Bergey’s Truck Centers Acquires Cumberland Truck
Bergey’s Truck Centers Acquires Cumberland Truck
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The American Trucking Association (ATA) began this celebration of professional men and women back in 1998. Today, there are 3.6 million hard-working, professional truck drivers who safely deliver the goods, supplies and equipment that keep America moving. Imagine 10 billion tons of freight (nearly 70% of all freight) is moved by truck.
If we look at the trucking industry as the backbone of our economy, then our drivers are the heart. They show up every day with a commitment to safety and a dedication to all the businesses and communities they reach. So how do you thank them? There are many ways, but here are just a few we found over the years that mean a lot to our every-day heroes of the highway.
RESPECT
Provide a letter from the highest level of leadership in the organization that recognizes all the work and dedication driver have to their business, their customers, and their community. Acknowledge the time away from family and friends for the long-haul driver. This is also an excellent time to pay respect to the level of safety your driver team has reached in the last year. Site the number of accident-free miles – depending on your business, this can be a staggering number. Make it personal by sending this to their home address so the whole family can share in the recognition.
APPRECIATION
Work with your community to build up driver appreciation events. Gather a list of all the retail locations and restaurants that will be offering specials to drivers during their week-long celebration and share it with your drivers. Get a team of folks together to wash the windows of the truck before the drivers pull out.
GO PUBLIC
How many followers does your company have on social media? This is the modern-day “shout it from the rooftops” way to recognize your drivers. Tell the world why you appreciate your drivers with special messages or videos. Maybe even feature a few of your drivers and tag them.
REWARD
Gifts, food, raffles and giveaways, food, company apparel, did I mention FOOD?! There are so many ways to reward your drivers.
While these ideas for recognizing and celebrating your driver teams are all well and good, retaining good drivers should be a constant, year-round effort. It’s not just about compensation and benefits, although those are important. Don’t forget to pay attention to equipment and fleet maintenance, safety performance rewards, optimized routes for improved home time, upgrade communications and telematics, and even driver skills training. A well-rounded package shows you care about them, not just about your products they are delivering.
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