Fleet Managers: Boost Driver Engagement with These Practices

In the truck industry, we have noticed that fleet managers face challenges in recruiting and retaining skilled drivers, which is a recurring challenge. A recent survey shows that the rate of employee turnover in a year for huge carriers is 90% across the UAE. It only says that 9 out of 10 drivers at the end of the year will leave the company. The rate is 70% for smaller carriers, which means that only 3 out of 10 drivers will continue with the company at the end of the year.

It means that a corporation must devote a significant amount of time to hiring, training, and offboarding drivers. As a result, rather than being productive, a considerable amount of time is wasted on non-productive duties, resulting in financial losses for the organization. So, how can you ensure that the drivers you hire will stay with you for a more extended period as a fleet manager?

The solution is to create a highly engaged driver workforce. Employees feel more connected to the organization when they are passionate and driven. They always give their all to meet the company’s objectives while also improving themselves and the team. It all comes down to specific human factors that one must consider to increase the driver’s engagement.

Cultivate a Sense of Shared Purpose

Knowing your priorities and objectives isn’t enough. As a fleet manager, communicate appropriately with your staff, ensuring that they understand and can assist you in achieving your goals. GPS fleet management can assist you in making the transition to paperless operations. You might also think about installing dashcams in the fleet. Explain how it will benefit the team, and provide them the tools they need to make a difference.

Listening and Transparency

While maintaining transparency, always invite feedback from the team. It shows teamwork is appreciated and you are willing to support it. Employees look forward to having an opportunity to partake in the process of decision-making, and when that doesn’t happen, they get demotivated. They begin to feel that they are not valued. Listening to the team helps strengthen commitment, gives birth to great ideas, and brings about positive changes.

Appreciation

Humans love to be recognized and appreciated. Acknowledging the team for their hard work and rewarding them for their excellent performance, based on the matrix, leads to healthy competition within the team. It will result in continuous improvement.

Collaboration and Confidence

Avoid managing and controlling everything. Fleet control is made more accessible using a GPS tracking and fleet management system. You would be demonstrating trust in their capacity to execute an excellent job in this manner. You would establish trust and empower them to do great things in this manner. When you trust people, they become more responsible, feel more connected, and take ownership of decisions as part of a team.

As a fleet manager, you may think about the suggestions above and put them into practice to improve your drivers’ involvement. These are critical practices that, if applied, would result in a significant improvement in operations.