Suggestions for Longevity Awards

$1,000 cash per year of service every year on their anniversary. Cheap compared to dealing with useless employees.
You can reward good people with a good reward. Or you can look at tax implications. @blairandgretchen what does Landstar do? Quick reacharound and a slap on the ###

 

Thats what I did/ if you have a full timer and AREN’T making enough to throw money like that out the window for every employee worth having: they aren’t worth having.
Flip side is just cause you do it doesn’t mean they are good and should be kept/

 

You got it.

 

Worked for couple that gave a "xmas" bonus. 1 day of pay for each year with them.

If cash/gift cards is out and I wouldn't mind if the company purchased custom items for my truck or things to make life on the road better. Make a list of things categorized by milestone and let them pick or let it roll over for a bigger prize. Window tint, sunvisors, upgraded seat, window wind deflectors, heated wipers, 12v cooler/freezer, 12v blankets, 12 v appliances/accessories, insulated window blackout shades, xm satellite/tv subscriptions, paint the driver's name/callsign/name of the truck on the truck, cb radio (yes, let's bring these back), tool kits portable work lights, snow chain accessories/snow socks, inverters, chicken lights and chrome. Add on lighting (think cab lights for flatbedders or backing lights for vans), I could go on and on.

Get the maintenance manager involved and ask him what he can do about upgrades to the trucks.

 

First of all - thanks for reaching out, and welcome to TTR. It's very rare that we see people in your position try to gain an insight into , let alone try to benefit , the drivers.

You may have to clarify whether your company employs strictly company drivers, or independent contractors.

Try to see it through the eyes of the CEO and CFO. If you had a 'bad driver' with one month of service that cost you a $10 million dollar lawsuit, that was injured in the crash that was his fault - would you be delivering baked goods and condolences to his family?

So, if you had a 'good driver '. Let's say - 5 years with the company, good record, claims free, no accidents or tickets. What's that worth? I'm still asking the question to the CEO here. If I was the CEO with a heart and brain, I'd be cutting a check in the 5 digit range.

As you are an employee, yet still have the heart to reach out and ask the question - my advice would be -

"Call the driver, and have more than a discussion about the freight, and the job. Ask him what his wife or significant other likes to do. Does he like to grill? Does he like chocolate? Sports? Teddy Bears? - just get to know him a little bit. Then, find something that might really mean something to him and his - and have it sent to his house"

Whadda you reckon?

 

My company lets driver with 10 years and clean driving record spec their own truck. You can’t go crazy but you can get any color you want or all the chrome from factory or all the dash gauges or the best seats the factory has. I’m not sure what the limits are but I’m guessing you can’t get 18 speed transmission and 600 HP.

it gives drivers another reason to stay longer and you can drive something a little better that other drivers in same company.

 

Respectfully, both those answers are just pathetic.

OK - if the driver has no family or friends, nothing else in life - then sure, put some chicken lights on his truck or whatever.

If he has anything more than just himself - why offer some trinkets so that he's happier chasing the carrot?

Write him a darned check. Or his wife, or mother, or . . . anything but truck stuff. If the driver had the ambition he would have bought his own truck years ago and blinged it up. I did - can't lie.

Company drivers don't have the opportunity to capitalize when things are good - the company reaps the benefits. When times are slow, they're left with few options - a tight employment market and smaller paychecks. Then the company wonders why there's an attrition rate of good qualified drivers, safe, that don't activate million dollar lawsuits.

 

OK. Just for clarification -

In 2006 we worked for Freymiller. Good company, sub-par pay. Nice trucks - KW and Pete hoods - all new. No complaints.

The deal was, you could put all the chrome and chicken lights and upgrades and bling bling on the truck that you liked - paid out of your own pocket. But, when the truck was ready to trade off, or you left - guess what? No bling bling. All that money wasted - it stayed with the unit.

The amount of fools that would dress their trucks up - ?. An outstanding amount. No shoes on the kids feet, missed mortgage payments, repossessed vehicles. The guys with the most blinged out trucks had the saddest stories.

I can't fault Freymiller - they simply supplied enough rope, silk at that - and let the fools hang themselves.

We left after 15 months , for a 30% pay increase. By the time we stopped driving company trucks the disparity was 60%.