“New Driver” Churn – It is a Problem That’s Getting Worse
“Churn”…for some of us, it is a word that conjures up pleasant memories. It is the image of a paddle as it churns milk and cream into the most delicious ice cream imaginable on a hot summer day.
But, to truck fleet managers, it is a word fraught with negative connotations. To them, churn represents turnover. It means that drivers are leaving their company.
It is a frustrating dilemma, requiring managers to spend their time constantly seeking more drivers. Trucking companies are painfully aware that the hiring process can be time-consuming and expensive. So, it is particularly disheartening when a recently hired driver chooses to leave the company.
For fleet managers, churn is a headache that never seems to go away.
“New Driver” Churn Rates are Going Up
As a business focused on recruiting great CDL drivers for the trucking industry, we at DriverSource will be the first to admit that churn in the industry has always existed. But, sadly, it seems to be getting worse. It is an observation shared by others.
According to Stay Metrics, consultants offering driver retention tools for motor carriers, only 65% of drivers hired in the first quarter of this year lasted 90 days on their new jobs. The company compared statistics of driver retention for the first half of 2018 against the same period of 2017. The comparison showed that early-stage drivers (those hired less than 365 days) in 2018 were leaving at a greater rate than early-stage drivers did in 2017. While truck drivers hired in January 2018 stayed an average of 283 days, drivers hired in June 2018 stayed only 216 days on average, a decrease of 67 days.
This rise in churn among early-stage drivers doesn’t seem to be getting any better in 2019. According to Stay Metrics, only 84.9% of drivers hired from March through May 2019 stayed a full 30 days with their carrier, compared to 86.3% over the same period in 2018.
DriverSource – Focused on Providing Solutions to Driver Churn
At DriverSource, we have solutions designed to eliminate churn headaches. Our full-service staffing and recruiting services are customized for each client fleet manager to solve their transportation-hiring needs. With nearly twenty-years of experience in recruiting great CDL drivers, we know our stuff when it comes to providing the right staffing solutions to keep your business moving smoothly.
We can eliminate the frustration and expense of churn by offering recruitment options in four major categories:
- Full Outsourcing: Decrease costs associated with employment altogether by allowing DriverSource to place our own drivers in a dedicated capacity at your location.
- Recruiting or Direct Hire Services: We can act as an extension of your HR Dept and recruit drivers for you that meet your specifications. Upon approval, the driver would begin employment directly with your company.
- Probationary Term Hiring: This is a perfect solution to “churn” issues. Probationary term hiring is just that, a probationary period. Customers have the opportunity to preview the driver’s performance PRIOR to hiring that driver onto their payroll.
DriverSource – always ready to eliminate your negative connotations about the word “CHURN”.