Fleet Management News & Business Info | Commercial Carrier Journal
Issue link: http://read.dmtmag.com/i/599511
64 commercial carrier journal | november 2015 TECHNOLOGY: DRIVER TURNOVER recruiting pipeline. Fleets often need to hire all of the qualified drivers they can get. While fleets generally capture only basic information from driver appli- cants, even this limited data can be used to identify those with a higher risk of leaving early. To reduce that risk, companies could spend extra time with these drivers during orien- tation training to better manage their job expecta- tions, Croke says. Omnitracs Analytics has unbundled its predic- tive models to tailor to the specific needs of fleets of all sizes. Some clients may only want to score driver job applicants on the basis of their likelihood to remain. Croke also is consider- ing creating a new model that would be offered directly to drivers and training schools. This model would identify the carri- ers and types of operation – flatbed, tanker, long haul, dedicated, reefer – that would best meet drivers' job expectations. Another possibility is to incorporate data about driver physiology such as sleep patterns. Croke is an expert in sleep sci- ence and believes that one of the reasons driver turnover is highest in the first 90 days is sleep deprivation while getting used to a new work schedule. Some of Omnitracs Analytics' ac- cident models show drivers are at the highest risk at 87 days. Croke antici- pates eventually being able to capture the quality of drivers' sleep from wear- able devices that communicate with Omnitracs' in-cab mobile devices. Ultimately, the best countermeasure for a driver at risk of quitting may be to make sure he's able to get a good night's sleep, he says. Personality testing Two years ago, Stay Metrics began a research project with the University of Notre Dame. Seven of the company's carrier clients and 450 drivers from those carriers provided data for the study. The drivers completed an in-depth online survey developed by professors Timothy Judge and Mike Crant from the University of Notre Dame's Men- doza College of Business. The survey was used to assess drivers' personality traits, and the carriers provided safety scores and turnover data on the drivers throughout the study. The full study is currently in the peer review process and is set for publication in academic journals within 12 to 18 months. Judge, Stay Metrics' director of research, already has used the study's results to create two predictive models for turnover and safety, both linked to key personality traits of drivers. Each model uses a predictive index based on four personality traits that correlate strongly with turnover and safety. Orderliness is one predictor of driver turnover, while anger is one for driver safety, says Hindes. "Drivers with an orderly trait are structured – they take notes, make lists and keep their paperwork in order," Hindes says. "Anger is a personality trait one might expect of unsafe driv- ers, and when combined with the other traits in the models, a more holistic view emerges." Stay Metrics plans to develop a selection tool for carriers to screen job applicants. Field-testing of the two pre- dictive models will begin in December with four carriers whose drivers will take a personality test during orien- tation meetings. Subsequently, their turnover and safety performance will be monitored for the next six months. At the conclusion of field-testing, the results will be used to determine the direction of the new selection tool. The earliest this new product would be available is July 2016, Hindes says. The driver shortage makes it difficult to be too selective when hiring drivers, but by using insights from data to see which drivers are most likely to leave and why, fleets possibly can change the outcome. Max Farrell and Andrew Kirpalani, founders of Workhound, recently won the Truck Tank competition at the Great American Trucking Show. Dean Croke, vice president of Omnitracs Analytics, recommends drivers use smart- phone apps to help manage their sleep.