When Instant Driver Feedback Saves the Day — and What Would Happen Without It

When we talk about instant driver feedback, we most often talk about the benefits of gathering feedback from professional drivers, both for trucking carriers and for the drivers themselves. But have you ever stopped to consider the reverse — what would happen if some pieces of critical feedback weren’t shared?

Today, we’re discussing a few of our most common topics of feedback — along with what might happen if you weren’t made aware of problems as drivers are experiencing them.

Urgent Driver Feedback: Pay Confusion 

It probably goes without saying that issues related to pay are common concerns brought up through WorkHound. In particular, we often hear comments essentially saying, “I didn’t get paid what I was supposed to.”

This type of feedback may be the result of any number of factors, from sheer confusion about how pay is structured to a lack of communication about pay, or even problems that disrupt a driver’s schedule.

What Would Happen if You Didn’t Find Out? 

If you never heard from drivers about their frustrations and concerns related to pay, what would happen? Turnover and retention would become significant problems.

“When it comes to pay, drivers equate being paid appropriately and as they expected with respect,” says Max Farrell, CEO & Co-Founder at WorkHound. “If drivers feel disrespected or overlooked when it comes to their pay, it’s much easier for a recruiter from another company to poach them.”

How Do Carriers Who Use WorkHound Respond? 

When a driver uses WorkHound to share frustration about pay, it can be considered a cry for help. That driver is giving the company an opportunity to fix the situation — to make the pay structure clearer or to ensure the driver is getting the pay he or she is expecting.

When companies using WorkHound receive this type of feedback, they typically respond in multiple ways: The first is to reach out individually to a driver and ask the driver to reveal his or her identity so that they can discuss specific concerns. Beyond that, many companies also take instant driver feedback related to pay into a “bigger picture” consideration. This may involve making expectations and processes related to pay clearer during the hiring process and during onboarding and training.

Urgent Driver Feedback: Equipment Maintenance Needs 

Equipment is another common area of frustration for drivers, but perhaps not for the reason you might think. While drivers want to have safe equipment, their primary focus is surrounding what it takes to stay on the road.

Drivers also share concerns related to equipment that’s old or in need of repair, as well as having the tools and resources they need, such as PPE when necessary during the pandemic.

What Would Happen if You Didn’t Find Out?

This depends on the nature of the feedback. If drivers are sharing concerns that their equipment is in need of repair, that’s a potential safety hazard. But when drivers are sharing frustrations that they’ll be forced off the road, the real pain point circles back to pay.

“We often see this type of feedback come in when drivers are experiencing downtime during vehicle maintenance or repair work,” Farrell says. “These situations make it much easier for recruiters from other carriers to take advantage of drivers, and in some extreme cases, drivers may even abandon their truck on the side of the road to go drive for another carrier.”

How Do Carriers Who Use WorkHound Respond? 

When drivers share feedback related to equipment, companies have to respond fast. The action that carriers take has to encompass two distinct concerns: First, vehicle maintenance or repair and, second, compensation for time spent off the road.

Companies approach these concerns in different ways, but it’s always a good idea to implement tools and programs that make scheduling maintenance seamless for drivers. From a compensation perspective, it’s also worth considering benefits that allow for pay when downtime is required.

Urgent Driver Feedback: Problems With People

People problems aren’t specific to trucking, but they are pervasive within the industry. Many drivers have past experience with carriers where their expertise and professional skills weren’t valued. Even when they are respected at their current company, they may be dealing with residual effects from the past.

“We get a good deal of feedback from drivers about negative interactions they’ve had with office personnel, such as dispatchers or accounting,” Farrell says. “Specifically, the subtext is that a company might perceive the office workers as being ‘higher-ranking,’ which devalues the role that drivers play.”

What Would Happen if You Didn’t Find Out? 

There’s a saying that “people don’t quit companies, they quit people.” That’s absolutely true, and frustrations related to fellow employees push many drivers to seek alternative employment. 

“When drivers don’t feel like they can sit down and have an honest conversation or don’t feel supported by their current company, they can buddy up pretty easily with a nice recruiter,” Farrell says. “If they don’t share this feedback with your company, it’s likely they will share it with their peers or other companies.”

How Do Carriers Who Use WorkHound Respond? 

When it comes to “people problems,” companies implement a variety of strategies. The most effective strategies implement efforts that begin during onboarding — demonstrating and building a mutual level of respect and trust between drivers and others within the organization.

It’s also important to build a company culture where feedback is welcomed and acted upon. In individual situations that arise, drivers may be asked to reveal their identity to share more details about problems. This allows carriers to develop specific strategies and practices to help overcome a problem internally.

What All This Feedback Has in Common

If you’ve read this far, one thing is probably clear: When you don’t give drivers a way to share feedback, driver turnover is often the ultimate result.

While it may seem like soliciting feedback from drivers opens a company up to negatives, the opposite is actually true. Not asking for or receiving feedback is when the truly negative situations begin to unfold.

Ready to let feedback save the day for your company? Sign up for a free demo to learn how WorkHound can help!