The Fleet Business Authority
Issue link: http://heavydutytrucking.epubxp.com/i/307131
1 5 I n 2012, driver turnover at large truckload car- riers averaged 98%, according to figures from the American Trucking Associations. At smaller truckload fleets turnover averaged 82%. At private fleets, according to the National Private Truck Council, the average turnover rate in 2012 was 11%. "They really are in two different worlds," explains Gary Petty, NPTC president and CEO. Not only are private fleet drivers typically paid more, with better benefits and more home time, but also, the very nature of the work is different. "The average private fleet driver spends about a third of his or her time not driving – in the store or [distribu- tion center] interacting with the customer. So being able to keep customers happy, being the front line and face of the customer service dimension of the corporation, makes it really a very different job." However, there are some things private fleets do that for-hire fleets may be able to emulate and adapt. Set a higher standard – and pay for it The driver standards for private fleets are higher, Petty explains. Many require two to three years of full-time expe- rience as drivers, and the average hiring age is close to 40. These more mature drivers, he says, are less likely to give up on a job quickly. Most private fleets have strict safety and customers service standards, and drivers who don't measure up will not be tolerated. Michael Gower, who drives for TDI Golf in Ontario, in a LinkedIn discussion said he knows from experience that "private fleets do look after drivers better." But they also expect more. "We represent the company 24/7. We never know when we may interact with a customer or potential customer," Gower says. "It's all about image, and we all know that there are no retakes on the first image you make. It is im- perative that that first impression be positive. For-hire fleets don't care/seem to worry about that. It's all about the next load and little more." Those higher standards are rewarded monetarily. Aver- age pay (as reflected by the annual W-2 earnings statement) for drivers in the private fleet community was reported at $60,021 for 2012, according the NPTC. In comparison, the National Survey of Driver Wages reported that in 2013, the median driver pay for dry van drivers was $47,544. How do you adapt this strategy in a for-hire fleet? Jim Mickey, a 2010 HDT Truck Fleet Innovator and presi- dent/co-owner of Canada's Coastal Pacific Xpress, says his company actively goes after freight that requires a better 36 HDT • MAY 2014 www.truckinginfo.com Deborah Lockridge • Editor in Chief Kate Harlow • Associate Editor For-hire fleets can adapt some of the same strategies as private fleets to reduce driver turnover WAYS Private Fleets Keep Drivers Longer d r i v e r s _ m a y l . i n d d 3 6 drivers_mayl.indd 36 4 / 2 9 / 1 4 3 : 4 8 P M 4/29/14 3:48 PM