It is well known that the ground transportation industrie, in particular its commercial semi-truck and trailer portion, constantly encounter endless number of divers problems and challenges. Some of them are almost permanent, the other ones come out regularly due to emergence of the new factors affecting the already volatile marker of cargo hauling.

As the owner of an active trucking company being in the midst of this tumultuous world of freight I’ve determined a number of sensitives problems typical for small companies operating in the same business environment. For the purpose of this essay I’ve selected one to deliberate on, the one, I believe, I’d be able to efficiently improve the outcome of.

«Currently there is a shortage of approximately 52,000 truck drivers in the industry today. By 2025, this deficit is expected to quadruple to 200,000. And in 10 years, this model predicts that the industry will have a shortage of an astounding 1 million driver». [1]

«In addition to recruitment issues, driver retention is also problematic. Truckload carriers experience a 90 % driver turnover rate each year. The less-than-truckload numbers are not promising either, with a turnover rate sitting at 79 %. The life of a truck driver is not for everyone, and the shortage carries implications for the entire economy». [2]

Bearing in mind the above mentioned statistics and my own day-to-day experience I figured out my own list of factors incentivizing drivers to switch the company not to mention even a decent salary.

Here it is:

— lack of structured and professionally organized working environment;

— lack of meaningful initial training and its follow-ups on a regular basis;

— poor communication, dubious messaging;

— disorganized dispatching;

— lack of transparency;

— infringement on privacy;

— micromanagement;

— lack of comprehensive HR policies making drivers feel valued;

— lack of interrelated implementation of all the above on the consistent regular basis.

Same subjects have been being discussed in the various publications during extended period of time. [3]

Having observed or even gone through sometimes devastating consequences of the factors recited in the list I developed a set of practices capable to mitigate and in most cases to eliminate its adverse effects.

I intend to provide below a short description of the core of my approach, its main components based on already existing methods of management.

Taking into account that trucking industry as a whole is an extremely complex field of activity I chose the coaching management style* as a framework for my set of managerial practices. [4]

I’m leaving aside the recruitment issues since they do not belong to the matter of this essay and getting straight to the working environment organizing.

As it has already become a common knowledge the organized work environment fosters efficiency, productivity, and collaboration. [5]

1. I believe that a simple square/rectangular shape of the yard and the parking layout brings up a sense of structured well organized business. It’s free, doesn’t require any expenses and produces a positive impression on new recruits.

«The square is not a subconscious form. It is the creation of intuitive reason. The face of the new art. The square is a living, regal infant. The first step of pure creation in art». The quote by Kazimir Malevich. [6]

Thus it’s the first step to lay out the equipment in square shape. The same principle is applicable to the office arrangement.

2. A mandatory training must be provided to every new driver hired by the company no matter his/her previous experience. Such training is aiming to harmonise the new employee skills with the company’s safety requirements and way of doing the job. Training follow-up must be provided in a gentle manner on a regular basis. Content and specifics of the training is another topic therefore I leave it aside.
3. As it is scientifically proven «the presence of unavailable alternatives and irrelevant information generates suboptimal decisions with the interaction between the two amplifying this effect». [7]

In application to the specifics of a trucking company in order to create a working environment contributing to drivers retention it is highly recommended to distance the office and the parking lot one from another so that the drivers were not exposed to an irrelevant for their job information emanating from the office prone to flaw the first positive impression of the company.

«Teams are prolific in organizations. From a managerial perspective, there is this rising recognition that teams can function to monitor individuals more effectively than managers can control them. The teams function as a social unit; you don’t need to hand-hold as much». [8]

On the basis of this scientifically proven conclusion we understand that the number of work contacts for any particular driver should not exceed 4–5 people and those contacts must fonction as a team. Who are these 4 peoples? They are fleet manager, safety manager, technical support person, accounting person responsible for the driver’s file and the dispatcher. The latter plays the key role in establishing the proper order of communication within the team.

4. My experience in the trucking industry shows that 90 % of the companies I happened to come across had no clear understanding of the scope of application and the importance of the dispatching service for the cause of drivers retention. They are limiting the dispatcher’s tasks to informing a driver about his next pickup location via a text massaging which is inept and self harming for the company.

A dispatcher must be the center of communication for a driver, must be proactive and able to supply an ample information necessary for a successful completion of the work.

A dispatcher must be trained enough to be able to build up a trustful relationship with the drivers he/she works with.

A dispatcher must channel the information in both ways to a driver about the upcoming job, about attendant hazards, about any of his concernes and from a driver to the company management about the driver and the equipment entrusted to him so that the company was informed about any issue in a timely manner.

This way to operate for a dispatcher eliminates a slew of unnecessary calls from third parties that interfere with the work of drivers which in turn creates a sense of mess and lack of respect for a driver.

5. Workplace transparency [9] in trucking companies is too often neglected or mismanaged while it is one of the key factors in the matter of drivers retention.

Keeping a driver posted, sharing the relevant information both good and bad(while not oversharing), welcoming driver achievements boost moral and engagement.

6. In the current market thanks to advanced technologies there is a conflict of interest between drivers privacy right guaranteed by the Constitution and the insurance companies seeking to reduce their cost of operations which translates into the attempts by the latter to infringe onto drivers privacy incentivizing employers to exerce pressure onto drivers in order to obtain their consent for installation of invasive surveillance systems.

«These invasive surveillance practices come with serious downsize, including increased stress for those being monitored, increased workplace discrimination and power imbalances, and broader concerns around privacy rights, personal autonomy and social equity». [10]

My personal observation of this phenomenon in the companies where it is being implemented brought me to the conclusion it doubles the speed of drivers turnover in such companies which as we already know affects the overall company performance and its revenu.

I believe that the surveillance itself is a factor contributing to the efficiency but it should be organized in the reasonable and privacy respectful manner. In any case not under pressure of a third party. This topic is a matter of another discussion.

7. Micromanagement is another flaw in operations of small and medium size trucking companies. It is a derivative from the lack of trust and proper training. Micromanagers dismiss observations and solutions from the people who know best. [11]

This presents another incentive for drivers to leave the company.

8. Comprehensive HR policy is rather the topic related to the recruitment issues but it is worth to be mentioned in relation with the matter of drivers retention problem. Why?

Comprehensive HR policy comprises notion of standardization, minimum thresholds for the matters of working language proficiency, minimal requirements for professional skills and experience. Such approach assures homogeneous and as a consequence comfortable working environment of compeers.

As one can notice the above described policies are extremely cost-efficient in other words do not require any financial investments and simultaneously bear a huge potential for an outstanding outcome provided being implemented in interconnection and in congruent manner.

References:

1. https://www.allynintl.com/news-publications/entry/a-truck-driver-shortage-in-the-u.s#:~:text=Currently %20there %20is %20a %20shortage,an %20astounding %201 %20million %20driver
2. https://www.allynintl.com/news-publications/entry/a-truck-driver-shortage-in-the-u.s#:~:text=Currently %20there %20is %20a %20shortage,an %20astounding %201 %20million %20driver
3. https://www.routific.com/blog/driver-retention#top-reasons-why-drivers-quit
4. https://potomac.edu/leadership-styles/
5. https://www.officefinder.com/officeblog/create-organized-efficient-office-environment/#:~:text=An %20organized %20office %20environment %20is,desk %20arranged %20ergonomically %20for %20workers
6. https://www.goodreads.com/author/quotes/547467.Kazimir_Malevich
7. http://papers.ianchadd.com/chadd_filiz-ozbay_ozbay_2021_EE.pdf
8. https://knowledge.wharton.upenn.edu/podcast/knowledge-at-wharton-podcast/is-your-team-too-big-too-small-whats-the-right-number-2/
9. https://www.helloezra.com/fr-fr/resources/insights/the-importance-of-transparency-in-the-workplace
10. https://uwaterloo.ca/news/watchful-eye-digital-surveillance-work#:~:text=What %20we %20do %20know %20is,personal %20autonomy %20and %20social %20equity.
11. https://www.peoplemanagement.co.uk/article/1840443/micromanagers-toxic-heres-help-change#:~:text=Micromanagers %20get %20in %20the %20way,wrong %20or %20saying %20it %20wrong.