Why is Truck Driver Turnover so High, and What Can We Do About It

The transportation industry is plagued by high driver turnover rates. As a carrier business, you get a constant risk of employees switching companies or burning out and leaving for good. But why are truck drivers quitting their jobs more often than other types of specialists? We decided to find out based on firsthand quotes and shared feelings of real drivers.

Here are the main reasons behind the huge turnover rate for truck drivers to give your carrier company an upper hand in recruitment and employment strategizing.

Reason #1: Legal stuff

One factor pushing the active turnover is the tricky set of regulations governing work in the sector. MC, DOT, CDL, HOS - rules and regulations under all these abbreviations can be tricky to comply with, making simple workers feel like being trapped between a rock and a hard place.

"DOT rules. HOS (Hours Of Service) regs. Local, state and federal traffic laws. Company rules. We have to follow ALL of these. Your brain surgeon doesn't have this many regs handcuffing him while doing his job. And some of these rulesets will often contradict each other…"

Reason #2: Compensations

Many truckers feel undervalued and underpaid for the demanding work they do. The industry’s stagnant rates of retention pay for truck drivers have failed to keep pace with inflation. If a driver is uncertain about earnings and stability of job opportunities, they will consider alternative career paths with better pay and work-life balance. 

"These days, for trucking paychecks to have the same purchasing power as they did back in the 70's and 80's, the average company driver would have to be pulling down somewhere north of $100,000 USD per year."

Reason #3: Health care

The nature of the job can pose serious health risks for drivers. Long hours spent sitting, irregular sleep schedules, and unhealthy eating habits spawn issues like obesity, sleep disorders, and mental health problems. On top of that, the physical strain of operating older trucks can lead to chronic pain and other medical problems.

"Most of the time you will not have very healthy options available to you for meals and, when combined with a very sedentary lifestyle, you can really put on extra weight as a trucker if you don’t figure out how to stay in shape. This happens a lot."

Reason #4: Isolation on the road

Life on the road surely takes its toll, especially on long-haul drivers with families and kids. Weeks and months of driving cause feelings of isolation and may put a strain on personal relationships.

"I hope you appreciate solitude because, unless you drive as part of a team operation, you’re going to be your only company 80% to 90% of the time. Some can take it; but, for some others, this isolation can drive one nuts."

Reduce turnover with Haulk

With all of that being said, the main problem of the industry is that so many carriers don’t realize how easily they can help their employees fix the lack of work-life balance and tackle other challenges. They just need the right tools. 

What driver retention ideas do we suggest for overcoming the turnover issue? We have one, but it helps to address each of the above challenges in one fell swoop. 

With a transportation management system (TMS) like Haulk, you get an all-in-one tool to power transparency of performance, stable communication, and hassle-free tasking for drivers. For instance, these features will take a good chunk of every driver’s worries away.

Salary view

A special salary tracking dashboard enables drivers to see exactly how much they will be paid for each order and track complete and pending jobs in one place. This level of transparency helps get rid of financial uncertainties and keep employees in the know.

Truck tracker

HaulK can serve as a tracker equipped with all standard ELD (Electronic Logging Device) features, adding full-on GPS functionality on top of that. Dispatchers can track drivers in real time, allowing for better communication and coordination at a minimum of distractions. 

Order section

The separate section for viewing, accepting, and closing orders makes a driver’s life easier, while dispatchers can track order statuses and make necessary adjustments without going far. This guarantees smoother operations handled by the tandem of drivers and dispatchers.

A well-proven, timely integrated TMS makes all the difference, helping improve both the efficiency and safety of transportation operations for good driver retention in the trucking industry.