As truck & delivery drivers remain in high demand thanks to the pandemic, it’s more important than ever for fleet managers to learn how to reduce driver turnover & retain their existing team of drivers.
Fleet Owner Magazine reports that turnover rates for truck drivers range from 73% for smaller trucks to 94% for big, long-haul rigs. Any way you look at it, it’s hard to find enough drivers when the wash-out rate is in the high double digits.
How To Reduce Driver Turnover Is Even More Important Thanks to The Pandemic
The pandemic of 2020 has created a need for even more commercial drivers as online business volume has increased dramatically. Starting in March 2020, online sales increased 25%, according to the Adobe Analytics research firm, while online grocery sales volume increased 100% during that time period.
These trends make perfect sense. U.S. consumers turned to e-commerce because long lines to get into stores, social distancing mandates, and face mask requirements made it easier to shop online and get home delivery instead.
As home delivery of goods ranging from groceries and pet food to clothing and household goods continues to skyrocket, local delivery drivers are in even higher demand.
The Top 3 Ways RouteSavvy Reduces Delivery Driver Turnover
In simple terms, RouteSavvy reduces miles driven for getting all those home deliveries to their end destinations. Fleet managers simply input the addresses of the day’s deliveries, and RouteSavvy will generate the most efficient route.
RouteSavvy’s ability to generate more efficient routing reduces miles driven. As a result, RouteSavvy addresses and helps resolve common delivery driver complaints that cause them to quit. This, in turn, is how to reduce driver turnover using RouteSavvy route optimization.
Here are the top 3 reasons for commercial driver turnover, and how RouteSavvy addresses these complaints.
- Low Wages: RouteSavvy costs just $300 per year and can save between $3,000-$15,000 per year depending on the size of the fleet. Those savings can be funneled into offering more competitive salaries for drivers as an incentive to stay.
- Missed Time with Family: Because RouteSavvy reduces miles driven, delivery drivers can get more accomplished in a standard 8-hour day. This means overtime can be minimized, and drivers can get home to their spouses and children at a reasonable hour.
- Weight Gain & Health Issues from Driving All Day: Plenty of studies show that there are health problems that can kick in for sedentary workers. Commercial driving is included in that category. By reducing miles driven & helping delivery drivers get more deliveries done in less time, they can spend less time sitting behind a steering wheel. This can help prevent weight gain and obesity, and all its related negative side effects, as well as potentially reducing health care costs for employers. Note: If you want to learn about the negative physical effects of commercial driving, check out our August 2019 blog.
RouteSavvy route optimization software is an affordable, easy-to-use technology that illustrates how to reduce driver turnover, while also reducing operating costs and improving productivity. By deploying RouteSavvy, fleet managers involved in managing small to mid-sized fleets for businesses or non-profits can retain delivery drivers needed to drive this new home delivery economy and help them survive the economic hardships of the 2020 pandemic.
Want to learn how to reduce driver turnover? Check out RouteSavvy.com, and try our Free, 14-day Trial.
