5 Ways Trucking Companies Can Keep and Hire More Drivers

By: ClassADrivers.com

During the pandemic, many truck drivers were furloughed and lost their jobs. Now, the American economy is opening up again, and many trucking companies are back to showing concern about a trucking shortage.

Class A Drivers has long said that the solution to a driver shortage is to increase wages. And many trucking companies have done just that.

Higher pay, more cents per mile, makes the job more enticing for anyone. But despite pay raises, some companies say they are still struggling to hire and retain drivers.

Over-the-road driving, though, is more than a career. It’s a lifestyle. Many aspects of the job affect a driver’s health, relationships, and other parts of their life.

Here are 5 ways trucking companies can keep and hire more drivers, besides wages:

1. More Home Time

Long-haul drivers often say that the worst part of the job is the isolation. OTR drivers spend weeks on the road away from their loved ones.

A major reason truck drivers choose one company over another – and why many eventually settle into local routes – is that they want more home time.

A trucking company that can get its drivers home every week or one that can offer week-long reprieves from the road will attract more drivers to jump behind the wheel.

2. Competitive Pay

Many trucking companies have risen wages, but they still bemoan the fact that drivers are jumping ship to their competitors. Yes, raising wages is the best way to hire and retain drivers, but the pay also must be competitive!

If a company’s pay is not competitive, truck drivers are under no obligation to have loyalty to that company.

3. Hotels and Motels

One of the most uncomfortable parts of driving OTR is showering quickly at a truck stop before sleeping in the cab at the end of the night.

Trucking companies can offer hotel or motel stays for long-time drivers as an added incentive for staying with the company. Truck drivers are like everybody else. They want a nice warm shower and a soft bed at the end of the day.

Companies can even make deals with hotel and motel chains to lower their cost.

4. Benefits

Increased wages are great, but drivers only make dollars when they are on the road. The pay is usually cents-per-mile, so drivers want to know they are taken care of even when they’re not at the wheel.

Great benefits such as healthcare (including vision and dental) and a 401k ensure drivers are healthy and happy for the long-term. They’re not just independent contractors who make one haul and are then discarded.

5. Bonuses

Bonuses are a great way for trucking companies to retain drivers because these added infusions of cash can incentivize drivers to stay with a company. Giving bonuses when drivers have reached a certain amount of miles driven shows that a company cares about its existing drivers.

Pay for detention time and other inconveniences are also appreciated.