CCJ

May 2016

Fleet Management News & Business Info | Commercial Carrier Journal

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32 commercial carrier journal | may 2016 B eyond raising pay and improving benefits, motor carriers that need drivers are looking to gain an edge in a tight labor market by creating a better workplace experience. Driver onboarding is a top area of focus, with research showing that nearly a third of new drivers quit within 90 days and half within the first six months. Most of the interaction with drivers during the onboarding period is related to training. One way that carriers are trying to improve the work experience is by adapting their training programs to drivers' individual needs and learning preferences. Some fleets also are finding success by making the training experience more engaging and rewarding. As a hazardous materials hauler, Omaha, Neb.-based Liquid Trucking has a significant amount of requirements for its new and tenured drivers. The 150-truck fleet used to conduct onsite training using paper handouts. Two years ago, it converted to an online training format that drivers can access from within a custom-branded rewards platform from Stay Metrics. Today, more than 80 percent of Liquid Trucking's drivers are logging into the rewards site regularly to check on the points they have been rewarded for maintaining clean logbooks, their work anniversaries and birthdays, customer compliments and other categories. Drivers also earn points for watching training videos, taking exams and con- ducting other tasks using their personal technology computers, tablets and mobile devices. The website automatically keeps a record of what they have completed. Drivers redeem their points toward a large selection of consumer items. "A lot of times, drivers who come to work for us have never experienced a program where they are rewarded for training," says Jason Eisenman, safety manager. Stay Metrics recently launched a new series of interactive training modules centered on safety and driver health and wellness; new modules are added monthly. Liquid Trucking rewards points to drivers who complete the new modules. About 50 percent of its drivers currently are engaged in the training program along with thousands of other driv- ers across the trucking industry who work for fleets that subscribe to the Stay Metrics platform. The Stay Metrics training mod- ules are developed by Luma. Each module is no more than two min- utes long and uses a combination of video, text, audio, animation and TIGHT LABOR MARKET: Motor carriers are looking to gain an edge by creating a better workplace experience. DRIVER ONBOARDING: Nearly one- third of new drivers quit within 90 days and half within the first six months. FUN TO LEARN: Some fleets are finding success by making the training experi- ence more engaging and rewarding. The training game Driver education becomes a rewarding experience In this example of Luma's interactive driver training modules, drivers drag and drop the warning markers to the proper placement behind the truck.

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