Watch: NTI interviews FMCSA on trucking workforce policies, driver pay’s relation to safety, truck parking, and more
From driver pay and truck parking to attracting younger drivers and implementing policies to make trucking appealing to more women, FMCSA Robin Hutcheson chatted one on one with NTI President & CEO Leah Shaver this week about her top priorities as head of the Federal Motor Carrier Safety Administration. Watch the full interview.
What’s next for driver wages after a 5-year rollercoaster ride?
In our 2023 Driver Market Forecast, NTI explores in-depth the critical themes and trends impacting driver supply and availability and the factors influencing driver wages in 2023, as well as how driver pay structures could evolve in the coming decade. We also provided our forecast for wage growth in 2023, offering our expectations for where the recent rollercoaster ride goes next.
Women & The Wheel: Safety policies, leadership representation, and programs to support working parents build a culture where women can thrive
From HR leaders to professional drivers, women working in trucking sound off on how to create a company culture that’s inclusive and drives momentum to recruit and retain women in transportation careers.
Women & The Wheel: Mentorship programs are foundational to making trucking a sought-after career
This week in our Women & The Wheel series, we’re focusing on mentorship programs as one of the most important avenues for the industry and for individual fleets to draw women to the industry and keep them here, and we’re highlighting the story of Rachel Lovell, VP of People Operations at the Jackson, Tennessee-based 700-truck truckload carrier Ascend. NTI recently spoke with Lovell about her experience in the industry, her insights about the power of mentorship for women, and the importance of awareness of opportunities in trucking available to women.
Women & The Wheel: A conversation during Women’s History Month
Women & The Wheel will bring conversations to the NTI Blog about the real experiences of women in our industry, what they’ve learned and can teach from their years (or even decades) working in trucking, and how motor carriers and private fleets can continue to build on the momentum of establishing trucking as a secure, attractive, and rewarding career for women of all ages and backgrounds.
Q1 2023 driver wages data trends: Upward momentum slows, but pay gains still historically strong year over year
Mileage, hourly, and annual earnings for professional truck drivers continued to grow in the first quarter of 2023, according to The National Transportation Institute’s National Survey of Driver Wages and National Driver Wage Index. Likewise, fleets continue to pad compensation add-ons like bonuses, productivity incentives, and accessorials pay.
Fighting fatigue of seniority-based load bidding: 3 ways to reward drivers working less-desirable shifts
In NTI’s work with private and dedicated fleets, that’s a common concern we hear: Seniority-based bid systems contribute to frustration of new hires and churn among early tenured truckers. Here are three ways your fleet can help soothe those frustrations, incentivize weekend shifts and other lesser desired loads, and manage hang-ups caused by seniority-based load bidding programs
Is there ‘false advertising’ in your fleet’s driver recruiting process? Here’s how to ward off an unintentional turnover culprit
While almost always unintentional, errors in job ads can lead to immediate distrust with new driver hires if they receive inconsistent information during the job evaluation and hiring process or after they’ve been onboarded. Expectation gaps between what a driver thought the job would be and what it actually entails are a fast track for early turnover and churn of new driver hires. Here are five strategies to help avoid ‘false advertising’ in your driver marketing.
Diversifying your driver lead funnel, letting drivers own profitability, and the enduring value of a CDL: Consider these 4 strategies in your fleet’s driver programs
In this month’s From Leah’s Desk, NTI President & CEO Leah Shaver shares insights on diversifying your driver recruiting funnel to excel in any market cycle, the enduring value of a driver’s CDL, empowering drivers on the profitability of their individual truck, and focusing on the habits you want your recruiting program to embody.
5 ways your fleet can focus on driver health as a retention tool in 2023
As we’ve touched on a few times in the NTI Blog, putting driver health at the center of every fleet department is one of the most critical steps your fleet can take in its driver retention program. Not only is it the right thing to do for your people and the personal and professional wellbeing […]