During National Truck Driver Appreciation Week and National Technician Appreciation Week, it’s important to ask ourselves: Are we truly working to make the careers of our professional drivers and diesel technicians more secure and rewarding?
There’s no denying that these are challenging times, but our efforts to retain drivers and technicians by ensuring they feel valued and supported can always remain a priority.
Throughout this current freight market recession, I’ve been a vocal advocate against retreating from the significant progress made in 2021 and 2022, when the industry focused on attracting our next generation of drivers with an outpouring of gratitude, recognition of their work, programs to meet newcomers where they are, and by working diligently to make our jobs more secure, rewarding, and satisfying. We made a promise of what the job of a professional driver could be — and we strived to deliver.
More than any other time in my 23 years in trucking, I saw fleets engaging drivers with internal marketing efforts to help build pride in their work, making intentional efforts to become more involved in their communities with outreach programs at schools and local events like parades, and consistently promoting their drivers and their accomplishments both publicly and with direct communications.
Carriers focused on building up trucking jobs as financially rewarding careers by raising pay, bolstering guaranteed pay options, and addressing pain points like unpaid and unproductive time such as when a driver sits in traffic congestion or waits at shippers and receivers. I held dozens of meetings with shippers large and small to discuss how they could become a shipper of choice — aka, how could they be a shipper that drivers prefer, and thus carriers would choose to work with?
Those days aren’t far behind us, and though current times are tough, they will pass. When they do, we risk finding ourselves in the same situation as we did in the 2020-2022 recovery period — struggling to find drivers, lowering our qualifications, trying to rebuild programs we’d abandoned to attract new drivers to our industry, and stretching our teams to the max to simply maintain our headcount, let alone grow.
During the good times, we value our people. Internal marketing and communication programs ramp up, carriers and shippers collaborate for the drivers’ best interests, we emphasize reaching the next generation, and the list goes on. But during these tougher times, we tend to forget or ignore these efforts. We can continue to ensure our drivers and technicians feel seen, heard, and supported through every market cycle.
With NTDAW and NTAW here, I urge you to make these weeks a time to reflect on how your fleet engages and supports your drivers and technicians year-round. While planning your celebrations, keep these tips in mind to make your appreciation efforts more meaningful:
Making your fleet’s appreciation efforts count
➡️ Hosting a cookout and inviting your drivers is a great gesture, but here’s something to think about — how many of your drivers will actually be able to attend? Before joining NTI nearly 10 years ago, I spent the first half of my career as a recruiting an HR leader at a trucking company, where I worked closely with drivers on a daily basis. Each year during NTDAW, the most common response from drivers was: “I hope the staff enjoys the BBQ while I’m out on the road making sure deliveries are on time.” Today, broadcasting on SiriusXM, drivers call me during live shows to state the very same.
As you plan your driver appreciation efforts this year, ensure your drivers can participate and take advantage of the events and benefits you’re offering. It’s important to show drivers that you genuinely care and appreciate them during NTDAW, but first, make sure they can enjoy what you have planned.
Bonus tip: Celebrate your drivers year-round! NTI’s blog is full of resources your fleet can utilize to put an emphasis on the driver experience and to showcase your appreciation to your fleet’s people through the entire year. I’ll point you to these articles to help you get started:
🎉 Your fleet’s standards can be a beacon for truck driver appreciation year round
🎉 Drivers’ on-road amenities: Would you use them?
➡️ Also, take a moment to evaluate your own facilities. What is the driver’s experience when they visit your headquarters or terminals? If you walk into your driver’s room or lounge, do you feel a sense of pride in the environment and the amenities provided? If you don’t, chances are your drivers won’t either.
➡️ As a host on SiriusXM’s Road Dog Trucking, I frequently hear from drivers about what matters most to them. One of the top requests is a SiriusXM subscription as an added perk. You might consider offering this as a bonus for your drivers, and NTDAW is a perfect time to start. I’ll be on air September 17 for my annual showcase of appreciation to our driver listeners. It’s one of my favorite broadcasts of the year because it’s all about celebrating drivers! I hope you will tune in to Ch. 146 at 11 a.m. Eastern.
➡️ While planning for NTDAW, don’t overlook your technicians! Demand for technician pay benchmarking has doubled at The National Transportation Institute over the past year, and fleets continue to say technicians are as hard to recruit and retain as drivers were in 2021. NTAW is the following week, and with this in mind, be sure to plan separate celebrations for your technicians rather than lumping them together this year. Technicians deserve their own recognition, and it’s paramount to let them know how and why they are valued at your fleet.
In NTI’s conversations with fleets, it’s common to hear about technicians leaving for equipment manufacturers. Take the time during this year’s tech appreciation week to evaluate how you’re elevating your technicians’ experience — and make it a priority to sustain these efforts throughout the coming year. Offering continued education, increased access to technology, better scheduling, and competitive pay are some of the most effective ways to show appreciation for their hard work and create a workplace where they want to join, grow and stay.
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Until next time, be safe and well!
~Leah
