How Fleet Management Technology Can Increase Driver Retention

The American Trucking Association estimates 2022 will face a truck driver shortage of almost 78,000 drivers, just 3,000 shy of last year’s all-time high. Considering the trucking industry’s notoriously high churn rate of 90% caused by drivers hopping from one company to the other, you should work on ways to increase driver retention.

And you have 8,234 reasons to do so. According to a study, it takes, on average, $8,234 to recruit a truck driver, so driver retention should be top of your list. One way to achieve this is through fleet management technology, so here’s a look at how fleet technology will increase driver retention

Enhances driver safety

One of the reasons why drivers quit their jobs is because of poor safety provisions by the company. It’s only natural that no one wants to work in an insecure environment. That’s where fleet management technology tools come in handy.

As a company manager, you must provide your drivers with a safe, comfortable, and well-maintained vehicle. While those are the bare minimums, the fleet technology software will take truck safety to a new level.

The fleet software also comes with risk management capabilities, which means you can guide drivers to be more cautious by providing weather forecasts. Similarly, you can pre-plan and avoid dangerous routes and improve driver awareness. A serious commitment to drivers’ safety improves your chances of retaining them.

It helps in driver tracking to reward good performances

Your company can utilize the fleet management solution to monitor the vehicle’s whereabouts and the drivers’ performance and adherence to rules.

Fleet tracking device provides data for calculating the vehicle maintenance cost and the fuel it consumes, making it easier to figure out how well or poorly each driver is performing.

Moreover, you can leverage fleet cameras to boost the productivity of drivers. Since the camera records all the activities in and out of the vehicle, you can use the recorded videos to pinpoint the best-performing drivers and reward them. Showing your appreciation for good driving promotes driver retention.

Providing evidence in defense of drivers

Accidents are inevitable, with the US experiencing about 5 million car accidents yearly. Truck drivers often get the blame for some of the casualties, with people wrongly assuming they were at fault, even when it was the other party’s mistake.

You can protect your drivers by installing dash cameras in every vehicle, which can provide recorded video evidence that will exonerate your driver from blame. That shows them you care about preserving their unblemished traffic record, promoting driver retention.

Promotes work-life balance

One of the key ways to attract and keep your best drivers is to provide a healthy work-life balance. It is a crucial aspect of the job, as 72% of workers say work-life balance is one of the main factors when choosing a job.

Therefore, respect your drivers’ working hours by ensuring they leave on time. Forcing drivers to work long hours and spend several days away from family and friends will drive them away from your business.

The fleet management software will keep track of the number of hours drivers worked or stayed away from family. Armed with that data, you can tweak the work week to ensure drivers spend additional hours with family members.

Improves efficiency

Installing fleet technology means drivers won’t have to fill in paperwork, and it provides data on improving driving and the best route to take. That makes everyone’s job easier and more efficient, the perfect recipe for improving driver retention.

The bottom line

The high driver churn rate, shortage, and expensive recruitment process have created a storm in the trucking industry, with the best remedy being to increase driver retention.

The best way to retain your drivers is to use fleet management technology which you can fine-tune to make their work easier, minimize stress, and improves efficiency, security, and work-life balance.