• Driver shortages may be caused by various reasons and it’s important to identify the root cause for high driver turnover.
• The common thread between all the reasons drivers leave their employment is the idea that the driver feels they were not treated properly.
• Numerous strategies may be used by carriers to positively impact retention.

A fundamental premise of retaining drivers is that the more stable and experienced a driver, or a fleet of drivers for that matter, the safer, more efficient, and profitable that driver or fleet becomes.

In addition, industry experts and industry surveys estimate the cost of recruiting and qualifying a driver to replace one who has left a carrier can be up to and exceed $10,000. So not only is driver retention critical to the overall safety program, it is also essential for a healthy bottom line.

An organization simply cannot afford to become complacent about losing drivers.

Depending on the perspective, many motor carriers readily agree that a driver shortage is a problem, while many drivers state that the problem is a shortage of good companies to drive for. Somewhere in the middle, is where an organization can find the truth in both of these opinions. However, what is often found somewhere in the middle of these opposing views is the dispatcher trying to balance their world so that upper management, the driver, and the customer are without any problems at all. Not an easy task.

The driver shortage can be attributed to many things — an aging workforce and little to no interest from younger generations, long working hours and low pay, length of time away from home, and more. What adds to this problem is driver turnover. For years, the transportation industry has recycled their workforce as drivers were easy to come by; lose one driver and replace that driver with another, often in the same day. Today, the possibility of replenishing the workforce is becoming more and more difficult.

Drivers will leave their employer for many varied reasons. The amount of pay is not a top reason for leaving carriers in many surveys except that inconsistent paycheck amounts are a common dissatisfier. Drivers knew approximately what they would earn from the recruiter. A company’s pay and benefits program must be reviewed regularly to stay attractive to current drivers and to prospective drivers.

The common thread between all the reasons drivers move on in their employment is the idea that the driver feels they were not treated properly. Whether it is the load assignment, the equipment assignment, extended layovers, or being turned down for a requested day off, the driver will consider making a change in their employment. Add in the dispatcher saying the wrong word, or displaying an attitude perceived as confrontational to the driver, and the carrier can add one more statistic to the driver turnover rate.

Identifying the root cause for high driver turnover may involve some soul searching for many motor carriers. After disbursing a great amount of time, effort, and cost in recruiting and hiring drivers only to find that they have moved on to another carrier after a seemingly short tenure, can have management scratching their heads and asking “Why?” The answers they arrive at may not be exactly what they want to hear, let alone admit to.

Even though the industry may fully acknowledge that a driver shortage exists, the drivers, on the other hand, may be more inclined to interpret this as a shortage of good companies to drive for, and pay that doesn’t compensate adequately for all time worked.

Strategies with which carriers can positively impact retention include the following:

• Utilize mentor driver-trainers,
• Increase employee involvement,
• Adopt consistent performance management and training policies and procedures,
• Craft effective reward and recognition programs,
• Develop driver career ladder options, and
• Conduct exit interviews.

Steady work with dependable income and benefits is the basis to combat driver turnover. When the carrier can mix in opportunities that provide personal growth such as training that leads to a higher rank in the workforce, bonus pay for accomplishments, or having their voice heard as input to achieve a common goal leading to profits for the company, management can then realize stability within their labor force.