Driving a truck is much more than just a job. It is an entire lifestyle. It is important to note that this is not a lifestyle that is right for everyone. Many drivers work in the middle of the night; they stay on the road for weeks at a time and must survive in often cramped conditions. Truck drivers must maneuver massive trucks through busy, congested areas, and through traffic, most people take effort to avoid.
It is easy to see why turnover is so high for truck drivers today. Now is the time for those in charge of recruitment to take steps to ensure improved levels of retention. Today, firms are searching for everything and anything to leverage, so drivers will not only sign up, but they will stick around. While providing the right technology is a must, such as delivery routing software
, you cannot stop there. Keep reading to learn more about the advantages offered by giving benefits to your drivers.
Creating a Feeling of Family
What does “family” mean? For most words like love, loyalty, and security likely come to mind. Providing excellent benefits goes a long way to building a strong company culture where employees fee loyal, secure, and even loved – or at least respected and valued.
Some benefits, particularly health care benefits, cover a lot of what happens outside the workplace – pensions, vacation, illness, etc. When motor carriers show they care about the entire person, not just the driver who gets cargo from point A to point B, it makes the driver feel like they are part of the family. Loyalty is considered an important emotion, and by providing exceptional benefits, your trucking firm can begin to earn that loyalty from drivers.
The Ability to Provide for Their Own Family
Drivers who decide to make a career in truck driving, even though there are many challenges related to this lifestyle, value commitment, and it is clear they are made of “tough stuff.” They drive a truck because it is something they love, not because it is easy. If a driver is passionate about the work they do, think about how much they must care about their family at home.
By offering exceptional benefits, truck drivers can easily take care of their families, even if they are several thousand miles away. Each day, drivers think about safety. This is something that is on their mind every mile they travel. Providing exceptional benefits help ensure their families remain safe.
Employers will be able to leverage peace of mind that is guaranteed by superior benefits. This is also going to lead to improved retention rates. When this happens, everyone wins. Motor carriers get truck drivers who put a value on safety and commitment. Drivers get security for the people who matter the most to them – their family.
Truck Drivers Talk (About the Good and the Bad)
When you get a group of people together, regardless of what industry they work in, they are going to talk about the top thing they have in common, which is their employer. The last thing any employer wants is having their employees spreading the word they are not great to work for. If this type of culture is present in the workplace, it will work against retention, and they will have a good reason to quit.
Truck companies can shift their employees’ conversation to a more positive one – one that offers exceptional benefits. Good benefits for drivers will help to create personal testimonials about affordable and compassionate medical care along with ever-growing retirement accounts.
With this, the culture will improve, and employees will not be able to find new reasons to leave and seek employment elsewhere. Also, when drivers begin talking to others outside of the business, they will have only good things to say about the employer’s benefits. Word of mouth in recruiting is quite powerful, after all.
The Driver’s will feel Valued
Your drivers want to feel like they are a critical component of your team. Providing exceptional benefits for your drivers will send a message that you truly appreciate them and the contribution they have made to the company.
If you are offering specific benefits to people at your home office (which means the non-truck-drivers), such as sick days, health insurance, retirement programs, paid vacations, and more, it is essential that you also provide these benefits to your drivers. The benefits should be the same or better than what you offer your in-office employees. This helps to eliminate any resentment to the non-driving workers and will make the organization feel much fairer.
The Types of Benefits to Offer
When it comes to benefits offered by truck driving companies to drivers, there are a few that outshine the rest. Some of the benefits you should think about offering your drivers are highlighted here.
The first is health care. Many trucking companies provide amazing health care benefits, which include vision, dental, and medical benefits. Drivers who get insurance through their employer can actually save money, which is why so many truck drivers take advantage of these benefits.
Another popular benefit is personal and home time. For many trucking companies, home and personal time is a crucial part of any benefits package. When you ensure your drivers have a good work-life balance, you can show off your ability to keep hard-working drivers happy and help ensure they will remain with your organization for years.
One of the most important benefits a trucking company can offer it’s drivers is a retirement plan. These packages will grow, tax-free. Drivers contribute part of their pay, and companies will often match some percentage of the contribution that you make, which is going to help grow your retirement fund even more.
Other benefits that should be provided include military leave, tuition reimbursement, discount programs, and more. It is essential to find a benefits package that works for your company and your employees.
If you are not sure if a benefits package is working for your drivers, it is a good idea to get feedback from your existing employees. They can give you more information and feedback on what is working and what should be changed. By making small changes, you can ensure that your employees are happy and well taken care of.
The Right Benefits Help Keep Loyal Drivers
Safety-minded, careful, and conscientious drivers will care about the benefits you offer. These are also the people that your trucking firm wants to hire. By offering exceptional benefits, it is possible to improve overall culture, which is a huge factor when it comes to driver retention.
Good drivers put a value on loyalty and commitment. They are going to want to see this from their employers. By providing exceptional benefits to your drivers, you can show them they are wanted for the “long-haul.” They will also be much more likely to stick around.
Truck driving is a unique profession. It can be extremely rewarding, but there are challenges, as well. Understanding the advantages offered by providing benefits to your drivers, you can have the best chance of keeping them around. Being informed and knowing what to expect are the best ways to help ensure the desired results are achieved.
