Let's face it, the drivers are the true representatives of the company. They are in face-to-face contact with customers and can make or break your next sale. Finding the right trucking company for a driver or a trucking company finding the right driver to represent them is one of the most frustrating aspects of the transportation business. And, just when either side thinks they have it all figured out, everything changes and drivers soon find themselves looking elsewhere for a job.
Notice, I said "everything changes"? It is that particular issue that this site addresses. What exactly changes to precipitate the event is the key to recruiting and retaining quality drivers for the company. It also captures the heart and essence of how drivers perceive their company choice.
Some recruiters think their job is to simply find a warm body to fill that empty truck "sitting on the fence" at their trucking company. In reality, the job of the recruiter is to find the right driver for the right company.
Trucking is a fifty-fifty partnership that requires the company to act on behalf of the driver and the driver to act on behalf of the company. For example, a company should always be aware of impending events for each individual driver and the driver should always be aware of and follow company policies. More times than not, however, the company does not anticipate driver mentality and the frustrated driver stops going the extra mile for the company.
This vicious cycle of job-hopping can be broken if drivers and trucking companies apply a few simple steps provided here:
SEVEN STEPS TO STABILITY
1.
Share your expectations.
No one driver or one company is perfect. If both sides find
75% shared vision, then chances are they are a good fit for each other. If a
company is having difficulty finding loads for drivers, they should use the
cross-training process to pay the driver to come into the office for a few
months learning other aspects of running the business. Remember, most drivers
are very smart and talented. Do you really want to lose them to your
competitors? They can quickly learn about their new temporary job and give you
valuable insight and information to improve internal processes. However, make
sure that all of your drivers understand that cross-training is mandatory in
the company but that you will attempt to locate them closest to their home for
work. This also gives your HR department relief whenever you have a shortage either
in the office or for the road load. You see, you should also make it mandatory
that the office personnel learn to drive a truck. They can train an hour per
day or on the weekends and earn their CDL with the understanding that they may
be relied on at some point to drive a truck instead of pounding away at their
computer. If they cannot qualify to drive or vise-versa, then at least they can
be put into other positions such as recruiting, PR, or compliance department to
help the company image. Believe it or not, each side of this equation has those
workers who are burned out by their job and would welcome a break from the
office, or the truck, and their family. What a relief!
2.
Communicate how you feel. If you
don't like how you are being treated, make sure there is a system in place to
address all concerns. Open the doors. The mental and physical well-being of
your workers is paramount to your success. Celebrate milestones for everyone as
if they are your favorite family member. Give them a clear way to signal
whenever they feel overwhelmed or concerned about their co-workers,
environment, or future plans. Many workers simply want to gather their pay and
go home, but there may be some who are more ambitious and their eyes wander for
greener pastures or elevations in status. Give them the nod that their aspirations
are welcome and details of how they can transform if they choose within your
company. They naturally have loyalty, but these increases in their
possibilities for advancement or at least elevate their mental or physical
knowledge will also boost their moral which makes the worker feel closely
connected with your company on a more personal level.
3.
Pass along information. It may
seem trivial to you, but the other side may not know. Implement a system of
"Did you know?" for your satellites on the truck and computers in the
office. Fleet managers should know about any concerns from their drivers. If a
driver or personnel cannot find appropriate reciprocation allaying their fears,
they feel disconnected and unappreciated which will eventually have them whisper
undercurrents of dissatisfaction, especially on their level. Companies should
rotate the monitors of this area to reduce bias; thereby, receiving a more
accurate measure of driver or worker dissatisfaction. Also, you CAN peak into the
suggestion box yourself as a random audit of this process! This helps
especially when you may be seeing the whispers or looks telling you that
something said is going around at the water cooler or Truckstop drivers lounge.
4.
Give each other respect. Never,
never, never talk down about each other. Invariably, this gives you a
bad reputation and not the other side. You better believe it when I tell you
from experience that your customers are asking your workers and drivers how its
going in the company. Yes, they are. It is mostly a casual conversation and is
an easy way for the customer to gauge how long to expect top notch services or
when they can plan for contingencies by spreading their wealth with your
competitors. This is how you can retain your customers because your workers are
your recruiters, PR campaign, and talent. Respect that.
5.
Give more than you receive. When
you think you are being treated unfairly by the other side, give more effort on
your part. This can only help the problem instead of creating more bad feelings
about a situation. By continuing to produce your standard of excellence, word gets
around and suddenly you benefit from the admiration. (This goes for both
sides.) Managers, CEOs, and owners! Get down on the basement level in frequent
fashion! Barbeques, fairs, or other inclusive events for drivers and workers
(make sure you mix them on purpose at all events) is a great way to allow your
people to see you and for some to tell you personally how they either love the
company or there is a concern that has not been addressed. At these events,
either have your secretary jot down people talked to, what they said, and other
information, then do a quick review and mitigation ASAP. Just like the dishes
in your sink at home, do not let it sit there and soak! Scrub the crap off as
soon as possible! Getting on top of a seeming minor problem keeps it from
becoming a terminal cancer in the future. You are the leader. You can quickly
foresee if the information trolling is worthy of immediate attention or not,
but at least you will have a cheap insider analysis keeping your company at the
top of the heap.
6.
Plan for the future. Each
trip should be about the customer, not you. If it were not for the customer,
neither of you would have a job. Both sides need to anticipate how to
"delight" the customer. Accurate load monitoring, more
smiles and good cheer, just-in-time p/u or delivery, and an exaggerated preplan
for every contingency will give the customer the comfortable knowledge
that you are both in charge of the load. Also, use your competitor as
your support group. Find that few compatible companies that may be able to take
up the slack whenever you are expanding. This helps you grow your services
making sure your customers are covered. You do not have to spell it out but can
farm out some responsibilities or services in contracting. It may be worth your
while to list those companies that have advantage in your customers’ area or
region and to be on friendly terms with them to the point that you can call up
their broker to offer them a piece of your pie. The broker may not tell their
boss about some of your collaborations, especially if you send them M & M’s
occasionally in appreciation. Customer satisfaction is your goal.
7.
Take responsibility. Don't
expect the other side to have to tell you how to dress or behave while on the
job. If even one bad apple exists within the whole environment, it will spoil
the atmosphere for all concerned. Hygiene is very important for customer
interaction. Have mandatory classes about these representative standards and policies
making clear to your drivers or workers that cleanliness is next to Godliness. Your
customers know the difference. The drivers in the company should take daily
showers and be given time to take care of themselves. They will provide a solid
view of just how elite your services are compared to others. Sometimes, a
company does not control their employees and before they know it nepotism has
created a "cousin's club" within their enterprise. Eradicate this if
it already exists and apply an aggressive plan to mix job descriptions and
diversity. Own up to your shortcomings and try to correct your image. You may
not know you stink, but everyone else does.
If both sides behave badly, what you end up with is resentment and misunderstandings. One way I have found that helps drivers and company personnel have empathy for one another is to, like I said, cross-train. This is a lean technique where the company personnel ride on the truck with the driver for a couple of loads (there and back) and then the driver goes into the office to see how dispatching or brokering works. This insider knowledge goes a long way in demystifying job descriptions and creates a better working environment for all concerned. Many of your dispatchers and fleet managers are very jealous of your drivers pay and hiring benefits. Make up for this misunderstanding by either paying all employees the same rate of pay, even drivers, or using benefits specifically geared toward retention of non-drivers.
The thought and process of paying all employees the same rate is my new corporate concept, but if you think about it and do the math, you may find that your workers on all levels, even the janitor, will feel they are each one a valuable part of your company. This will allow workers to flow unhindered throughout your organization as your butt is covered at every level. They all work at multiple jobs, cross-training, until everyone knows how to do every job and it does not matter if they have a degree or not. Like I said, most of your drivers are extremely intelligent as are your other personnel. Give them the chance to prove it. At the point where your manager has cross-trained your janitor, he or she can call the janitor at a crisis point and say, “Hey, Joe! You cleaning toilets right now? No? Then, get your butt up here! I need help!” It is an absolute win-win for everyone.
Of course, there are some companies where insurance or government mandates will not allow “riders” on the truck, but if a company is really ambitious, they can have the driver video document some of his time on a load and then roll the footage in a personnel meeting or during new hire orientations.
I hope you enjoy my
trucking tips. Keep watching for progress as I provide lean transportation,
retail, and manufacturing and other industry views. If you need a commonsense
solution to a complex problem, use the contact form or information to give
my services a try! There is no fee for an initial consultation and prices are very
reasonable. Visit my solutions page on my division website for more insight
solving some of today’s toughest problems. If you would like to donate to my planetary
and humanitarian project, The RRDD Project, I expect your integrity to pay me
what you think my insight and solutions is worth to you, your family, company,
or country. Thank you for visiting! See you on the flip side!
