Fleet management challenges: How to attract and retain the best driver talent

Perhaps the biggest headache facing today’s transport managers is the ongoing shortage of both LCV and HGV drivers. Indeed, the UK is short of 45,000 drivers, making recruitment and retention an increasingly difficult task.

If you currently have this problem, you’re not alone. According to a recent survey by the Chartered Institute of Logistics and Transport (CILT), 74% of companies that need drivers are suffering from a shortage of talent.

On the positive side, this survey does indicate that over a quarter of companies don’t have a driver shortage. The chances are this is because most have made sure they stand out as employers, making their recruitment and retention more effective.

So how do they do address this fleet management challenge?

What drivers want from an employer

In 2014, National Retail Systems Inc published the results of a survey of thousands of drivers, asking them what attracted them to the job. Although it was a US survey, there’s a similar driver shortage in America, so the results are highly relevant to the UK.

Unsurprisingly, salary was the most important factor that drivers considered when choosing a job – with 77% saying it was among the three most important considerations. But the other results were very telling. They included:

• Amount of home time – 67%
• Benefits – 52%
• New equipment – 47%
• Location – 36%
• Type of run – 32%
• Company reputation – 31%
• Sign-on bonus – 13%
• Training – 11%
• Not sure – 2%

Crucially, respondents were also asked why companies had difficulties retaining drivers. The three top reasons were low pay, not enough home time and not enough respect.

How to recruit and retain drivers

The results of the survey give employers key insights into how to attract and retain drivers. Even if you can’t offer a larger salary, there are many other factors that can make you an employer of choice. These are our recommendations, based on working with thousands of fleet operators.

• Streamline journeys. The more you streamline your journeys, making them more efficient and reducing overlap with other routes, the less time drivers have to work – and the more often they will get home on time. Consider using telematics to make all drivers’ journeys as efficient as possible.

• Use new vehicles and equipment. Up-to-date vehicles and equipment help make drivers feel valued. It’s also economical – instead of buying vehicles and driving them until they have practically no resale value, consider flexible rental This allows you to upgrade your vehicles regularly at no extra cost, as well as fitting new equipment economically.

• Talk to your drivers. Nothing beats finding out what your drivers like about working for you, as well as learning what you can do to encourage them to stay. If you have a small fleet, you could learn a lot from informal conversations and questionnaires. If you employ a lot of drivers, commissioning a professional staff satisfaction survey could easily pay for itself if its recommendations help you increase retention.

• Offer training. Again, by offering training you can help drivers advance their own careers – as well as providing you with a pool of better skilled talent.

• Offer benefits. These don’t have to be expensive. You can negotiate discount gym memberships and discount vouchers, as well as provide ergonomic seats, hands-free devices, subscriptions to music services and other benefits that improve employees’ experience at work and in their leisure time.

• Treat them like family. People like working for people more than they like working for companies. Make sure your managers have great interpersonal skills, that you are flexible in allocating shifts and that you recognise individuals’ birthdays and reward hard work. Something as simple as saying ‘thank you’ is one of the most powerful ways to create a bond between employee and employer.

• Minimise maintenance delays. One final tip – drivers often get frustrated if maintenance issues drag on for days. Avoid this happening with flexible rental – it allows you to give your drivers a replacement vehicle at no extra cost if maintenance issues are likely to take some time. You can find out more by speaking to one of our flexible vehicle rental experts today.

One final tip – no driver wants to work in an environment where their health and safety is not taken seriously. Driving is the number one occupational risk in the UK and so it pays to ensure that you stay within the law. Find out more about the importance of driver safety and gain a better understanding of how simple safety and compliance measures can reduce accidents across your fleet with our guide, .