The trucking industry is facing a “great disconnection” between carriers and drivers — an emerging trend in which drivers feel increasingly disengaged from their companies, according to Jane Jazrawy, CEO of CarriersEdge.

The latest Best Fleets to Drive For results show a growing divide in how drivers and fleets perceive communication, career growth, and workplace culture, with many truckers feeling unheard and disconnected from key company decisions.

CarriersEdge, which runs the program, interviewed 63 fleets and surveyed 5,365 drivers. Findings reveal several factors that lead to declining driver satisfaction, with fewer truckers willing to recommend their employers — a measure of fleet success that dropped for the first time.

“It’s not just one fleet…This is 5,365 [driver] surveys and there’s 4.5% who really are not interested in recommending their company,” Jazrawy said during the second annual Best Fleets to Drive For education and awards conference in Charlotte, N.C.

Despite these challenges, the program continues to recognize the most driver-friendly carriers in Canada and the U.S., and many fleets are still maintaining high standards, with a majority of surveyed drivers expressing overall satisfaction with their employers.

“The things that drivers like best about their fleets haven’t really changed,” Jazrawy noted. “They still talk about feeling like part of a family, and about having a supportive management team.”

Forty-three per cent of surveyed drivers said a “family feeling” and respectful environment was what they appreciated most about their carrier, followed closely by supportive management, safety, freedom, flexibility, and reliability.

While many fleets maintain strong engagement efforts, even top fleets should prioritize maintaining driver engagement as expectations shift.

Meetings: Half of drivers satisfied, but Best Fleets expects more

While most fleets hold meetings to get feedback and establish communications, drivers say their effectiveness is questionable.

While 65% of 63 surveyed companies hold meetings quarterly, just 13% hold meetings in person, with the same number of respondents not having any meetings at all.

“Only 58% have a virtual option, which I think is really interesting, because everybody had a virtual option during Covid. So, where did it go? Why did the virtual option disappear?” Jazrawy added. “If they can’t come into the meeting, they can at least see a recording. Only 52% of fleets that we talk to have recordings that they post for drivers, and that’s a really important part of it.”

Only 26% of fleets manage to reach at least 80% of their drivers twice a year, while 39% report fewer meetings with higher turnout and vice-versa, and 24% focus meetings primarily on training rather than broader engagement.

Jazrawy criticized this approach, suggesting fleets are missing an opportunity by focusing too much on training instead of engagement and honest conversations. However, those fleets that limit discussions to one-on-one meetings (only 11%), are missing opportunities for larger group discussions, she added.

And while 58.9% strongly agree meetings are effective, carriers shouldn’t just focus on that positive number, Jazrawy said. Instead, they should pay attention to the significant percentage who are neutral (16.3%) or disagree (nearly 5%), which indicates potential communication problems.

“Fifty-nine per cent looks like it’s not too good, not too bad,” she said. “In Best Fleets, that’s not great – 70% is great. As you get below 60%, it starts getting problematic.”

Jazrawy cited driver feedback with comments such as, “Hardly able to get on them,” “Feels like we’re being talked at instead of talked to,” and “Oftentimes a formality or check-the-box type of conference call.”

To address this issue, CarriersEdge suggests that town halls — virtual and hybrid models — help maximize participation, and drivers should be encouraged to submit questions and discussion topics beforehand.

“Talk to individual drivers when they come up with something. Say, ‘I want you to submit that as a question for the next meeting’. Teach them how to take that opportunity, because they don’t always know and they don’t always feel comfortable,” Jazrawy said.

Events miss the mark

Social events, often seen as a way to foster a sense of belonging, are also failing to include drivers in meaningful ways.

Only three out of 63 fleets were able to get all 100% of their drivers to at least one company event. “Less than half were even telling us drivers are even there. So, this is a place where there’s a huge gap,” Jazrawy said.

The survey found that 68% of social events are office-focused, while only 18% cater specifically to drivers. Fleets do love hosting social events — tailgate parties, pumpkin carvings, BBQs, potlucks, family picnics and more — but drivers often miss out. And while Driver Appreciation Week is widely celebrated, it still remains just one week out of 52, and even then, not all drivers can make it. The challenge is ensuring they can actively participate year-round.

To increase driver engagement in social events, fleets should implement virtual participation options, such as live-streaming events, hosting virtual draws, and sending gifts to those can’t attend in person. Inclusive planning involves surveying drivers on event preferences and including them in the planning process.

Scheduling flexibility is also important as 68% of Best Fleets have efforts to route drivers in for events. Thirty-seven per cent of fleets say they ensure they market events to drivers and just 19% provide on-the-road meals, while just 10% have meals at driver meetings.

Performance reviews: Fleet managers affect driver satisfaction

While social events and communication strategies play a vital role in making drivers feel valued, day-to-day interactions with fleet managers and structured feedback systems are equally important in shaping driver satisfaction.

Performance reviews are an important part of this system, however, many fleets are not using them effectively.

Only 44% of fleets conduct annual performance evaluations, and among those that do, most focus only on compliance, violations, fuel efficiency and safety rather than driver development through strengths recognition or long-term career growth discussions.

Fleet managers also play an important role in driver satisfaction, yet not all managers are equally effective. Jazrawy noted that some drivers said they feel valued and supported, while others see themselves as just another number.

“Do fleet managers resolve problems?” she asked. “That was better in 2024. Drivers say it depends on the fleet manager.”

Driver feedback on fleet managers was mixed, with some saying their managers helped solve issues and provided support, with others saying it took months to get concerns addressed. One other comment cited described negative experiences, saying they were made to feel like problems were their fault rather than being helped.

Jazrawy suggested that fleets should consider driver feedback when evaluating fleet managers and dispatchers, identifying skills gaps and ensuring management is actively working to support drivers. Implementing a shipper rating system would be an asset, too.

She added that some of the Best Fleets are now separating driver management from dispatch and planning roles to address this trend, assigning separate personnel to handle driver concerns.

Compensation and career growth

Jazrawy also highlighted a sharp decline in driver satisfaction with compensation, marking it as one of the lowest-scoring areas in this year’s Best Fleets to Drive For results. Compensation dissatisfaction has now surpassed routing issues as a top concern for truckers, with 5% of drivers strongly disagreeing that their pay reflects their job performance — a significant increase from previous years. “If it’s over five, I’m like, ‘Whoa. People are mad.'”

“If you were a rock star driver, does that matter? Drivers think no,” Jazrawy said.

At the same time, career progression remains a persistent issue, with only 44% of fleets conducting annual performance evaluations. Even among those that do, few provide a clear path for advancement. While some fleets have made an effort to communicate career opportunities, strong agreement that career paths are clearly defined barely exceeds 50%.

When drivers were asked if internal career growth opportunities were communicated well to them, many questioned whether the career advancement survey question was even applicable to truck driving.

Other responses echoed the sentiments of a driver who wrote: “Communicated, but hard to get out of the truck because OTR experience does not translate well.”

However, Jazrawy stressed that truck driving requires a wide range of transferable skills that can be applied in other fleet positions — something companies should highlight in performance reviews.

“Driving a tractor-trailer, backing up a tractor-trailer involves more skills — there’s a lot of spatial awareness, there’s planning, there’s all kinds of things that you do as you’re backing up into a loading dock,” she said. “This is where you have an opportunity to tell drivers, ‘This is what you’re good at. You’re really good at talking with people. You have great customer service. You’d be great at dispatch or you’d be great at this, or these are your opportunities.'”

Technology implemented without driver input

While career growth and performance feedback are essential to keeping drivers engaged, how fleets introduce change — especially new technology — also plays a critical role in driver satisfaction. Even when companies offer career progression opportunities, drivers can still feel disconnected if they aren’t involved in broader operational decisions that impact their daily work.

Nearly 90% of surveyed drivers said they had no say in new technology decisions, while 45% felt ignored when raising concerns. More than 50% of drivers reported feeling frustration toward technology changes in their fleet.

“One of the biggest, most basic rules of change management is that when you change a system, you need buy-in. You have to get buy-in first,” Jazrawy said. “If people don’t think they’ve been included in the decision, they get mad… And if you’re lucky, [if] they get mad and they’re not going to quit, they’ll resent you for a long time.”

To improve technology adoption, fleets should create tech-focused driver committees and invite all drivers — not just a small pilot group — to provide feedback before implementation. Fleets should also investigate where technology adds extra work and adjust accordingly, to make drivers’ lives on the road easier and safer.

Drivers less likely to recommend their companies

One of the most alarming trends in this year’s survey is the decline in drivers recommending their companies, Jazrawy said.

Historically, fleets that ranked in the Best Fleets to Drive For program saw high levels of driver advocacy. “This was like, a no-brainer question,” Jazrawy said. “Not anymore. People are actually filling this thing [Best Fleets survey] out and saying, ‘Nope, I’m leaving. I’m done.’”

Contractors, in particular, were even less likely to recommend their fleet, citing issues like maintenance support, strained company relationships, and increasing workload concerns.

About 4.5% of more than 5,300 surveyed drivers said they are not interested in recommending their company as a workplace.