5 ways tech helps retain top truck drivers
The apps, gadgets and software redefining work on the road.
Sure, you’ve heard about the the fleet carriers clamoring for aspiring truck drivers to fill more than 50,000 open jobs in the industry. Less often addressed head on, however, is a truck driver turnover rate approaching 95 percent, making retention another perennial top priority.
Each time a new driver cycles through a fleet, that company shells out an average $8,234 to replace that employee. That’s almost double the average $4,129 cost-per-hire across industries, according to a 2016 report by the Society for Human Resource Management.
With the trucking business towering over other industries when it come to turnover — the national average across sectors is closer to 20 percent — fleet managers are constantly seeking new ways to tackle retention and keep drivers engaged.
One potential avenue: the adoption of new technologies. Here, a rundown of the most promising pathways for software, apps, social media and more.
1. Slashing long-haul stress
Long-winding drives down the highway can take a mental and physical toll, especially without the little things people take for granted.
Trucker-friendly apps like ONE20 aim to change that dynamic by providing drivers with stop planning help, including recommendations for fuel, food and other necessities. The app also integrates crowdsourced notifications for updated weigh station and parking information, along with weather and road condition information to minimize wasted time.
2. Survey says…
Though recruiting and retention are always hot topics for the conference crowd, directly collecting and analyzing driver feedback can be a challenge for carriers. That’s where companies like WorkHound come in.
The truck driver retention startup gives trucking companies tools to communicate with drivers, most notably sending links to surveys to drivers via text message. WorkHound then aggregates data from the survey and publishes it back to the company, creating a loop of feedback designed to improve morale and retention.
3. Close contact
As any business traveler knows, it’s easy to feel disconnected from company headquarters while you’re on the road. That’s where apps that keep drivers in close contact with home office come into play.
At LoadDocs, we also provide real-time messaging and document scanning technology to digitally relay proof of delivery, status updates and invoices faster and more efficiently than outdated paper processes. In addition to helping drivers get paid faster, executives back at home office are able to stay in the loop and decrease processing times, cutting both spending and logistical headaches.
4. The quantified driver
At 69 percent, the obesity rate of truck drivers is over double the national working population, according to a survey by the Federal Motor Carrier Safety Administration.
To combat this reality, trucking companies are eyeing a range of wearable technologies and related apps focused on sleep, exercise and nutrition.
Sleep tracking software found in wearables like the Fitbit, for instance, can be extremely helpful for tired drivers, measuring REM cycles while also monitor heart rate and physical activity. MyFitnessPal is one example of many tools designed to make it easier to track calories, even pre-loading information from popular restaurant meals
5. Getting social
One way fleet managers can tackle the driver shortage is managing their company’s reputation online. Since prospective candidates can potentially find company reviews in a number of clicks, it’s more important than ever to keep close tabs on social media.
Using monitoring tools like Hootsuite, companies can easily get notifications anytime someone mentions your brand on Facebook and other social media sites. If it’s a bad review, you can see it before anyone else does and reach out to the reviewer.
Interested in learning more about the next wave of trucking tech? Try out a free LoadDocs demo.
