Attracting & Retaining Millennial Drivers – What Commercial Fleets Can Do

Every fleet manager we know is grappling with the issue of continuity.

Consider:

• 50% of the workforce – whether in the UK, the United States or elsewhere in North Amerca – is already “Millennial”. And 75% will be by 2030.
• Drivers in their 50s and 60s – the wave of “baby boomers” that became drivers decades ago – are ageing out and retiring.
• BUT, at the same time, the number of Millennials in the trucking industry has dropped by 50% in recent years. While some join the industry soon after securing their drivers’ licenses, half of them quit, on average, within 6 months of starting new jobs.

The right safety telematics system can help commercial fleets attract and retain Milennial drivers.
source: Shaye Anderson, Trucks.com

The conclusion is clear:

To maintain the strength of driver pools, corporate fleets must find new ways to attract, engage and retain young drivers.

So how does a fleet go about attracting Millennial drivers?
The first step is to understand what this generation is looking for when they consider their career options. According to a PWC survey, Millennials are looking primarily for:

• Fun. Millennials are famous for short attention spans and zero tolerance for boring work – which is how they perceive a career behind the wheel. To attract and retain employees, fleets need to find ways to inject more fun and excitement into the job’s repetitive routine.
• Learning & leadership opportunities. Millennials are looking for jobs that will help them advance their careers and develop personally. It is therefore important to find ways to offer them ongoing training and
  other opportunities.
• Productivity-enabling technology. Millennials are more likely than older workers toquit over poor workplace technology – and attracted to jobs that offer technological advantages.
• Social responsibility. Millennials want their employers to be socially and environmentally responsible. They want be part of the “solution,” not the “problem”.

The takeaway? To retain Millennial drivers, fleets must find ways to add fun, challenge, variety, advancement, prestige and social responsibility to the driver’s day-to-day routine. But how?

The right fleet management solution can go a long way towards improving your company’s image in the eyes of Millennials!

The GreenRoad Approach: a “Total Package” for Millennials

The GreenRoad Driver Safety solution was designed to help fleet management improve driver behavior, slash fleet operating expenses and streamline operations. But its driver-centric, driver-engagement approach adds many of the elements that Millennials are looking for in deciding where they want to work, helping fleets attract and retain younger drivers.

Specifically:

• Fun: GreenRoad “gamifies” the driving profession. Its real-time feedback and driver scoring motivate drivers to continuously self-improve, reaching for higher and higher standards of driving skill and safety. In parallel, the system’s smart-psychology-rooted “friendlycompetitions” – especially when reinforced with organization-level recognition and monetary awards – keep drivers engaged and motivated, while also helping build team spirit and a sense of belonging. Finally, GreenRoad’s Fleet Elite driver excellence acknowledgment program sets an industry standard for recognizing world-class driving professionals, providing them with a credential that serves them for life.
  
  It is hard to overstate the incentivizing power of these features – and the fact that no one wants to be considered a poor driver. For example, when Big Bus Muscat’s drivers saw the huge gap between their scores and Big Bus Dubai drivers, the culture changed dramatically – literally overnight. As a result, the region’s driver-caused accidents plummeted from being among the highest in Big Bus’s worldwide organization to become one of the lowest.
• Learning & leadership opportunities. The GreenRoad Driver Safety platform offers individual drivers endless learning opportunities. Using advanced AI (Automated Intelligence) technologies, GreenRoad continually analyzes each driver’s driving styles and habits, and offers them relevant, personalized coaching and training materials. In addition, GreenRoad’s Fleet Elite program and “GreenRoad Champion” peer-coaching concept provide drivers with motivating goals, prestige and career advancement opportunities.
• Productivity-enabling technology. Millennials adapt intuitively to the “connected vehicle” concept and enjoy using GreenRoad’s technology aspects – especially its Automated Safety Scoring, Live View, Vehicle Health, GPS tracking, vehicle/driver monitoring and more. They are fascinated by the system’s ability to use AI to identify safety and performance trends, and especially to pinpoint individuals and situations in which intervention may become necessary. The fact that GreenRoad brings a high-tech aspect to a typically low-tech industry helps boost their own perception of the profession – and therefore their job satisfaction.
• Social responsibility. Millennials appreciate working for a company that invests in environmental responsibility and safety. This enhances their respect for the organization as a whole – and their willingness to be a part of it.
  In fact, as the world’s awareness of the need for environmental sustainability grows, fleet experts increasingly understand the connection between driving behavior, fuel management and emissions. In parallel, as deployment of EVs (Electric Vehicles) spreads, there is increased concern for solutions that extend the range of each charge. Therefore, the adoption of GreenRoad helps fleets reduce their emissions and transition successfully to EVs, helping them attract Millenial drivers.

A Win-Win: Attractive to Millennials, Invaluable for Safety & Efficiency

As qualified drivers become harder to find, it becomes more important than ever to find ways to attract and retain Millennials. By deploying GreenRoad solution as the center of their fleet management solutions and fleet services,companies are able to differentiate themselves in the eyes of younger employees – even as they benefit by drivingdown fleet management costs and risk.

PWC survey: https://www.pwc.com/gx/en/services/workforce/publications/workforce-of-the-future.html