Examining the Feedback Trends: A Look at Logistics

A few months back, before the COVID-19 pandemic, we began a series of blogs honing in on the most common topics of feedback among drivers. While the effects of the pandemic are far from over, now seems like a good time to return to the trends and examine the most common source of feedback — logistics.

The reason it feels pertinent right now is that even as feedback has evolved and taken new shapes during the pandemic, logistics has remained a topic of concern for drivers across the board.

What we’re seeing within the logistics category has changed, but the category itself remains a hot topic. Let’s take a deeper dive into what drivers have to say about the impact of logistics in their day-to-day routines, both now and overall.

Logistics As the Feedback Leader

Logistics overtook equipment in 2019 as the most frequent topic of feedback, regularly accounting for up to 20 percent of driver feedback each month.

But what exactly does “logistics” entail?

In our 2019 driver feedback trends report, the category encompassed everything about the organization of a driver’s work, including scheduling, downtime, planning, and load specifics.

Basically, it’s all the processes involved in executing a driver’s job.

Because the topics within logistics tend to be of extreme importance in getting work done, feedback within this realm is often fairly urgent. Driver satisfaction related to logistics is often lower than that related to other topics, and the feedback is generally less positive.

With that said, though, this category also often provides trucking companies with a lot of constructive feedback — areas in which they can take action to resolve the situation and improve overall.

What Drivers Are Talking About, Logistics-Wise

The bottom line with most feedback is that drivers simply want to get on the road and be working. Anything that stands in the way of that can be a source of logistics feedback.

Common areas of concern include downtime, lost earning potential, slow freight, an inability to reach dispatchers on nights and weekends, disrespectful interaction with dispatchers, a lag in getting situations resolved, and bad information. Drivers want to get from point A to point B in the most efficient way possible, so information or a lack of clarity around items like addresses or directions, wait times, and policies and procedures can be an impediment to that.

How Logistics Feedback Has Changed During COVID-19

As with most things during the COVID-19 pandemic, driver feedback related to logistics has shifted some. The best way to describe it is that it has sharpened in focus.

Driver feedback about logistics during this time has really honed in on a sense that companies are unprepared for what drivers are facing on the road. They’re looking for reassurance that their company has their best interests in mind and that they’ve planned ahead to ensure drivers have what they need.

This change in focus has even encouraged us to change the way logistics has been analyzed in the latest COVID-19 related analyses — shifting the name from “logistics” to “planning.” 

Overall, regardless of the specific issue at hand, drivers want their companies to be prepared, and they want to know the plan that’s in place. For your business and drivers, this may mean communicating about whether or not drop locations are open, whether routes are clear, whether rest areas are open… The list goes on. 

The bottom line is this: Now more than ever, your drivers want to know you have their best interests at heart and that you’re taking actionable steps to ensure they have what they need to safely get on the road.

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