Fleet Management News & Business Info | Commercial Carrier Journal
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The Prime Success Scholars Program was made possible by a large charitable donation to Bethel University by Robert Low, the company's founder and chief executive, and his mother. and face-to-face degree programs from the fully accredited university. Operators who enroll in online courses get a laptop or an iPad. For on-campus degrees, associates and their dependents have the choice to attend Bethel's traditional campus in McKenzie, Tenn., or one of its satellite locations. The program offers a 50 percent discount for online programs and a 40 percent discount for traditional on-campus programs. Students that attend an on-campus program also get a 40 percent discount on room and board. The program is beneficial for military veterans who come to work with Prime. Veterans can earn their CDLs through the PSD program funded by Prime and save their GI Bill to pay for college rather than vocational driver training. Prime covers the PSD cost in exchange for a time commitment from drivers. Veterans can use the living stipend portion of the GI Bill to supplement their income during the apprenticeship, Hancock says. Alignment of interests Just as drivers earn their living by the mile, all of Prime's associates are paid by performance. The majority of employees' hourly and salary pay structure is tied to their performance in weekly job measurements. The pay structure for fleet managers is 26 based on the productivity and profitability of their drivers and trucks. Each week, Prime generates a profit and loss (P&L) statement for each of the fleet groups. Managers are measured on the same criteria as their drivers – on-time service, accidents, cargo claims and compliance – as well as for driver retention. Just as drivers feel the effects of a bad week in their wallets, managers' incomes decline if they do not hit their numbers. Corporate communication is essential for engaging drivers in their careers. Every Friday morning, Prime holds a meeting at its Springfield headquarters. Drivers receive a free breakfast and a chance to participate in an open mic forum. "Open communication with drivers is critical," Hancock says. "We want our entire company to take part, to be there, to care and to listen." The weekly meeting is streamed live to Prime's other facilities and available online as a podcast. The meeting format is to make announcements and discuss current trends in safety and operational issues, followed by a question and answer session. During the open mic portion, when a driver raises a specific issue such as safety or maintenance, the person in charge of that area responds. "Sometimes it is not very comfortable," Hancock says. "But having that communication in an open channel creates the right culture. It makes sense to be heard." Driver health and fitness Another opportunity Prime gives its drivers is health and fitness training. This program began in 2012 when Siphiwe Baleka was hired as a driver fitness coach after completing his own lease truck program. Baleka carved out this role following his own success in battling weight as a Prime operator. A former college athlete, Baleka experimented with different exercises that drivers could do in the cab and around the truck. While creating his "Baleka's Fitness Trucking" DVD series sold at Prime's COMMERCIAL CARRIER JOURNAL | JANUARY 2014 onsite store, he approached Low about a staff role. "Making small changes now can prevent larger health issues in the future," Hancock says. "It's all about prevention. It may be the smartest thing we've ever done." Prime's Driver Health and Fitness program is voluntary but has become part of its culture. In 2012, the company won the Truckload Carriers Association's inaugural Weight Loss showdown. Last year, Baleka created Prime's inaugural "Fittest of the Fleet" competition. "I'd love to see a competition between fleets on something like this," Hancock says. "Everyone loves to be a competitor or at least try." Hancock says industry colleagues often ask how the company is able to do everything it does to improve driving careers. He says while Prime's scale is larger than most, any fleet can encourage drivers to live a healthier lifestyle and help with recruiting and retention. "We make our money one mile at a time like anyone else," Hancock says. The Prime Student Driver program helps fulfill an essential need to bring more drivers into the industry, says John Hancock, director of driver training and recruiting. CCJ INNOVATORS profiles carriers and fleets that have found innovative ways to overcome trucking's challenges. If you know a carrier that has displayed innovation, contact Jeff Crissey at jcrissey@ccjmagazine.com or 800-633-5953.