First Official Meeting with Drivers

Just my .02, and worth exactly that.

I agree with have a breakfast, mid-day meetings tend to ruin the entire day.

Make the agenda public before the meeting, stick with the agenda.

Do not single out particular drivers that you are having issues with.

Be knowledgeable in your subject matter, specify whether changes are due to code and/or company policies.

Have door prizes, (carrier atlas, gloves, co. hats, jackets, etc.) give-a-ways should be random without having to volunteer answers/feedback.

Maintain your composure during the q&a faze of the meeting, you are likely to get tough questions.

 

Do......show respect and admiration for a type of human that stays away from Family to fulfill a need of society.
Do......always speak to everyone with the Truth.
Do......always Lend a helping hand.
Do......always say Present when they need You.
Don't.......under estimate Driver's intelligence. If you check deep, You will find ; Lawyers, Airplane Pilots, Nurses, Social workers and a whole array of professionals that picked Driving Big Rigs to Travel All over Our Great Nation (In somebody elses dime) and make extra money doing it.
Don't .. Teach anything unless you are completely sure that you are conveying the right Information.
Do.....Believe in You.....but mostly Believe in Others.
Good Luck......in your New adventure.!!! HAPPY NEW YEAR..!!

 

Bill Russell played better team ball. Wilt Chamberlain was the better one on one player. Bill Russell dominated Wilt because of his better team work.

You’re not a driver, going to talk to drivers. If they’ve been in the business any time at all, they’ve seen your song and dance before. That being said, you have a job to do. When you talk to them tell them “WE have a job to do. Your the drivers, I’m a desk jockey and we all have to work together to cover the legal ends. This is what the Regs require of us. If we can’t comply to the regs, WE won’t have a job. Everyone in here know the regs, the HOS, fitness, etc...etc?”

If need be, quiz them on some of the regs. Ask them about ideas on time management. Time management is vital for making money and WE are here for the money. Some of them may have a problem with the regs and the6 will want t9 talk about how stupid the regs are. That’s a waste of time because WE don’t write the regs and WE can’t do anything about them, so let’s talk about the things that WE can do better.

 

Your in charge of Compliance? Safety?
Why don't you tell the drivers your going to sit down with DISPATCH and your going to explain to THEM how they are NOT going to EVER try to coerce or force drivers to run out of compliance. YOU are going to inform DISPATCH that pushing the drivers to the wall will no longer be tolerated. IF a problem arises, then DISPATCH will be held responsible, not the driver.
Wanna know why drivers don't respect you? Its because you sit in your office, right next to the driver manager team, and you are both trying to accomplish different agendas, and instead of dealing with each other, you stick the driver in between you and make it his/her problem.
How about knock THAT nonsense off.

 

Are you on paper logs or E-logs?

 

I might want to chime in but would like to get a better handle of your situation

• What is your background that led you to this position?
• Do you consider yourself very "schooled" in HOS rules and requirements of both drivers and the company?
• What type of trucking operation is this? All solo? Type freight hauled?
• What type of electronic log system are you running and how long has the fleet been on eLogs?
• Where all do you operate?
• How many trucks/drivers?
• What sort of hiring requirements does the company generally employ in relation to past driving experience?