Part 3: Creating a Truck Driver Retention and Engagement Program

A 2023 survey by the NPTC estimates the average cost of driver turnover is $9,748.

During a freight recession, it's vital for fleets to reduce as many operational costs as possible. You can not only reduce your recruiting advertising spend but your cost per hire by retaining your drivers.

Believe it or not, you don't have to have an expensive retention plan or a large team to develop and manage a robust and effective retention program. This is part 3 of our 3-part series on retention.

In the final part of this retention series, we'll offer tips on collecting feedback through surveys and how this feedback can be used to retain drivers.

Creating Surveys

As the saying goes, feedback is a gift. Surveys are a great way to provide drivers the opportunity to anonymously and safely provide feedback for you and your teams to get better.

Surveys should be used as an ongoing retention tool. Platforms such as SurveyMonkey are an easy-to-use tool.

Surveys may be automatically sent to drip campaigns through EBE’s ATS when an applicant is switched to hired status. These surveys can be embedded into your website or monthly newsletter (see email 2 in this series) or can be emailed or texted directly to drivers.

Best Practices for Surveys

K.I.S.S. - Keep it simple, Simon. To encourage survey participation, keep surveys short and direct. Aim for 10 questions per survey.

Always leave the last question for additional feedback in long-form format.

Let drivers know they may remain anonymous; however, allow one survey field to be optional. Allow a space for a driver to add his or her name to a survey should he/she want you to follow back up with them regarding information they disclosed on their survey.

Survey Cadence

For drivers in their first 90 days with the company, the recommended cadence is as follows:

• 7-days following hire send a first-impression survey. Questions may include:
• 14 days following hire send the 2nd survey. Example questions may include:
• 30 days following hire, send the 3rd survey. Example questions may include:
• 60 days following hire send the 4th survey. Questions may include:
• 90 days following hire, send the 5th survey. Questions may include:
• All drivers who have been with the company for 90 days or greater should receive a monthly survey. These surveys should be short pulse feedback surveys. These can be more open-ended surveys that allow drivers to fill in more detailed information.
• All drivers leaving your company should be sent an exit survey. Some times it's best to wait a few weeks before sending the exit survey, as this allows the driver to answer reflectively on his or her time with the company. Questions may include:

Survey Results

Surveys are useless if you don't do anything with the data. Check the survey data weekly. Look for recurring themes. For example, if a majority of drivers are saying they don't understand how to use the technology, allow for more technology during your orientation, or offer ongoing webinars or training videos to drivers to refer back to.

When you see trending feedback, address the concerns in your Facebook Group, on your fleet calls, or in your Monthly Driver Newsletter emails (See email 2 in this series). Let drivers know you hear their concerns and let them know how you're working to improve. When possible, let them know the resolution. Drivers need to know their voices are being heard and their concerns are being addressed.

Lastly, use the data to get better as a team.

If you or your team need assistance with retention, EBE can help. We offer many solutions to help automate and streamline driver workflow. Click here to find out how EBE helped reduce Solar Transports turnover by 30%.

This is the final part of this Retention series. We hope you found this information useful.