How did we get here?
As the worlds post-pandemic hang-over continues to put pressure on local labour resources across all industries, the transport sector has been equally hard hit. This has compounded the negative effects of prolonged driver shortages, pre-dating the pandemic by a good decade or more.
According the ABS (Australian Bureau of Statistics) the national unemployment rate dropped to just 3.4% in July 2022. Low unemployment and high inflation are creating difficult operating conditions within the transport sector. Increased operational costs, contractual operating parameters and market uncertainty have the hands of fleet transport operators somewhat tied in terms of finding ways of recruiting additional drivers, in what is definitely a “Driver’s market.”
What’s the fix?
Increased renumeration has traditionally been the “Go-to” concept to attract new staff, but what can be done if this is not an option?
International driver recruitment through visa systems has no doubt filled a driver void which with ever-increasing freight demand could not have been addressed locally, however this can be a tricky solution. Sub-standard skills and inexperience in local conditions may in some instances inflict reputational damage to a company. This can be felt by a company’s own clients (poor service, infrastructure damage) as well as from within the domestic driver base. There are certainly some companies that I (and I’m not alone in this thinking) would not even consider driving for, purely based on their reputation alone.
Everything comes at a cost!
Advertising, hiring and training new drivers (if they can be found) comes at considerable cost. Medicals, inductions, uniforms, PPE and on the job, unbillable training time all add up with no guarantee that the driver will stay on long-term.
Could it be more prudent, for the moment at least, to admit to the futility of this course of action and re-direct some of those funds towards driver retention instead?
While I have been employed as a heavy vehicle driver for many good companies, I have equally been employed by some, not so good. I have experienced workplace cultures that place very little value on good operators, categorising drivers as expendable assets, with a “next in line” attitude.
In my opinion, to weather the current storm of staff shortages, it will be those companies who focus on maintaining driver morale and sense of worth, who will come out on top.
Managers and allocators could benefit from more in-depth relationships with drivers to ensure both parties are meeting mutual expectations. While workloads can be demanding, not all drivers desire to work 70-hours per week. Younger drivers with kids might be looking for every dollar they can earn, while older drivers (like myself, sadly) might be more financially established and are happy to work a more leisurely, 50-hours. How will you know if you don’t ask?
Pre-shift BBQ’s at appropriate times or the booking of a coffee van for an hour prior to shifts (company funded of course) could be ideal opportunities to show driver appreciation and provide a caffeine hit, while at the same time, enquire and monitor general driver satisfaction. Any costs associated with this would pale into insignificance compared to recruiting and training a new driver.
Selling off ageing or underutilised assets (no-one to drive them) in favour of sub-contractors may be another way of increasing driver numbers, although this may come at the expense of an amount of operational control.
When all else fails!
The transport industry, in my opinion, has always had a somewhat transient workforce, new opportunities, better conditions, (real or perceived) lure drivers to new directions. Inevitably some drivers will move on, but why in this era of, “data rules all” are managers NOT implementing some type of exit interview? Surely knowing why employees are leaving would provide some sort of insight as to the general health of your workplace culture?
As little as an informal, 5-minute phone interview, conducted by either the company’s internal HR department or by an outsourced analytics provider could yield invaluable data for those willing to drill down into it. As an employed driver I have never been requested to provide this type of information from management, upon notifying of my intent to move on.
In the current labour climate, one thing is for certain. Making sure the grass is greener on your side of the fence will almost certainly pay dividends moving- forward.
