After experiencing two hurricanes this month as a resident of Florida and hearing stories of truck drivers stranded by the same storms in North Carolina, Georgia, and my own state, planning and preparation are on my mind lately.
Of course, where my thoughts so often automatically go: How can we take the themes of planning and preparation and utilize them at our respective fleets to promote safety, comfort, security, and success for our drivers?
From planning for safety critical events to helping drivers eat better and save money on the road, there’s no shortage of ways we can step up to boost drivers’ success and satisfaction in their livelihoods.
As we so often talk about, making our drivers feel seen and heard is paramount, but we can extend that by supporting them in ways they can see every day. When it comes to preparing for a single day or six weeks on the road, we can assist drivers by: 1) giving them information about things they can do for themselves; and 2) providing them with concrete resources.
Here are three important categories where you can go above and beyond to improve life on the road for your drivers:
➡️ Safety
- Hurricane Helene’s impact on western North Carolina showed us drivers need to be prepared for almost any kind of weather, anywhere. Develop and communicate a storm-emergency plan to prevent drivers from being on the road – or to quickly get them off it and into safer shelter – during severe weather.
- Keep safety- and emergency-related equipment in your trucks and make sure drivers know where to find this equipment, reflective gear, first-aid kits, etc.
- Drivers are most vulnerable to accidents and incidents in their first few weeks of employment, so make sure your training in these areas is comprehensive and understood. For example, one major culprit for new hires is not staying hydrated while unloading trailers in high-labor jobs. To combat this, some fleets provide electrolyte packages during orientation and suggest drivers start their own self-care and safety kits. The key takeaway is to work to find your own effective strategies for mitigating these types of common health and safety issues that occur at your fleet.
- Encourage drivers to stock up with seasonal and year-round necessities and emergency items such as: food and water; extra clothing; blankets; cell phone power bank; boots with good traction; rain gear; waterproof gloves; and a coat and hat appropriate for temperatures along the route. Also make sure each truck is equipped with: a flashlight; kneeling pad; reflective vest; a bag of sand or salt; extra windshield washer fluid; windshield scraper and snow brush; battery charger; and the proper size and quantity of tire chains. Think about providing or offering discounts on items you recommend drivers keep in their trucks. For instance, if you recommend a heavy jacket, carry one in your company store and give drivers a discount, or provide a stipend to help them make the purchase.
➡️ Health
- As we all are keenly aware, health and medical issues are unfortunately prevalent among our driver population, and many leave the industry involuntarily each year due to common conditions like high blood pressure, diabetes, and sleep apnea. Fleets can help drivers stay on the road, develop healthy habits, and see higher quality of life off the road by creating effective health and wellness programs. If tackling such a project is overwhelming for your internal personnel, consider outsourcing this task to a company that specializes in health and wellness programs for truck drivers.
- Keep track of when each of your drivers is due for a DOT physical and help them prepare. This could mean assisting them in seeing a doctor and providing some extra education about diet and fitness on the road. This is one of the most important areas where fleets can have drivers’ backs.
- Look into installing health-check stations in your fleet terminals. With these stations in place, drivers can regularly check their weight, BMI, blood pressure, blood glucose, and more.
- Give drivers practical advice and ideas about how they can eat healthier meals and snacks on the road. This could include tips on best choices at truck stops, how to read nutrition labels, and pre-packing meals and snacks. You can even pre-pack some of those items yourself and make them available at your facilities and driver lounges. (Pre-packing meals is also a great way for drivers to save lots of money — which we dive into more below!)
- Provide gym memberships and trucking-specific health coaching or offer discounts on these benefits. Check out national gym chains that are truck-parking friendly, such as Planet Fitness.
➡️ Finances/budgeting
- Life on the road has always been expensive and difficult to budget for, and inflation in recent years has compounded this issue. Fleets can assist drivers with financial education and budgeting programs that are easy to access in their downtime on the road, through e-learning modules and apps.
- Healthcare is often pricey for drivers because they have to use emergency rooms and urgent-care centers – and pay for a way to get to them. Offering telehealth services as part of your medical benefits package can save drivers significant amounts of money and get them back on the job sooner.
- You can help drivers lower their food/beverage costs and make healthier diet choices by equipping trucks with coolers, refrigerators, microwaves, and grills or electric cooktops, as well as equipping drivers with tools like meal plan worksheets, grocery lists, pre-packaged meal ideas, and more. These could be distributed as paper handouts, via email, or available in your fleet’s driver app. Also, consistent communication is key: Use all available internal marketing channels to promote these tools as often as you can.
You could combine items from all the categories above, and more, into a “preparing-for-the-road” course for new and even tenured drivers.
What kind of culture does your fleet want to build for your drivers? If it’s one where you show drivers you have their backs, you appreciate the work they do and the lifestyle they choose to live in support of our companies and our industry, then these measures will go a long way in continuing to build that type of culture.
Our data and experience at NTI tell us that the strategies outlined above are some of the most effective ways for fleets to show they genuinely care about their drivers, understand what’s important to them, and highly value their contributions.
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Until next time, be safe and well!
~Leah
