How to keep drivers happy during the trucker shortage

The ongoing trucker shortage shows no sign of ending soon. Transport Topics reports that industry veterans suspect the COVID-19 pandemic has only made the problem worse.

In order to keep shipments moving, companies have had to increase driver pay. According to Transport Topics, “Starting pay for national drivers will now range from 51 cents to 57 cents per mile depending on experience. The pay cap for over-the-road fleets will also grow to between 58 cents to 61 cents per mile.”

As more companies scramble for staff, upping pay won’t be enough to keep drivers. There will always be another company willing to pay a few cents more, a competitor willing to negotiate a rate just beyond what a business can afford. But truckers aren’t only concerned with pay. They also want to be treated well, to trust the people they work for, and to feel like they’re on the inside – not the outside – of their team.

During this period of high driver demand, advanced trucking technology will keep truckers happy and keep your company well-staffed. Here’s how FleetUp can improve driver retention:

1. FleetUp Makes Driving Easier

Your drivers work long hours. Every second they’re working, they have to pay razor-sharp attention to the road. It’s hard, exhausting work. They’ll appreciate everything you can do to make their job easier.

Two FleetUp tools turn annoyingly meticulous paperwork into a breeze. They’re both part of FleetUp Mobile, an app that’s available for both iOS and Android phones. The first is a document scanner that allows drivers to quickly scan any document and remotely send it to the office. The second is a user-friendly DVIR. It turns the daily process of vehicle inspection, record-keeping, and filing, into a simple routine they can do from their phone.

Even the most detail-oriented DOT officer, the one who spends 90% of their workday trying to find FMCSA violations, still has trouble keeping up with the ins and outs of complicated HOS regulations. Drivers, who have a whole lot more to do than just memorize bureaucratic rules, can’t help but occasionally break a rule or two.

Drivers hate receiving HOS fines, which is why they’ll appreciate FleetUp Mobile’s HOS voice assistant. It speaks up and warns them before their on-duty driving period ends, so they have time to figure out where they want to end up. FleetUp Mobile also flags uncompliant records and suggests what errors might have been made, so drivers can fix them right away.

FleetUp Mobile works in both English and Spanish. All drivers have to do is click a button to choose the language of their choice. It’s the only option for multilingual fleets.

2. FleetUp Helps Drivers Communicate

Drivers spend a lot of solo time on the road. But they still want to be part of a team. That’s why it’s important to make sure there are open lines of communications to people other than just dispatchers.

FleetUp Mobile’s chat feature gives them the ability to talk to managers and administrators when they have questions dispatchers can’t answer and problems dispatchers can’t solve. It’s a great way to make even the biggest organizations feel smaller and friendlier.

3. FleetUp Reduces Detention Time

No driver wants to be stuck in line hour after hour, waiting for their turn to unload. FleetUp has two features that reduce detention time.

The first is a tool that allows administrators to text or email accurate ETA data to customers, partners, or anyone expecting a delivery. Recipients are told exactly when their shipments will arrive, so they can get prepared to accept it. By the time the driver shows up, they’ll be ready to quickly and efficiently unload.

FleetUp also allows users to create virtual borders around any space, then track detention time within each space. Administrators can use this tool to monitor frequently visited loading docks, then contact badly managed docks that are holding drivers too long. Administrators will have their drivers backs, looking out and making sure no one keeps them held up for an inexcusable number of hours.