How do I keep and motivate good drivers

HELLO LONSOME 7.3: now keeping drivers can somtime be a problem in perticular if there ne to the business, older drivers are much more dependabel i have 7 drivers that work for me and the newest driver has been with me about a yest and so far he is doing well.
all you can do is pay them well and even more important pay them on time , as far as your equipment as long as it is in good shape and looks good that should not be a problem , all my trucks are used but i keep after them so ther in good shape i dont have nor do i want a new one to me paying 125000 for a new truck is just plain nuts. i run 379 extended hood petes, with cat engines 500 hp 18 spd transmission 270 wheel base and a couple that are longer none of them are new and they all stay in the hammer lane like i sais there not new but they go and come every week or they do when i dont have them all shut down, been shut down for about a month because of cheap freight i just wont haul it for nothing . i think you will do fine, just get out here among us its one big adventure and on occasionaly we even make money at it . you will do fine my friend.-----SOUTHERNPRIDE

 

LOL, Pharm, I understand. It has gotten a bit "muddled". I'm checking out. Lonesome, good luck to you.

 

I would suggest that you sit at a truckstop around 8pm and just listen...I would recruit drivers after I watched them for a bit.

You have 5 kinds of drivers.

1. The Duma$$. Poo for brains. Locks the keys in the truck 3x a week. Waits til he gets to Massachusetts from Houston before he realizes that he's supposed to go to Portland Oregon instead of Maine. Will tear off the hood of a 379 Pete and ask if he did that. Sends 4 wheelers into the bushes and other offroad excursions once a day. Keep a lawyer on retainer.

2. The Negative Driver. The first thing this kind of driver tells you is what he wont do, where he wont go, what he wont pull, what he doesnt like. Pay him well, give him good equipment, roll out the red carpet for him and he will still gripe. Will complain that the gold brick you gave him is too heavy. Doesnt want to drive, but expects to be paid. How can you tell if a driver is negative? Just listen. If after talking to a driver, you feel depressed, dont hire him.

3. The SuperTrucker. The first thing he tells you is how long he's been driving. You've never see him drive, but he's always tired and never missing from the buffet. First one in the truck stop and the last out. Makes a 500 mile overnight delivery sound like a life or death drama. You may personally like the driver, but your company will go broke.

4. The Outlaw. Will take a load to hell and back roundtrip in under a day. Runs hard. Hell on wheels. Truck is dirty and he doesnt check the fluids or do a pre-trip. Equipment may get damaged and he has a few accidents and tickets on his record. When this driver gets a little older, mellows out a bit and slows down a bit, he will be one of the best drivers money can hire....IF HE DOESNT LOSE HIS LICENSE FIRST! Limit his speed to @67 until he shows that he can handle it. Top him off at 72 mph, but give him the strongest pulling truck available.

5. The Company Driver. Does everything to the letter. Has won every safety award, fuel bonus, idling bonus, boyscout award...etc. The bad thing about this driver is he has one pace and one thought process. The first time you dont get him home for his 3 days off after being out for 3 weeks, he will quit.

If you can mix the Outlaw DNA with the Company DNA, you will have the hardest working, hardest running, steadiest, safest driver around.

 

hey lonesome, thank you for your service to our country.... anyways, if there is one thing that i have learned in my time on this planet, it's that if you have a clear and defined vision (dream). and are willing to work hard to get it without losing sight of said vision, the lord will provide the fruits of your labor... i believe you can do this, and if i was looking to make a career as a driver, i would definitely drive for you. there is something about a person with a vision that is willing to do anything to accomplish it, that would make me as an employee feel validated... remember setbacks are a given in any quest, it is how you handle them and push through them that counts... i wish you the best in your endevours...