The day-to-day life of a CDL driver is not easy. Being away from family for large amounts of time, being on the road alone, and being responsible for an entire nation's supply chain can be overwhelming. This doesn't even begin to scratch the surface of the relationship between drivers and carriers.
Understanding the relationship between drivers + carriers
Often, drivers can exist as separate entities outside of a larger carrier organization. After all, they are not really involved in the company's internal day-to-day business and have very different schedules, priorities, and goals than a traditional employee. Luckily, the rise of remote work over the past few years has made remote engagement more accessible and has introduced new tools and strategies for communicating with employees who may be on a non-traditional work path.
But why is the relationship between drivers and carriers so meaningful? Drivers are the lifeblood of any carrier organization and, as such, are some of the most valuable assets a team can invest in. By putting in the effort to truly incorporate drivers into your larger company strategy, increase engagement and transparency with drivers, and ensure they feel like valued, respected members of your team, you can build driver loyalty and promote long-tenured driver relationships.
Tips for driving engagement and transparency with drivers
Here are some ways to drive engagement, transparency, and involvement with your drivers:
- Ensure drivers receive company updates and news.
If a big news item impacts your organization, don't just announce it in the office or at a team meeting. Share this news directly with drivers to keep them in the loop on company matters.
- Schedule driver forums in addition to company-wide meetings.
While company meetings are great for broader topics, it's also a good idea to have driver-specific meetings and forums to collect feedback, discuss important matters, and share any new driver information they need to know.
- Have recruiters/HR managers check in with drivers regularly.
Hopefully, your team managers are already checking in with drivers regularly. In addition to this conversation, it's good to have regularly scheduled recruiting and/or HR calls with drivers to stay on top of retention goals.
- Promote your drivers internally and externally.
Make your drivers feel like stars by promoting their accomplishments internally and externally. Have a driver spotlight in your company updates or meetings and share driver news on your social media accounts. Don't forget to highlight your drivers in promotion materials and, of course, in recruiting content for new drivers.
- Be transparent with drivers, even when it's hard.
The last few years have been tough for many carriers, and drivers have also been facing uncertain times. If hard decisions or news is imminent, don't try to hide anything from your drivers or sugarcoat bad news. Be straightforward, upfront, and clear with drivers to truly drive loyalty and trust.
Ready to get started?
Communicating regularly with drivers goes beyond sending out a newsletter and scheduling yearly check-ins with drivers. With DriverReach, your team can have the tools necessary to drive continuous engagement with drivers, measure feedback and responses, and develop long-term driver engagement strategies.
Stay up to date on CDL trucking trends! Be sure to check out the DriverReach blog for other relevant articles and head over to our webinars page for an up-to-date list of upcoming events and on-demand recordings.
Listen to Taking the Hire Road podcast, hosted by Jeremy Reymer and in collaboration with FreightWaves, for timely conversations with industry experts. For more information, or to join a live group demo, visit www.driverreach.com/livedemo
