Fleet Management News & Business Info | Commercial Carrier Journal
Issue link: http://read.uberflip.com/i/959367
commercial carrier journal | april 2018 71 SPECIAL REPORT | THE DRIVER DEFICIT but also reward existing drivers. K&B Transportation (CCJ Top 250, No. 124), based in South Sioux City, Neb., recently announced graduated pay increases tied to company longevity and starting at zero to six months on up to more than five years. Similarly, Joplin, Mo.-based CFI announced its Experienced Driver pay package in November when "we realized it took too long for our own experienced drivers to reach the top of our pay scale," says Michael Hinz, senior vice president of sales and operations. Bringing consistency to driver pay is key, says Phil Byrd, chief executive officer of Bulldog Hiway Express, based in North Charleston, S.C. "Drivers and potential drivers are looking for reliable income — not $1,000 this week, $500 next week," Byrd says. "They want a predictable weekly income like most people do." Driv- ers paid on Bulldog's "salary plus" receive a salary and then incentives to help them earn above their base. The growth of Amazon and con- sumer expectations for next-day deliveries have enabled teams to com- mand large pay premiums, Klemp says, with experienced teams getting "into pretty rarified air" compensation-wise. Some carriers such as Tennessee-based Retention, the high-tech way One possible solution for the driver shortage? Technology that automati- cally collects feedback from drivers. That was the subject of a December conference call by the Transporta- tion and Logistics Group of investment banking firm Stifel. While no tech- nology is the end-all solution, Stifel analysts noted, carriers that are more successful at retaining drivers also are better communicators and often use social media, company mobile apps and driver portals to stay in touch. The analysts also noted that successful carriers clearly articulate what drivers must do in terms of fuel efficiency, safety, productivity, on-time pickup and delivery and more in order to achieve stated incentives. The key is to gather feedback early and often and to automate com- munications with drivers for incentives, rewards and recognition to keep them engaged. One option Stifel highlighted is an applica- tion from WorkHound that allows drivers to anonymously submit comments about any topic to the company. The application can send automatic text messages to drivers to gather feedback. Drivers also can offer praise, identify problems and offer ideas to their carriers. The cloud-based app aggregates the feed- back data and turns it into insights to help companies manage and retain drivers. Another approach taken by Liquid Trucking is to use a driver survey, rewards and recog- nition platform from Stay Metrics to gather feedback from drivers on areas that impact job satisfaction and engagement. Liquid Trucking operates throughout the United States with 150 tractors and 280 tanker-trailers. Stay Metrics uses data supplied by Liquid Trucking from its telemat- ics and driver management systems to award points for achievements automatically. The rewards platform sends emails to drivers when they receive points, prompting them to log in regularly and monitor their progress. Drivers are "begging me for safety training" to earn points, says Jason Eisenman, human resources manager for Liquid Trucking, which has terminals in Plattsmouth and South Sioux City, Neb. Drivers also can earn points for violation-free logbooks (weekly) and no accidents (quarterly). Points accumulate daily when drivers enter infor- mation about their pickup-and-delivery locations into Liquid Trucking's mobile DeliveRecon app. Drivers can redeem points for cash in payroll or for thousands of items in an online catalog. In the past four years, Liquid Trucking's turnover rate has dropped from 68 percent to 24 percent. Eisenman credits this to the rewards program and the driver surveys that give management information to make changes. – Aaron Huff The WorkHound app turns aggregated driver feedback into insights to help fleets retain drivers. To enhance the driver experience, Roadmaster Group of Glendale, Ariz., worked with a local luxury property developer to revamp two of its terminals with high-end finishes.