Listening to drivers throughout the American transportation industry allows us valuable insights into areas of improvement. The nation’s truck drivers spoke on the areas they feel are in need of improvement throughout the transportation industry and the American Transportation Research Institute (ATRI) heard these voices – over 4,200 to be exact – when conducting its annual Top Industry Issues survey. Of those respondents, professional truckers made up 42.7%, offering crucial knowledge into how we can make our roads safer for everyone while elevating drivers’ experience.
And just what area did drivers in the ATRI survey highlight as areas of improvement?
1.Truck Parking
Congress is making truck parking a priority, as it now qualifies for infrastructure funding. According to the U.S Department of Transportation, they have created an easy-to-use handbook showing how states and cities can access those funds – but that’s only if officials deem this pressing need worthy of their attention. To help make sure these necessary changes occur at ground level, fleets must take action in order to display the importance placed upon safe, convenient & legal parking solutions along driver routes within their own fleet operations!
2.Fuel Prices
For owner-operators and independent contractors, fuel pricing is a major concern. In this volatile world of international affairs, federal policies and market forces, fleet managers can make life easier for their employees by finding purchase discount programs with fuel vendors along the routes they must drive to complete jobs.
3. and 4. Driver Compensation and Delay at Customer Facilities
Many drivers face the difficult dilemma of detention and delays, which can cut into their compensable hours. With pressure to make up for lost time, some resort to speeding, but this could cost them their job entirely. To help solve these issues and encourage improved driver treatment at customer facilities nationwide, consumer rating apps should be investigated as a possible solution.
5.Speed Limiters
With the goal of improving highway safety, the Federal Motor Carrier Safety Administration is proposing a mandate for speed limiters on large vehicles. The proposed regulation could become reality in late 2023 and fleets should prepare to discuss this important topic with their drivers as soon as it’s released – driver input will be crucial for fleet decisions about compliance.
While these are the top answers from the most recent report, open communication is essential to driver retention. Some things may be out of your hands, but if you listen to what your drivers need, and apply a little ingenuity here and there to meet them where they are, you’ll lower your turnover rates and create a working environment that drivers are excited to show up to every day for years to come.
Source: FleetOwner
