Surveys and studies consistently say the same things when it comes to driver turnover: the number one reason a driver leaves a company is money.

A couple of problems with this knowledge, though, not the least of which is that a driver would need to be as sharp as Einstein to be able to decipher all the nuances of each package they are all confusing.

I don’t think many recruits have any idea if the pay package meets the expectations they had going into the new job until they get their first couple of paychecks. At that point, many feel very let down, and they usually cut and run so they can minimize their losses and they go looking for the next opportunity.

I see it all the time at the new clients I work with.

If the numbers are correct and the cost of hiring a new driver is now somewhere between $8,000 and $12,000, I strongly advise that every carrier with high turnover addresses this area asap.

Your company has one chance to make a first impression we have all heard this many times, and it is true.

With this in mind, it is always disappointing to me when I visit a new client and see the residual of a collision or three parked against the fence: it is an ugly site.

If you were a driver, or office person for that matter, heading to orientation or a job interview, what would you think of that picture, what if one of your customers dropped in?

Makes no matter who was at fault or what the circumstances might have been, the message is that carnage happens at your company, and that is not a good first impression.

Be careful when setting the tone for a new driver to your trucking company, do it properly, and you at least stand a fighting chance that they might stick with you.

Safe trucking.