Training over Parameters

Speed limiters don't make good drivers. ELDs don't make safe drivers. Parameters limit the best drivers. Good drivers are not just trained. They are developed. The industry's culture is to churn drivers rather than develop them. That needs to change. We can do better.

Most accidents are caused by bad judgment. Give me a professional driver, with the proper incentives, and I will beat your driver with parameters. There is a reason that this industry is dominated by owner operators and small companies. A one truck owner operator has an advantage. The driver cares about the profitability of the truck. The company with the best, not the most, drivers wins.

Small fleets are catching on. They are investing in their drivers. It costs somewhere over $5,000 to lose a driver. Turnover is not profitable. The industry turnover rate traditionally hovers around 100%. Many small companies have turnover rates under 20%. It makes sense then that some companies have turnover rates well in excess of 100%, some probably have rates over 200%. It makes sense for small companies to quit whining about an alleged driver shortage and invest in their drivers.

Driver satisfaction matters. We spend a small fortune on a new truck and just hand over the keys. These trucks don't operate like the trucks that I learned how to drive. I learned how to drive by sound. I could tell the RPM of an engine without looking at the gauges. New trucks are quieter. New engines reach max torque at much lower RPM. We are going more and more to automated manual transmissions. They operate best when the driver gets them in the big hole quicker. The philosophy is that modern equipment can make a bad driver average. Who wants an average driver operating their truck? I don't. Small companies win when they have the best drivers.

Train your driver on the truck that they are driving. Recently, I took a driver out in his truck. We hooked a computer to the truck. Each one of us drive it. It had the DT12 transmission. When I drove it the average shift point was about 200 RPM less then when he drove it and it performed better. We discussed it. Never lecture an experience professional driver. Show them how the truck works and they will respond. The true professional driver wants to get better.

Developing a driver makes sense. That driver will understand the equipment and drive it better. That driver becomes part of a company. Drivers can be encouraged to drive the truck as if they own it. They will be more satisfied with the truck. They will be a more profitable driver, and be more likely to stay.


Current Streak = 3     YTD miles =12