Driver surveys offer retention, safety benefits

It has been two years since Tenstreet acquired Stay Metrics, and the companies’ combined data-collecting power and expertise continues to bring actionable insights to the recruiting and retention space. 

“What has happened over the past couple of years is retention has gotten even more important to the industry and to our clients,” Tenstreet CEO Tim Crawford said. “It was important when we first connected with them, and it is even more so now.”

As carriers face a market downturn, it is crucial for companies to increase efficiency and cut costs wherever possible. Recruiting is a difficult — and expensive — process, and focusing on retention is a good way to avoid piling on costs.

Tenstreet helps carriers keep seats in trucks full by enabling them to find out why their drivers are leaving in the first place.

“Drivers leave for specific reasons, and a lot of those specific reasons are fixable,” Crawford said.

Before you can fix a problem, you have to be able to identify it. One simple, effective way to do this at scale is through data collection via well-executed driver surveys. Strong driver surveys cut to the heart of what is going on, allowing carriers to spot chronic and acute issues with their entire fleets and individual drivers.

It is also important for carriers to remember that follow-up is a necessary part of the survey response, not just an afterthought. Without this contact, drivers often assume they are not being heard, even if changes are being made.

“If the driver never hears anything back, it is going to leave them with a bad taste in their mouth,” Crawford said. “When you close the loop with those drivers, it is a tangible sign of treating drivers as the professionals they are.”

Carriers who circle back with their drivers after receiving feedback see less turnover. In about three out of four cases, these drivers tend to stay about 90 days longer than drivers who do not receive follow-up contact, according to Crawford.

While listening to drivers is a tried-and-true way to improve retention, driver surveys also lead to other, less obvious benefits, including improved driver and fleet safety.

“Clients using surveys have about half the number of CSA violations per truck, and we think that is because it changes the tenor,” Crawford said. “It sends a signal that safety and engagement aren’t things fleets are doing to drivers, they’re things fleets are doing with drivers.”

Click here to learn more about retaining drivers with Tenstreet.