Telematics and Video Services Weekly Fleet Reputation Builder for September 20, 2021
September 12-18,2021 was Truck Driver Appreciation Week (https://bit.ly/3nXNoMo); I applaud all the industry efforts to call out and highlight the challenging and vital work done by truck and bus drivers. As a society, we need to continue that appreciation the other 51 weeks of the year! We need to do our part as shippers, receivers, lawmakers, mechanics, company owners, truck stops, the motoring public, fleet managers, human resources, and safety directors by recognizing without a truck driver’s dedication to pounding up and down the road every day and night our paychecks stop! They are the glue that holds society together.
Everyone in a driver’s ecosystem has a responsibility to recognize their dedication by action not just platitudes one week a year. Shippers and receivers need to make sure they honor appointments and accommodate changes, lawmakers must review and revise the edicts they impose to be respectful of the individual that a driver is and his tough job while recognizing driver’s intrinsically want to be safe, provide adequate parking; fleet managers by planning properly so drivers can have a home life – they have families too, mechanics by not only fixing the problem at hand but by actively looking for other defects waiting to happen which keep a driver from being productive, company owners by providing competent management that consistently plans far enough in advance so a driver can plan his home life, compensates a driver accurately and adequately for their work and actions they genuinely have control over, competently manage driver’s ecosystem to respect the value of a drivers time away from home, truck stops to provide clean, well lit, maintained facilities and healthy food choices, the motoring public – recognition trucks are dangerous to be around, are not agile like your car so they need space, safety directors and human resources by providing adequate onboarding, real benefits and continual safety education. Every day we need to demonstrate our appreciation through action.
Fleet owners have an extraordinary burden as your company’s reputation foundation is built on your actions honoring your driver’s 365 days a year. Take some time, post this driver appreciation week, reflect on how your company respects your drivers the other 358 days. As the Marines so aptly state, ‘earned never given,’ so should you evaluate how every non-driver employee in your company demonstrates respect for the complex, demanding job done by your drivers.
I know as owners, you can find areas within your company that require improvement. Your company values and actions need to embody continual improvement of your driver’s world. Your attention to improving truck driver respect within your company will have the bonus of reducing turnover and enhancing safety which also affects your reputation.
Everyone, pay attention. Drivers are our livelihood! Your Telematics & Video Services reputation builder tip of the week!
