

Encourage drivers to phone home when not driving to maintain healthy family relationships and reduce the dissatisfaction of spending so much time away from home.

Loneliness can also lead to impaired immune system function, arthritis, cancer, type 2 diabetes and heart disease." The only cure for loneliness is personal connections. According to Fleet Owner magazine, “Chronic loneliness can have the same effect as smoking 15 cigarettes a day both increase the risk of early morality by about 30 percent. They don’t have to give voice to loneliness isolation causes not only depression but also physical health risks. Much of each driver’s day is spent in the solitary confines of his or her cab. Facilitate personal connectionsĪlthough drivers generally proclaim their love for the “freedom of the open road,” it is also true that driving solo can be lonely. This will also let drivers know that while data is being collected, positive findings are also being noticed. Consider implementing a recognition program for achieving certain milestones tied to your company’s strategic objectives. Using information provided by vehicle telematics, messages could highlight positive attributes of the driver’s journey, such as maintaining speed below the threshold and the absence of sudden braking.
#HIRSCHBACH TURNOVER RATE DRIVER#
Create an automatic text message or email to be sent to a driver upon completing their deliveries. If the driver is on the road, consider leveraging technology to do the work for you. It’s one thing to build a better mousetrap, but until that mousetrap reaches stores where they can be sold, those products are just “inventory.” Each driver who successfully completes a delivery safely and on schedule deserves to be recognized – even if he or she is just “doing his or her job.” Who doesn’t thrive on positive feedback? In person, that feedback may come from a smile, a nod, or few words of acknowledgement. Acknowledge drivers’ importance to the company And while it isn’t possible to change other people’s behavior towards drivers, it is possible to address one of the top reasons drivers give for leaving their last employer: “I don’t feel appreciated.” Given drivers’ importance to businesses, the growing turnover rate, and the average cost of recruiting new and less-experienced drivers (estimated at $12,000 per new hire), it is worth investing a small amount of time and effort to retain experienced drivers. To hear drivers talk about their jobs, you’d think they inspired Rodney Dangerfield’s famous catchphrase, “I don’t get no respect.” Whether it’s being cut off by passenger vehicles or an unkind remark from an overworked shipping clerk, security guard, or customs processing agent, drivers aren’t always treated with the courtesy and respect they deserve.
