Due to the high turnover rates, trucking companies are constantly advertising CDL truck driver jobs. The sector has one of the highest turnover rates in the business world with experts putting it at over 90 percent. That means trucking companies must hire a new crop of drivers every year.
Gleaning from companies such as Centerline Drivers, there is a high demand for truck-driver jobs and delivery services. The situation compounds due to a biting commercial driver shortage in the country. To this end, losing certified drivers can deal your business a terrible blow and dull your edge.
Hire Wisely
Despite the crucial role that truck drivers play in the economy, many people do not take it as a serious career. As such, there are always people looking to use being a truck driver as a stepping-stone to a better career. You are better off avoiding such people when looking to fill your ranks. Not only are such individuals not committed to their jobs; they will stay as long as it suits them.
If better opportunities arise, such drivers are likely to quit at a moment’s notice, causing you a great inconvenience. As employees are your greatest asset, you need people who are committed to helping your business meet its objective. Therefore, you are better off giving such people a wide berth unless you are shorthanded and you need temporary drivers.
Create an Enabling Work Environment
Drivers spend up to 11 hours a day behind the wheel as they snake their way through treacherous road conditions to meet your clients’ needs. The least you can do is to make them feel valued and appreciated. Failing to do so would have you ceding top talent to the competition, which would turn around and bite you later. Handsome paychecks and benefits, employee friendly policies, and good working hours are great ways to entice your drivers to stay.
Regular meetings with your drivers can help you share your company’s expectations as well as address their grievances. Being open, approachable, and supportive makes you earn the trust of your workers. Employees are likely to stick with a leader whom they deem as honest and reliable. Removing ambiguity and increasing transparency create an excellent working environment.
Keep Your Fleet in Great Shape
It is one thing to spend long hours on the road and another to spend long hours on the road in a rickety truck. Failing to keep your vehicles in tip-top shape not only puts your drivers’ health and well-being at risk but your business as well. It will increase the number of accidents your employees are likely to get into, which hurts your safety record. Workers are expected to decamp as soon as they can get an offer from a rival company with better trucks.
A booming economy and a growing population spell great fortune for the trucking sector. It means that there are more products to be ferried between destinations, making the industry quite lucrative. Unfortunately, you cannot cash in on these benefits if you cannot convince the drivers in your employ to stick with you for a long time. Therefore, you need to take credible measures to increase driver retention in your company.