As “supply chain” and “logistics” have become buzzwords over the past few years, people have become more and more aware of just how volatile these operations are. Often at the top of the news is talk of driver retention.
By ensuring timely deliveries are made, drivers are critical to keeping industries running smoothly and consumers happy. It is no easy job, which has been made apparent by the historically low retention rates for this role. This is not breaking news, though. Retention has been a constant battle for private fleets for years. The reasons for this are always changing, with the pandemic and inflation being notable factors in recent years.
Companies have worked hard to create new strategies that encourage drivers to join and stay with their fleet. Driver pay has steadily been on the rise and companies are offering incentives like lofty sign-on bonuses, which ultimately encourages drivers to hop from one offer to the next. While pay increases are definitely warranted, it sometimes feels like a band-aid solution to an underlying issue.
Private fleets invest in all kinds of technologies to optimize their routes, track real-time activity, or even improve reporting. Software vendors in this industry have historically left driver-focused capabilities untouched though. In a market where companies are seeking new strategies to improve driver satisfaction, this seems pretty counter-intuitive.
An area ripe for improvement is the process of assigning drivers to routes. A leading factor of driver dissatisfaction is the lack of flexibility they have in their job. This can be overcome if drivers are given the freedom to select their own routes, be it on a daily, weekly, or monthly basis. Better yet, imagine if drivers were empowered to make informed decisions on their routes by having visibility to metrics like estimated pay per route. This seems far from reality in a manual operation, but software like Zeebo exists to automate this process, removing any sort of administrative burden.
Schedule a demo with Zeebo to learn more about how you can relieve your dispatchers and empower drivers.