We wrapped up our highly anticipated Drive Efficiency: Drive Your Own Adventure event in Atlanta last week, and what a success it was! Attendees from across the trucking industry joined us for an immersive day of learning, networking, and innovation. From thought-provoking presentations to interactive discussions, the event underscored the importance of embracing technology without losing the vital human connection in trucking and recruiting.
The Atlanta Drive Efficiency event was more than a conference; it was a chance for industry professionals to come together, share insights, and explore how to drive the trucking industry forward with innovation, strategy, and heart. Some key takeaways include:
- Leverage AI and technology to streamline recruiting while maintaining human connections.
- Prioritize driver health and wellness to improve retention and operational safety.
- Streamline onboarding processes to set up recruiters and drivers for long-term success.
- Stay ahead of compliance with tools like MVR monitoring and legal updates.
- Use marketing and pay comparison data to attract and retain top-tier drivers.
The day began with a deep dive into the future of trucking and recruiting. Brent Dorfman, DriverReach CEO, opened by highlighting the favorable outlook for 2025, emphasizing opportunities for growth and resilience in the industry. The session set the tone for the day by exploring how innovation can address current challenges while maintaining personal relationships that drive trust and retention.
Tracy Rushing: Being a Destination Employer
Tracy Rushing from RE Garrison Trucking brought the house down with her dynamic presentation on running a best in class department. Tracy’s influence in the trucking industry extends far beyond this presentation. At the event, we also celebrated her recent recognition as the 2024 Influential Woman in Trucking, presented by the Women In Trucking Association. Her work at R.E. Garrison is a shining example of what’s possible when leadership prioritizes relationships, innovation, and culture. Key takeaways:
1. Recruiting is About Relationships
Tracy emphasized that recruiters aren’t just filling seats—they’re fostering meaningful connections with drivers. Drivers are more likely to engage and stay with companies where they feel personally valued. This requires recruiters to prioritize 1:1 interactions, moving beyond generic messages to create a personalized experience for every driver.
“From the day the driver gives you their full 10-year application to when we give an offer, it’s common for that process to take about 10 days—because the DriverReach tools are different,” Tracy explained.
2. Technology as an Enabler, Not a Replacement
In today’s fast-paced industry, technology like DriverReach acts as a critical enabler to improve processes—not as a means to cut corners or headcount. Tracy highlighted how tools like the DQ Checklist and Saved Views streamline workflows, ensuring that recruiters can focus on relationship-building rather than administrative tasks.
With DriverReach’s “Get ‘Em to Green” approach, recruiters can easily see a driver’s status (green, yellow, or red) and know exactly what needs to be done next, cutting out wasted time and ensuring compliance.
3. Onboarding for Success
A structured and thorough onboarding process is essential to set recruiters up for long-term success. Tracy shared how R.E. Garrison leverages DriverReach’s built-in workflows to simplify onboarding, eliminating the need for manual to-do lists or sticky notes.
“DriverReach puts recruiters in the driver’s seat,” she said. “With full visibility of driver records, compliance statuses, and real-time updates, recruiters can proactively support drivers without scrambling.”
4. Becoming a Destination Employer
Tracy concluded her presentation with a challenge to the audience: Be a carrier that drivers want to work for. Becoming a destination employer isn’t just about offering competitive pay—it’s about creating a culture of care and investing in retention from day one.
Programs that support drivers’ well-being, coupled with tools that streamline their experience, make a company stand out in a competitive market. As Tracy noted, “Retention begins the day a driver is hired—not when they’re thinking of leaving.”
Tracy left the audience with this final thought: “Running a best-in-class department isn’t just about tools but about how you support and empower both recruiters and drivers every day.”
Her insights perfectly encapsulated the spirit of the event, reinforcing the role that human connection and innovation play in driving efficiency and success in the trucking industry.
Sam Bloomquist: Enhancing Recruiting and Compliance with Product Innovation
DriverReach’s CTO, Sam Bloomquist, delivered a session packed with exciting updates and future innovations that left attendees eager for what’s to come. Sam’s presentation highlighted how DriverReach is continuously evolving to meet the needs of its customers, streamlining processes while keeping compliance at the forefront.
Sam gave attendees a sneak peek at features designed to make recruiting and compliance even more efficient:
✅ Autofill and Partial Application Saves
Drivers can now save partially completed applications and return later, reducing drop-off rates. Plus, support for international applications is coming, ensuring global reach for DriverReach customers.
✅ Custom Labels and eDoc Packets
Recruiters can now group and send all relevant documents at once, saving time and ensuring nothing gets missed in the process.
✅ VOE+ Redirects
A game-changer for verification requests! Visitors to your website can now be redirected directly to VOE+, simplifying and accelerating employment verifications.
✅ New Integrations Galore
DriverReach is expanding its ecosystem with integrations that include compliance tools, lead generation platforms, and HRIS systems—offering seamless connectivity with tools you already love.
And that’s not all—Sam hinted at additional tools launching in 2025 that will take recruiting and compliance to the next level!
Sam emphasized that while these updates enhance efficiency, they are designed to complement, not replace, the personal connection recruiters need to foster with drivers. “Technology should empower recruiters, not distance them from the drivers they’re working with,” he said, reiterating DriverReach’s commitment to relationship-driven recruiting.
With these updates, DriverReach is ensuring that customers not only stay compliant but also provide a seamless, supportive experience for drivers.
SambaSafety & RelaDyne: Retention Through Proactive Monitoring
Partnerships and integrations are the PB&J of software, so it was only fitting to feature Gerard Baker, VP of Channels at SambaSafety, and Jessica Wheeler, CTP, CDS, Director of DOT Compliance at RelaDyne LLC, during our Drive Efficiency event! Their dynamic presentation highlighted the power of continuous driver monitoring as both a compliance solution and a retention tool.
Jessica shared an impactful insight that resonated with the audience:
"This is a retention tool because we call our drivers when they are at risk and make sure they know what they need to stay on the road."
SambaSafety's seamless integration with DriverReach ensures fleets can stay ahead of compliance challenges while saving time. With instant MVRs, RelaDyne can monitor their entire fleet in real time, ensuring that:
✅ Driver Qualification (DQ) Files Stay Audit-Ready
The integration syncs MVRs directly into the DQ Checklist, keeping files up to date and eliminating manual tracking.
✅ Onboarding New Hires is Fast and Efficient
From day one, recruiters can ensure all necessary documents are in place without delays or gaps, streamlining the process for new drivers.
✅ Drivers Feel Supported
Proactive outreach to at-risk drivers fosters trust and demonstrates a commitment to their success, helping improve retention rates.
As Jerry and Jessica emphasized, driver monitoring isn’t just about compliance—it’s about retention. By proactively supporting drivers before issues escalate, companies like RelaDyne show their drivers they care about their success and safety, reinforcing a culture of support and accountability.
CDLlife and Conversion Interactive: Marketing and Retention Strategies
CDLlife offered invaluable guidance on maximizing marketing spend and best practices for driver engagement, while Conversion Interactive Agency captivated the audience with their insights on driver pay comparisons and actionable data from their Fleet Intel platform. Both presentations provided tangible strategies to tackle some of the industry’s biggest challenges in attracting and retaining top talent.
The recruiting funnel isn’t a straight line; it’s a complex and dynamic journey. Bobby Thompson from CDLLife and Steve Sichterman, Chief Product Officer at Conversion Interactive Agency, shared their insights on how to approach recruiting and retention with a fresh perspective.
CDLLife: Navigating the Driver Journey
Bobby Thompson emphasized the multi-faceted nature of recruiting in the trucking industry, outlining the distinct characteristics of the driver’s journey:
- Complex: The recruiting process involves numerous steps, from initial engagement to onboarding.
- Unique: Each candidate’s experience is different, shaped by their circumstances and the fleet’s approach.
- Lengthy: Some candidates may take years to transition from initial contact to application.
“There’s so much more that should be expected from us than just handing off a lead,” Bobby noted, encouraging fleets to view recruiting as a long-term investment rather than a transactional process.
Bobby’s vision for the future of trucking focuses on creating a better journey—one that aligns the right candidates with the right fleets at the right time. His advice was clear:
“You have to start thinking differently if you want to win. There’s a lot of freight, and we can all win.”
Conversion Interactive: Creative Solutions for Driver Compensation
Steve Sichterman shifted the focus to a critical aspect of driver retention: compensation and its role in meeting drivers’ needs.
- Pay Trends: Steve shared data revealing that 60% of drivers reported earning less in 2024 compared to the previous year, reflecting ongoing economic challenges.
- Driver Expectations: He urged fleets to rethink compensation strategies, combining competitive pay with creative perks to stand out in a competitive market.
Steve posed a crucial question to attendees:
“If we’re not taking care of drivers when they need it most, how can we expect them to stay? Programs are great, but ultimately, it comes down to: Can the drivers take care of themselves and their families?”
This session offered actionable ideas for fleets to develop compensation models that balance financial stability for drivers with the fleet’s long-term goals.
Jeremy Reymer: A Call to Action for Driver Health
DriverReach founder Jeremy Reymer closed out the Drive Efficiency: Drive Your Own Adventure event with a powerful and heartfelt presentation on the critical issue of driver health. His session challenged attendees to confront an uncomfortable truth:
“We’ve known this for a long time, but we’re not doing anything about it, and we can’t keep looking away.”
Jeremy highlighted a staggering statistic: the average life expectancy for CDL drivers is only 61 years—a stark reminder of the urgent need for change. To address this crisis, Jeremy recently founded the nonprofit organization PROJECT 61, dedicated to starting a meaningful conversation around driver health and improving outcomes for those who keep America moving.
PROJECT 61: Raising Awareness and Driving Change
Jeremy’s mission with PROJECT 61 is built on three pillars:
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Raising Awareness
The trucking industry must face the reality of driver health challenges head-on. By bringing this issue into the spotlight, PROJECT 61 aims to drive collective action. -
Educating the Industry
Through events, webinars, and resources, the organization seeks to equip fleets and drivers with the knowledge needed to prioritize health and wellness. -
Providing Resources
Offering practical tools and programs to improve driver well-being, such as step challenges, mental health resources, and wellness guides.As part of PROJECT 61, Jeremy announced the 61-Day Step Challenge, an initiative designed to get drivers and industry professionals moving toward better health. Participants can sign up to track their steps, raise awareness, and support a cause that directly impacts the lives of CDL drivers.
👉 It’s not too late to join the movement! Sign up here: 61-Day Step Challenge
By raising awareness, fostering education, and offering actionable resources, Jeremy’s message was clear: we can’t keep looking away. It’s time to act.
The Drive Efficiency: Drive Your Own Adventure event in Atlanta brought together industry leaders, recruiters, and compliance professionals for a day of learning, collaboration, and forward-thinking discussions. Each session underscored the central theme of the event: the trucking industry’s future relies on balancing innovation with the human connection and we all have choices in this matter. 
We’re grateful to everyone who joined us for this unforgettable day and look forward to continuing the conversation. Whether it’s through innovative technology, better compensation strategies, or driver-first wellness programs, together we can drive the industry toward a brighter future.
What were your biggest takeaways from the event? Share them with us and let’s keep driving efficiency together!
