How To Retain Drivers

For Motor Carriers, drivers are your #1 most valuable asset—before trucks, before clients. If you don’t have drivers, you don’t have a business. Here are the top 10 ways to retain your drivers:

1. Pay & Respect

If you cannot afford to pay your drivers and respect your drivers, you WILL not succeed in the long run.

2. Meet face-to-face (virtually or in person)

This is especially true during the initial onboarding phase. Be present and appreciate that time you have together to grow in your relationship and build trust.

3. Create an avenue for conversation

sounds flowery but it’s true. Drivers spend a lot of time on the road, which means a lot of time to have small negative acts spiral into dwelling thoughts anger. At Custom Trucker Recruiting, we offer a help line and open communication platform for you to encourage and facilitate conversations with your drivers.

4. Clear expectations on role responsibilities

Don’t change things up on the driver unless you get their buy in first. It makes more business sense to forego a lucrative job opportunity than to risk pissing off a driver and having him or her leave the next week.

5. Build a community; create a culture

Even if that means creating a buddy system between two drivers or working to have your drivers’ routes align so you can schedule a quarterly potluck.

6. Brag about your drivers

People want to feel valued and appreciated. If you've got a website, linkedin account, or are even just chatting with other people in the industry, start showcase your drivers' accomplishments - maybe even through a 'Driver Of The Week" section. Because remember, their success is your success.

7. Demonstrate appreciation

In addition to highlighting or paying tribute to your drivers, other ways of demonstrating your appreciation might include bonuses or even just taking them out to dinner when they’re in town.

8. Build a brand

This is a long term play that focuses on getting your brand out there so that when people say, “I work for ___ and we’ve done some really cool sh*t" then that’s something they become proud of.

9. Swag

There's just something about free stuff that transforms even the scariest looking tatted up drivers into a 5 year old girl on Christmas morning...but only when it's something badass or of ACTUAL use. Suggestions include: Branded sweatshirts, shaving kits, subscriptions to streaming services, personalized tool kits, car back massagers, etc.

10. Safety meetings

Regular safety meetings allows for everyone to get together (i.e. sense of community) to level set on critical safety expectations of the company (i.e. clear expectations) and to have people’s opinions heard and valued.

11. Unconventional Benefits

Stand apart from your competition by offering additional benefits that both show your drivers you care and keeps them hooked with your company. Examples might include:

1. Subscription to BetterHelp for them to call if they ever face any issues on the road
2. Subscription to Peloton for workout video streaming to support healthy living on the road.
3. Netflix subscription
4. Books on tape subscription
5. Thanksgiving turkeys
6. Training to support them in becoming their own owner operator
7. Quarterly 4 star hotel coverage
8. New baby stipends to support the financial burden of becoming a new parent