How Do You Appreciate Your Truck Drivers?

How Do You Appreciate Your Truck Drivers?

It’s National Truck Driver Appreciation Week! All week, we’re celebrating the people who dedicate their weeks to hauling goods and commodities up, down, and around the United States. As we’ve written before, trucking is a tough, demanding, time-sensitive job—and the people behind the wheel don’t get enough respect and gratitude for what they do.

Appreciation is more than good karma. Truckers who feel valued by their employers are more likely to stay loyal to their fleets. In an industry where 100% annual turnover isn’t unheard of, or even uncommon, any organization that appreciates its drivers can achieve a significant competitive advantage.

Whether you want to improve your rates of retention, or just share the love with your truckers, here are seven ideas—one for each day of the week:

1) Offer Room for Advancement

Do your drivers have room to grow within your company? Provide your employees with opportunities to advance, gain promotions, and learn new skills, and they’ll have the motivation to stay with you throughout their careers.

2) Spend Time on Training

Don’t rush through the onboarding and training process. Take time to acquaint new drivers (and periodically re-acquaint veteran drivers) with their roles and your organization’s values, policies, and expectations. Tap into the experienced members of your team: a mentor can make a big difference during the early days, when a new driver is most likely to drop out.

3) Create Personalized Thank-You Videos

Make a driver’s day by sending them a short, personalized message of appreciation. When you’re out there on the road, a video from the CEO or team at the home office is the next best thing to returning after a long trip.

4) Use Technology to Make Drivers’ Lives Easier

Have a new policy or rule that drivers need to be trained on? Don’t waste their time by conducting in-person education if the same can be accomplished using technology. With access to an on-demand compliance platform, drivers can learn during their downtime and stay on schedule.

5) Think “Family First”

For many truckers, the number one concern is family. In fact, the needs of spouses, children, and parents may be the reasons why a driver took the job in the first place. Get to know your drivers and their families, and keep their particular needs in mind when making assignments.

6) Ask for Input…

What’s working for your drivers? What could your fleet do better? What isn’t being communicated clearly? Make sure to ask your employees about their experiences; they have perspective that top-down management does not.

7) …and Address Concerns and Feedback Promptly

Once you’ve asked for thoughts, demonstrate that you’re listening. Implement changes when possible and give credit to drivers for their ideas (unless they’ve shared them anonymously, of course).

For more ideas about how you can appreciate truckers this week, visit our Resources page.

Toby Graham

Toby manages the marketing communications team here at Compli. She's on a quest to help people tell clear, fun stories that their audience can relate to. She's a HUGE sugar junkie...and usually starts wandering the halls looking for cookies around 3pm daily.

→ Toby Graham

Related Posts




Phone: 866.356.1735
Support: 877.522.4276
Menu
Customer Login

Send this to friend