How to Build a Listening Strategy to Reduce Turnover in Trucking

While it’s tempting to segment goals and address operational challenges on an individual basis, for some issues, it’s better to take a more holistic approach. For example, profit and loss analyses, payroll, and purchasing are all parts of fiscal management. While they have their own unique considerations, they are not side missions with siloed goals — they are an interwoven part of the company’s financial big picture. Likewise, workforce turnover is an integrated part of operational efficiency. Tenured employees build expertise, form reliable teams, and drive consistent productivity and results. In an industry like trucking, leaders need all the resilience they can get. In our experience, it all starts with listening.

When leaders actively listen, they’re better equipped to make changes that improve day-to-day operations, creating a happier, more stable workforce environment, streamlining processes, and ultimately making the organization more resilient. Here are a few key ways today’s trucking companies can start building a listening strategy to reduce turnover.

Building a Listening Strategy

When turnover rates are notoriously high, like they are in the trucking industry, the stakes are equally high. Replacing drivers costs thousands of dollars and countless hours, not only impacting productivity but also morale, as those left to pick up the slack feel the burden of overload. The good news is that an active listening strategy can help you build a workplace where people want to stay, thrive, and contribute to long-term success. The secret is real-time feedback.

Real-time feedback shines a light on underlying workplace issues that often go unnoticed. The trouble is that the problems aren’t unnoticed by workers. And without intervention, they’re exactly the kinds of problems that drive turnover. Maybe there’s a communication breakdown between drivers and dispatch or frustration over outdated equipment or scheduling practices. Maybe a specific customer is consistently disrespectful or uncooperative with deliveries. Feedback surfaces these patterns early, allowing leaders to address concerns before they turn into reasons to leave.

Best of all, this empowers employees to share regularly and creates a cycle of continual improvement. Once workers see that their feedback positively impacts their day-to-day work experience, they will be all too happy to share again. This also creates a culture of respect and transparency, where workers feel appreciated, knowing their opinions and experiences matter to those in charge.

With more than a decade in the trucking industry, we’ve mastered the art of listening. We’ve learned not only what to ask but also how to hear with intention and respond with precision and purpose.

Here is our trusted blueprint for building a listening strategy that drives real results.

Step 1: Assess Current Challenges and Set Objectives

Start by mapping out the primary issues drivers face, using data from past exit interviews, recent turnover metrics, and any patterns in complaints. While those resources can provide some hints from past experiences, a platform like WorkHound makes this assessment even more valuable by gathering real-time feedback directly from drivers while they’re still with the company, providing you with instant insight into what’s happening now. Beyond just identifying challenges, it’s also important to align feedback with overarching goals. With WorkHound, you can send targeted questions that address both driver concerns and strategic company objectives. Ask questions like:

• “How can we better support you in your day-to-day work?” 
• “What’s one tool/resource that would make your job easier?” 
• “What are the customers that you look forward to servicing and why?” 
• “What issues do you wish you heard about directly from leadership or management?”

Use driver feedback to help you better understand what’s happening in the field. By proactively supporting your fleet, surfacing these challenges, and aligning them against a broader strategy, you can target the core issues that are ratcheting up turnover before they lead to further disengagement and resignation. This data-driven approach gives you an opportunity to solve problems while also addressing company goals.

Step 2: Choose the Right Channels for Accessible Feedback

Effective feedback requires drivers to have easy access to share their thoughts, even with the unique challenges of being on the road. Think about the methods that are simplest for your team, and implement anonymity wherever possible. Sometimes, the most valuable feedback you’ll ever see is from someone who doesn’t necessarily want their name attached to it! Making feedback as convenient as possible increases participation and gives you a more comprehensive look at your team’s concerns. WorkHound simplifies your options, creating a pathway for drivers to voice their thoughts in a way that fits their needs, encouraging them to share regularly and without hesitation.

All with simple text messaging — no apps to download or passwords to remember. This real-time access means issues can be flagged right as they arise, allowing you to capture fresh insights rather than relying on delayed or piecemeal input. By offering a flexible feedback channel like WorkHound, you’re meeting drivers where they are (on the road!) and creating an ongoing dialogue rather than one-off check-ins.

Step 3: Implement Real-Time Feedback Channels and Build a Loop

Establishing a routine for feedback helps drivers see this as a reliable way to be heard. Set up regular feedback prompts, whether it’s a quick monthly survey, a bi-weekly check-in, or real-time feedback that’s always available. Platforms like WorkHound help you collect feedback consistently, allowing drivers to know they have an open line for communication. By responding to feedback, whether directly or through a broader company message acknowledging trends in feedback, you establish a feedback loop. This loop of communication builds trust, showing drivers that management genuinely values their input as an integral part of improving operations and work culture.

Step 4: Analyze Data and Identify Patterns

Sometimes, the action you’re taking isn’t the right one. Unfortunately, too many leaders rely on guesswork to make changes, wasting time on projects or initiatives that don’t have any impact on workforce engagement. (Or worse, a negative impact!) With workforce feedback in hand, you get a custom roadmap for what to fix, where, and why. This means you can direct your focus and your bandwidth into efforts that will yield the most significant impacts.

Step 5: Act of Insights and Communicate Changes

Once you’ve identified recurring themes, create a clear action plan that addresses them. WorkHound can help organize and prioritize feedback, making it easier to see patterns and determine what needs attention first. For example, if a significant number of drivers report issues with specific routes or equipment, focus on addressing those issues. Here are some of the issues we’ve helped our customers in trucking address:

• Retention: WorkHound is helpful in uncovering unhappy workers, especially high performers who might otherwise fly under the radar, helping leaders solve problems to retain top talent before they leave.
• Customer challenges: Driver feedback has helped uncover detention and delay troubles, communication challenges, loading dock issues and more.
• Legal concerns: WorkHound feedback has captured problems that could have grown into serious legal battles had they not been addressed quickly, saving thousands of dollars in legal fees and our customer’s reputation.
• Workplace disruption: When employees start talking about unfair treatment, favoritism, inadequate benefits, and the like, it might be an indication that disruptive dynamics are brewing. With WorkHound’s sentiment analysis, leaders have been able to identify potential trouble and take swift action to intervene quickly.

Once you’ve made your plan, communicate with the team about the changes you’re making. Even if it’s just a minor update or an acknowledgment of ongoing efforts, this transparency strengthens trust and shows your drivers their voices directly impact their work environment.

Step 6: Continuously Measure and Adjust the Strategy

The last step is to measure the impact of your listening strategy over time. Key metrics like turnover rates, driver engagement, and job satisfaction will help you understand whether the changes you’ve made are having a positive effect. Use feedback data to adjust your approach as needed, either by refining the questions you ask or by adding new channels for more detailed input. While platforms like WorkHound provide insights that let you track trends over time, it’s also helpful to pair this data with open discussions and qualitative feedback from your team to get a full view of progress. This ongoing measurement and commitment to engagement keeps your listening strategy aligned with drivers’ evolving needs, helping you retain talent and strengthen your team.

Paving the Way for Success

When every mile counts, efficiency is everything, and turnover will always be a variable in that equation. To truly move the needle on turnover, you need a cohesive strategy that engages your workforce and builds a better workplace culture. Retaining experienced drivers means less downtime, fewer training costs, and more productive teams, all of which translate into smoother operations and stronger bottom lines. Genuine, proactive listening is the best investment you can make in your workforce.

Want a customized strategy session for reducing turnover in your trucking business? Contact us today for a free workforce assessment.