Articles

Driver turnover remains one of the most persistent and expensive challenges facing the trucking industry. But solving it requires more than recruiting more drivers or reacting after someone decides to leave.

It requires understanding what drivers are experiencing before dissatisfaction becomes turnover.

That is what PDA - People. Data. Analytics. was built to do.

PDA helps trucking companies improve driver retention by combining direct driver feedback, human interaction, data analytics and predictive technology. We give carriers greater visibility into the driver experience, help identify emerging problems and provide the intelligence needed to intervene earlier.

Simply put, PDA helps carriers understand what their drivers are telling them and what to do about it.

Driver Retention Starts With Visibility

Most drivers don't wake up one morning and suddenly decide to quit. The decision usually develops over time.

A driver may experience inconsistent miles. An equipment problem may go unresolved. Home time may not happen as expected. Communication may become frustrating. Or the experience described during recruiting may not match the reality of the job.

Individually, those issues may appear manageable. Over time, they can become reasons to leave.

Traditional metrics can tell a carrier who left. Turnover reports can show what already happened. PDA helps carriers understand what is happening throughout the driver experience while there is still an opportunity to respond.

Retention intelligence isn't simply understanding why drivers left. It's recognizing what is happening before they leave.

Turning Driver Feedback Into Retention Intelligence

PDA communicates directly with professional drivers, creating an independent channel where they can discuss their experiences, concerns and successes.

Those conversations provide insight into issues such as miles and earnings, equipment, operations, communication, home time, expectations and overall job satisfaction.

But collecting feedback is only the beginning.

PDA analyzes driver feedback to identify recurring themes, emerging trends and potential retention risks. That helps carriers answer bigger questions:

• Where are problems developing?
• Are the same issues appearing repeatedly?
• Which drivers may require attention?
• What operational patterns could be contributing to turnover?

That's where driver feedback becomes retention intelligence.

Human Connection + Predictive Technology

Technology has dramatically increased the amount of data available to trucking companies. But data alone doesn't retain drivers.

People do.

PDA combines data analytics and predictive technology with something equally important: human connection.

Our team uses RAMP+ Intelligence, PDA's proprietary retention intelligence platform, to bring driver feedback, historical data and predictive analytics together. RAMP+ helps our agents identify drivers who may be showing increased signs of turnover risk and where additional attention may be needed.

The technology helps us see the signals. Our people help us understand the story behind them. That combination gives carriers earlier visibility and a better opportunity to act before a driver decides to leave.

Identifying Problems Is Only the Beginning

Knowing a driver is having a problem is important. What happens next is what can make the difference in retaining that driver.

PDA doesn't simply collect feedback and report problems. Our agents build relationships with drivers, identify concerns, escalate issues to the appropriate people within the carrier's organization, and follow up to help ensure those concerns are addressed.

We stay engaged with both the driver and the carrier, tracking progress and maintaining communication until the issue is resolved or an appropriate outcome is reached.

That ongoing involvement is an important part of what makes PDA different.

We don't just identify drivers at risk of leaving. We actively work to help keep them.

PDA Driver Retention Solutions

PDA provides several complementary solutions designed to create visibility throughout the driver experience.

• Complete Care provides proactive outreach and ongoing support during critical periods, including the first 90 or 180 days of employment. Drivers have a consistent PDA representative, while carriers gain earlier visibility into issues that could affect retention.
• Q Texting provides a scalable way to proactively engage drivers through text messaging, gather real-time feedback and quickly identify drivers who may be dissatisfied or need additional support.
• PDA Intelligence analyzes driver conversations and voluntary-quit data to identify broader retention trends, patterns and emerging issues.
• Driver Surveys and Research capture the voice of professional drivers on compensation, job satisfaction, recruiting, retention and other issues affecting the trucking workforce.
• Exit and Stay Interviews help companies understand why employees leave, why they stay and what may influence those decisions.

Together, these solutions help carriers see more of the driver experience—from onboarding and early tenure through ongoing employment and, when turnover occurs, the decision to leave.

Why Choose PDA?

For decades, trucking has invested heavily in recruiting drivers after seats become empty. PDA believes carriers should have equally strong intelligence focused on protecting the drivers already sitting in those seats.

That's why we don't look at driver retention from only one perspective.

We talk to drivers. We analyze what they tell us. We use technology to help identify risk. We study voluntary turnover. And we help carriers translate those insights into action.

Because the question shouldn't only be: Why did this driver leave?

It should also be: What were they telling us before they left—and how soon did we know?

That is the difference between measuring turnover and managing retention.

When a driver resigns, the natural question is: Why did they leave?

But there may be a more important question:

What happened before they left?

Driver turnover rarely begins with a resignation. It often develops through experiences that happen days, weeks or months earlier—inconsistent miles, equipment problems, missed expectations, communication issues or home-time frustration.

By the time a driver gives notice, the opportunity to retain them may already be disappearing.

That's why effective driver retention requires visibility across the entire driver experience—not just at orientation or during an exit interview.

The Driver Experience Happens Over Time

A driver's experience begins before they ever get behind the wheel.

Recruiting establishes expectations. Orientation reinforces them. Then the driver begins determining whether those expectations match reality.

Are the miles consistent? Is the equipment reliable? Does the driver get home when expected? Can they reach someone when there is a problem? Does their actual experience match what they were promised?

Retention isn't determined by one moment. It's shaped by the accumulation of experiences over time.

The challenge is making those experiences visible.

Operational Data Doesn't Tell the Whole Story

Carriers have access to enormous amounts of operational data—miles, utilization, payroll, safety performance, equipment and home-time information.

But operational data doesn't always reveal how a driver is experiencing those things.

A carrier may know how many miles a driver ran. That doesn't necessarily show whether the driver believes their miles are consistent.

A system may show that a driver made it home. It may not reveal that they arrived later than expected and missed an important family event.

The numbers tell you what happened.

The driver can tell you what it meant.

For retention, carriers need both.

Small Problems Can Become Big Problems

One bad week of miles probably doesn't cause most drivers to quit. Neither does every equipment issue or communication problem.

But those experiences can accumulate.

A driver dealing with inconsistent miles may then have a payroll question, followed by difficulty reaching a manager. Individually, none of those issues may appear significant. Together, they can change how that driver views the company.

That's why waiting for a driver to announce they are unhappy can be dangerous.

Visibility creates an opportunity to identify problems before they become reasons to leave.

This is especially important during early tenure, when recruiting expectations collide with operational reality. A driver who has been with the company for two weeks may not know how to navigate problems or whom to call.

The question shouldn't simply be whether the driver has complained.

It should be: Do we know how the driver is doing?

From Visibility to Retention Intelligence

The real value of driver feedback comes from what happens next.

One driver reporting inconsistent miles may require an individual response. Multiple drivers reporting the same concern may reveal an operational pattern.

If similar issues begin clustering around a fleet, account, manager or point in driver tenure, leadership has learned something much more valuable.

Driver feedback has become retention intelligence.

At PDA, we combine direct driver interaction, data and predictive technology to help carriers recognize these signals earlier. Our team uses RAMP+ Intelligence to help identify drivers who may be showing increased signs of turnover risk.

Technology helps identify where to look. Human interaction helps determine why.

The goal isn't to predict every resignation. It's to create more time and better information to act.

How Soon Do You Know?

Exit interviews can help explain why drivers leave. But an exit interview shouldn't be the first time a carrier learns that a driver was unhappy.

The most valuable retention information often exists before the resignation.

The goal is to see it soon enough to matter.

It is no secret that 2023 has been a challenging year in the trucking industry. From a severe freight recession, to inflation, to increased fuel prices and rising driver turnover, many of us have felt the impact of the post-COVID economy. PDA is no different.

We've lost a client this year, truthfully, we've lost a few clients this year. We've received the dreaded, "it's not you, it's me," break up emails. We understand the environment. Many trucking companies have resorted to cost-cutting measures. As an industry, that's what we do because that's what we've always done.

Trucking companies operate in a highly competitive and cost-sensitive environment. Profit margins can be razor-thin, and companies often find themselves pressured to cut costs to remain competitive. As a result, we prioritize short-term financial gains over long-term investments in driver retention. This economic pressure can create an environment where driver needs are deprioritized in the pursuit of cost efficiency. You may disagree, but that's where we are as an industry at this moment.

During this economic downturn, many companies have cut recruiting budgets and slashed their retention programs for that short-term financial gain. While understandable, we know the economy will turn. We know that capacity will tighten. When it does, those short-term financial gains will become long-term headaches.

NOW is the time to invest in driver retention. Whether you have an internal retention team or hire a third-party retention team, the cost of losing just one driver is costing you more than you think.

In order to understand the economic impact of driver turnover on your company, it's vital to know how much it costs to lose just one driver.

This is a number we've actively researched at PDA. Most, if not all, trucking companies know what their cost per hire is, but losing and replacing one truck driver is more than just a cost per hire number.

The economic costs of persistent driver turnover run deep and result in a significant economic toll that trucking companies with high driver turnover face. Conservatively, through our research, PDA believes that the cost of losing one driver costs a company a minimum of $10,000.

How did we come up with that number? Here's a breakdown:

Recruitment and Training Costs

One of the most obvious economic costs of high driver turnover is the constant need for recruitment and training. Each new hire represents an investment of time and resources in the screening, hiring, and onboarding processes. This includes background checks, drug screenings, orientation sessions, and, in some cases, specialized training for certain cargo or routes. The repetitive nature of these processes can strain a company's budget, diverting resources that could be allocated to more sustainable initiatives.

Reduced Productivity and Efficiency

When drivers leave a company, they take with them not only their driving skills but also their knowledge of routes, client preferences, and efficient delivery practices. Constant turnover can lead to a lack of institutional memory, resulting in decreased overall productivity and efficiency. New drivers often require a period of adjustment to become familiar with company protocols and routes, contributing to delays and potential service disruptions.

Equipment Wear and Tear

Truck turnover doesn't only refer to human resources—it also involves the wear and tear on company-owned equipment. Frequent changes in drivers can lead to inconsistent driving styles, potentially accelerating the wear on trucks and trailers. Poor driving habits, unfamiliarity with maintenance procedures, and inadequate care for the equipment can contribute to higher repair and maintenance costs for the fleet.

Increased Insurance Premiums

Insurance costs are a significant part of a trucking company's budget, and high driver turnover can impact these expenses. Companies with a revolving door of drivers may face higher insurance premiums due to increased perceived risk. Frequent turnover can signal instability, making it more challenging to secure favorable insurance rates. Consequently, these increased premiums cut into a company's profit margins.

Impact on Customer Relationships

Driver turnover can have indirect economic consequences, particularly in the realm of customer relationships. Frequent changes in assigned drivers can disrupt the development of rapport and trust between drivers and clients. Unreliable service caused by turnover-related disruptions may lead to dissatisfied customers, potential contract losses, and damage to the company's reputation.

Lost Revenue Opportunities

Constantly recruiting and training new drivers while dealing with disruptions in service can hinder a company's ability to capitalize on revenue opportunities. Delays, missed deadlines, and inconsistent service quality can lead to penalties, loss of contracts, and reduced customer loyalty. Over time, these factors contribute to a diminished revenue stream and a less competitive position in the market.

While economic challenges may prompt trucking companies to tighten their belts, neglecting investments in driver retention programs can be a costly mistake. In the long run, the benefits of retaining experienced drivers far outweigh the short-term savings associated with cost-cutting measures.

By prioritizing driver satisfaction, safety, and ongoing training, trucking companies can position themselves for success even in the most challenging economic climates. The road to a sustainable and thriving future in the trucking industry begins with the investment in the backbone of the operation—the skilled and dedicated truck drivers.