“Truck driver work-life balance doesn’t exist.” That’s what a lot of drivers would say if you asked them about it.
Working 70-hour weeks and living out of your cab doesn’t allow much room for relaxation, family time, or personal care. Even when drivers are “off the clock,” they may still be on the road and away from home. It’s no wonder turnover is high in long-haul trucking!
A healthy balance between work and personal life can help prevent burnout and turnover in any profession. If you want to retain your best drivers, it’s time to make work-life balance a priority.
Why Fleet Managers Should Think About Work-Life Balance
Fleet drivers have little control over how, when, and where they work. Owner-operators, however, can choose loads based on their preferred lanes, take time off whenever they want, and decide which brokers and shippers they want to work with. For a fleet driver who has no work-life balance, the owner-operator life can be pretty appealing.
The point is: Skilled drivers can easily find work elsewhere, whether on their own or with another carrier. Drivers can also leave the profession if they find jobs that pay just as well but offer more time off.
Fleet managers who understand the value of work-life balance can boost driver retention. Plus, operational changes that improve work-life balance often increase profitability for fleets.
5 Ways to Support Truck Driver Work-Life Balance
Take a look at these strategies for improving work-life balance for truck drivers:
1. Simplify Personal Conveyance
Drivers who are away from home need a way to take care of basic needs, like buying supplies and food or doing laundry. That’s why most fleets allow personal conveyance for drivers. But complicated or heavy-handed personal conveyance policies can create friction between employers and drivers.
Instead of requiring drivers to request authorization for every PC use of their truck, fleet managers can create policies that empower drivers to manage their PC time. For example, a simple policy could:
- Define PC limits (like mileage/time)
- Explain that GPS and telematics will track PC use
- Outline driver requirements for logging PC time in their ELD
- Outline consequences for non-compliance
With a straightforward policy, signed driver acknowledgment, and monitoring tools, PC use is easier to manage. Drivers don’t have to call dispatch before a quick trip to the grocery — they can make their own decisions based on the parameters of the policy and their priorities.
2. Improve Route Planning to Maximize Home Time
Drivers need a healthy balance of OTR and home time. Fleets may have standard formulas for balancing time — like one day off for every week on the road — but it’s important to look at how route planning affects drive time. Consider this hypothetical scenario:
- Fleet A plans routes manually in a spreadsheet, and most drivers are on the road for seven days. This fleet assumes that’s a good average for the industry.
- Fleet B uses a TMS to plan routes and regularly reviews analytics. Based on the data, this fleet determines that reconfiguring routes and assignments will shorten driver OTR time by two days and maximize loads per driver.
Fleet B drivers are on the road for just five days instead of seven — they can probably skip a trip to the laundromat and do laundry when they get home. And if Fleet B has 30 trucks, shaving two days off every trip should greatly improve profitability.
3. Give Drivers Options for Accommodations
A sleeper berth is nice when you need to catch a quick nap, but there are more comfortable alternatives. A hotel stay is a welcome perk for truck drivers, especially if they’re on a 34-hour reset and need some quality sleep.
Fleets may offer drivers a per diem, which can help cover the cost of a hotel room. But in exchange for per diems, fleets may pay drivers less. To ensure the comfort and safety of their drivers, some fleets pay for driver accommodations as an added benefit.
Covering accommodations may sound pricey, but fleets can save a lot of money when drivers aren’t burning up fuel for climate control as they sleep in their cabs. (With a TMS, you can analyze data to see how paying for hotel rooms lowers your fuel costs).
4. Respect Drivers’ Free Time
Drivers need time to recharge, and when they’re off the clock, they don’t want to hear from their boss. Avoid calling or messaging drivers when they’re not working.
If a driver has asked for extra work, they can choose how and when to get notifications about opportunities. For example, with a mobile TMS, drivers can set notifications for available loads and respond (or not respond) without talking to their manager.
5. Consider Allowing Pets
Loneliness can be part of the job for long-haul truckers. Loneliness can also increase the risk of physical and mental health issues. Truck drivers who travel with a pet may feel less lonely and be in better health, but some fleets prohibit pets in cabs.
Allowing drivers to travel with pets is a clear way to show that their well-being matters to you. With a well-defined pet policy, fleets can minimize associated business risks and give drivers another reason to love their job.
Retain Your Best Drivers With PCS
Drivers are busy. They don’t want to waste time with paperwork tasks, constant interruptions, and endless back-and-forth with dispatch. Fleet managers can offer a better experience for drivers by implementing PCS TMS for Carriers.
PCS helps fleets improve efficiency, streamline driver engagement, and get the data they need for growth. Find out how PCS helps enterprise fleets boost profitability and retain top talent — request your demo today!
