The Professional Driver Agency (PDA) recently introduced a new driver retention data portal.
The Retention Analysis and Monitoring Portal, or RAMP, which is the latest benefit added to the driver retention company’s catalog of retention programs, is a simple, streamlined data portal that will allow carriers to track retention data, identify which drivers are having issues and monitor fleet-wide trends, PDA said.
“At PDA, we firmly believe that retention starts at the individual level and that keeping just one driver matters,” said Scott Dismuke, PDA director of operations. “PDA provides individual touch points with drivers, records the data, and RAMP will now streamline that data so carriers can see the drivers who have concerns, resolve those concerns if possible, and keep their drivers behind the wheel.”
While driver turnover has improved amid the COVID-19 pandemic, the American Trucking Association (ATA) reported that in the fourth quarter of 2019 the average turnover for large truckload fleets was 96%. Most carriers report their cost per hire is between $5,000 and $10,000, costing companies millions in hiring costs. While also calculating the cost of a lazy asset sitting against the fence, not producing revenue and incurring costs and depreciation, driver turnover remains a great expense for carriers.
“One of the most important aspects of driver retention is knowing what each driver means to a company’s top and bottom line,” Dismuke said. “Regardless of a specific number, driver turnover is expensive for every trucking company. The first step to keeping a driver is knowing exactly which drivers are experiencing issues that may potentially lead to them leaving the company. RAMP not only accomplishes that but also provides carriers with actionable data to understand the overall outlook of their drivers.”
An additional benefit to RAMP is helping carriers identify the root cause of driver issues so executives can address them individually, instead of taking broad action that may not be the direct cause of a driver’s problem.
“Compensation is a good example of an issue that is not always addressed properly,” Dismuke said. “Many carriers that are told they have a compensation issue almost always gravitate to raising pay; however, our data has consistently shown that drivers’ main complaint about pay over the last 12 months has been related to lack of miles, not pay rate. With RAMP, carriers can see that breakdown in their data and also which drivers are saying it.”
Dismuke notes that RAMP also gives carriers the ability to break down their data in multiple ways. In addition to seeing fleet-wide data trends, RAMP also can analyze data by division or terminal.
“Breaking down the data to a division or terminal level will help carriers closely monitor the information and also see if they have specific trouble spots they need to address,” Dismuke concluded. “We believe giving carriers the ability to view their data to this level will not only help them keep more drivers, but also address issues in a much more efficient way.”
