinds and telecommunications, and landed in trucking when he joined Fleet Owner in July 2015. Long an editorial leader, he's a keeper of knowledge at Fleet Owner ready to dive in on the technical and the topical inside and all around trucking—and still turns a wrench or two. Or three. 

And he's never without a camera, or so rumor has it.

About the Author

Brianna Stubler

Brianna most recently reported for the Columbia Missourian, and spent over four years as a reporter at KOMU 8 News in Columbia, Missouri. While studying at the University of Missouri - Columbia, she traveled and wrote freelance articles covering Costa Rica, El Salvador, Italy and Southeast Asia. She earned degrees in international journalism, political science, and classical studies from Mizzou and joined Fleet Owner as a reporter in April 2018.

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