Driver retention and recruitment continues to be a problem for the industry. In fact, the American Trucking Association projects a shortfall of 175,000 drivers by 2024, and this is driving a bidding war between fleets to hire and retain good drivers. Mobile devices can help fleets attract and retain employees with engaging, efficient tools that are widely used in both business and personal lives.
The devices can also help businesses manage drivers and other staff more effectively, because they can be loaded with apps for managing schedules, time off and payroll and tax issues.
Because there's such high demand for their services, truck drivers can be particular about where they work. They're looking at quality of life issues and building long-term relationships with their companies. Communication, training and personal wellness are some of the factors that drivers weigh when deciding where they'll continue to work.
In a recent survey, communications with dispatchers and driver recruiters were cited as the top factors in whether a driver would continue working with a company past the first three months. The survey from Stay Metrics, a provider of evidence-based driver feedback, found that 70 percent of driver turnover happens within the first year of employment, and 35 percent occurs within the first three months. The top three factors for early driver turnover were work conditions (such as pay, quality of equipment and facilities), company and management (for example, communication and respect shown to drivers), and lifestyle (for instance, their number of nights at home).
One of the best ways to reduce early stage turnover, the survey found, is through high-quality recruiter/dispatcher communication. Connecting drivers with mobile devices creates a higher level of engagement across a breadth of activities, from recording daily hours of service, to dispatching and problem-solving, to training and off-duty activities such as exercise.
With telematics, fleets can address one of the top problems that drivers face: wasted time.
Before the ELD, logbooks were kept in increments of 15 minutes, but now status changes are recorded by the minute, which allows drivers to recapture several minutes of productive time each day.
In addition to basic hours of service compliance, a robust ELD solution can perform many other functions, including Driver Vehicle Inspection Reports (DVIR) and International Fuel Tax Agreement (IFTA) administration, as well as driver and vehicle performance monitoring.
For DVIR and IFTA, a mobile device can automate what had been paper processes to streamline data entry and reduce the risk of non-compliance. Electronic versions stored in the cloud also guarantee that paper records won't be lost.
Sensors on trucks can measure vehicle operations and driver behaviors in real time. On an individual and aggregate basis, managers are able to monitor how drivers operate their vehicles: Are they harder than average on brakes? Do they waste diesel accelerating too quickly? Based on fleet data, the management system can recommend best practices for routing and driving habits. Using the telematics data, drivers can participate in company-sponsored contests to incentivize driving efficiencies, perhaps including reward systems for drivers who exceed their goals.
Better information about driver performance can help create a culture of safety. Bad habits such as hard braking and speeding can become safety and compliance issues for the entire fleet. When driving is monitored, drivers are more likely to perform according to company and regulatory standards, leading to fewer accidents and law enforcement encounters and lower insurance costs.
As fleets deploy mobile devices to meet the ELD, there's also significant potential to use these same devices to improve the driver experience on the road and during breaks. By equipping your fleet with a tablet-based ELD, you’re providing a popular employee perk and a powerful work tool for use when not on the road.
Drivers have grown comfortable using smartphones and tablets for communicating with family and friends, personal banking, games, entertainment and many other daily activities. They’re accustomed to using touch screens with minimal typing, and fleets can improve their satisfaction and task performance by installing the same type of technology in the cab.
Retention has always been a challenging aspect of fleet management, but an effective device policy that provides some connectivity to drivers can help mitigate turnover.
Drivers can use the devices off-duty for movies, games and communicating with family and friends. A trucking fleet may also be able to attract younger digital natives to the driver corps with the promise of a mobile device for personal use.
It also, however, brings with it a considerable security challenge for companies with ultra-mobile employees, like those with managing trucking fleets in the transportation sector. IT staffs need to ensure a Virtual Private Network (VPN) and containerization of data is established on each device as constant travel opens vulnerabilities such as lost or stolen devices or unsecured Wi-Fi connections.
Given the non-conventional schedules followed in the transportation industry, a security protocol that works to protect business data needs to be an “always on” solution, but still offer enough flexibility for the user to engage with personal applications during non-work hours.
With Knox Platform for Enterprise, business applications and data can reside in an encrypted secure container while still working in tandem with MDM solutions. Additionally, Knox Platform for Enterprise supports enterprise-level VPNs, so IT administrators know data being transmitted from the field back to the corporate team is traveling through a secure pathway, while also providing a separation from personal applications if the user accidentally taps into an insecure connection.
While businesses are concerned about the safety of their critical information, the transportation industry brings with it a need for physical safety as well. While company policies and public safety laws prohibit drivers from using handheld devices while operating vehicles, not everyone abides by the rules. With Knox partitioning business and personal data in a scheduled format — creating the inability to access non-work-related information during scheduled business times — the risk of a user engaging with a smartphone or tablet while driving is minimized as a result. The same would go for a user tapping into Wi-Fi locations during work hours; the device can be configured to only allow personal usage when the secured business container is fully closed and “off the clock.”
Mobile devices allow drivers to participate in training exercises wherever and whenever they choose. A driver might review a safety video while resting in the sleeper or get a refresh on the right way to inspect a bumper while standing right beside it.
At least one large carrier fleet has added training videos for inspections and other procedures that drivers can access anytime, as videos are more likely to be consulted than a thick instructional manual. A large fleet may train several hundred new drivers per week, so having everyone follow the same procedure for connecting the truck and trailer makes sense. Additionally, mobile devices have a familiar user experience, so there's a minimal learning curve when it comes to operating them.
Wearables can also play a role in driver health and performance, with the ability to monitor driver sleep habits, improve safety and provide tools for workouts. Skimble, for example, has created Active Trucker workouts for its Workout Trainer App, available for phones and tablets. Paired with a Samsung Gear S3 or Gear Fit wearable, the workouts sync with the phone or tablet. The display on the Samsung wearable shows useful prompts at a glance during workouts, like the current exercise name, timing and repetition cues, as well as handy exercise tips.
The exercises are designed to reflect the daily reality of life on the road to help promote truck driver wellness, and the videos feature demonstrations by a driver at a trucking facility or a truck stop. According to Skimble, one group of drivers lost an average of 8 pounds using the workouts.
