How to Keep Your Good Truck Drivers.

27 Jan Blog

As the Australian workforce reaches its highest employment level since 2008, (95.8% as of January 2022), our team often comment that many of our customers are struggling with both finding & hiring truck drivers at this time.

As a transport company, you must ask yourself, “Will our drivers leave in favour of another job opportunity?”

By asking yourself this question, you will save having to ask yourself the inevitable, “Why did our drivers leave us for another opportunity?”

In an competitive jobs environment, here are a few things that we believe will set your company apart from the pack & ensure you both retain you existing staff, and are able to attract new staff if you are hiring.

• Competitive Pay Rate: We have put this first as it is generally the first rung of the ladder and is often what is compared when staff are weighing their options due to its quantifiable nature. But with that said, it is the first of many other important factors & my no-means the only factor influencing employees decision. It is important that your rates are level with what your competitors are paying but it does not have to be your draw-card for attracting staff.

• Flexibility: Perhaps the largest differentiator in employment options is the level of flexibility given to staff. Both flexibility in hours & job role are now a talking point  in the circles of employees looking for work. By providing a framework able to support employee flexibility in terms of rostered weeks/driving hours/scheduled runs allows staff to understand they are able to sustain a work-life balance with support from their employer. Job role flexibility is also a influence in taking the job; if staff understand they are able to grow in their role and experiment with their skills in adjacent or linked positions, they will be certainly looking at your job offer a lot closer than others.

• Safety: In the days of competitive job search, the factor of safety is playing into the equation of candidates. It is important to ensure you have a safety program, both for your staff & your fleet; this is a factor that your existing & new staff are starting to notice & appreciate more & more. The three pillars of the NHVR accreditation frame-work is a good bench-mark to start: Mass Management, Maintenance Management, Fatigue Management (Basic or Advanced).

• Recognition & Responsibility: As humans, all people strive to be recognized & to feel part of something larger than themselves. Ensuring that your company has a rewards program or a weekly recognition event will go a long way from ensuring you retain your staff and attract new-ones. This does not have to be costly, but can be as simple as a Monday morning team huddle where each team member recognizes his/her peers on their achievements.

• Good ol’ Fun: Employees understand that Work is a long-game and they will not commit to serving your company if they perceive it to be boring or dull. Happiness & safe-humor in the workplace lightens the atmosphere and can attract staff to a company if they see that the other staff are happy in their workplace.

We hope that these points will ensure that you retain your existing workforce & are able to more-easily attract new staff as you grow your operation.