What We Learned From 100,000 Driver Comments

WorkHound recently released its annual Trends Report, which features data compiled from comments shared by more than 32,000 anonymous drivers. In many ways, the report’s findings confirm much of what we already know about the current economic state of the world. But, the data also reveals some interesting points you might not have considered. 

Here is an overview of the report and some of the standout stats that caught our attention this year. Click here to download the entire report.

A Solid Sample Size 

Our research team’s approach to quantifying qualitative information includes identifying one or more themes present in the comments. We identified 13 such themes and used these to categorize comments for analysis. In total, the report analyzed nearly 100,000 comments from approximately 32,000 drivers across 109 carriers — our biggest sample size to date.  

Not only did we have more drivers on the platform than ever in 2022, but driver engagement also jumped 59%. And the average number of comments per driver increased slightly as well, from 2.97 to 3.07. 

Global Issues Impacting the Trucking Industry 

Over the last few years, ongoing supply chain issues, customer spending changes, and persistent inflation have been huge factors. This has caused uncertainty in many economies around the world. The Fed also has its ongoing dance with inflation, which adds even more uncertainty. There is no doubt about it: World markets are volatile right now, and all of this plays into trucking. 

Positive Themes 

While the markets are tough out there, interestingly, Praise was the highest-mentioned theme of the year. As our researchers dug deeper into conversations with drivers, we learned that drivers themselves weren’t at all surprised by this. One explained it this way: It’s essentially about giving out what you want in return. Drivers understand the work it takes to do a job well and are happy to recognize it when they see it. 

In addition to praise, positive themes were seen in comments about People and Home Time, indicating these are two big factors that continue to contribute to overall worker satisfaction. 

Factors in Dissatisfaction 

Our feedback analysis also included negative feedback. The top negative themes were Communication, Pay and Logistics. This kind of feedback often pointed to complex driver pay structures, unclear training, and other issues that made drivers’ jobs harder than they should be.

Unsurprisingly, these issues tend to lead to less satisfied drivers and lower morale. 

Putting the Data to Work 

Aside from positive and negative themes, the trend report also discusses how to use this information for good. It delves into three keys to success: 

• Timely response. When companies get feedback from workers, they should engage immediately. As WorkHound Senior Customer Success Manager Jerome You put it in a recent webinar: “It’s literally the best thing you can do.” 

• Empathy. Make a point to understand where your workers are coming from. Sometimes the simple act of caring can completely diffuse a heated situation. 

• Show change. When you do make changes because of feedback, let them know! 

For more discussion on drivers’ perspectives and to see all the published data from this year’s analysis, download the full WorkHound Annual Trends Report here.