Technology Allows Fleet Managers to Better Evaluate New Hires

Turnover for the transportation industry is quite high. The American Trucking Association reported that even among smaller commercial fleets the turnover rate hangs around 80 percent, according to Supply Chain Digest. Fleet managers can combat this issue by improving their hiring evaluation process and the latest fleet applications can help this process run as smoothly as possible. A quick glance over the latest tech-assisted strategies for evaluating new drivers reveals how fleet managers can field truck driver job candidates more successfully.

Recruitment gets automated
One true and tried method for reducing turnover is to perform detailed background checks on every perspective driver. This process can quickly become very time consuming, forcing fleet managers to compromise the depth of their background investigations in the interest of keeping the process moving forward. Thankfully, several new applications are available to streamline this process.

Trucking Info reported that some vendors offer systems that automate the collection of background checks, health reports, drug scans and MVRs. The data is then collected into a profile on each applicant, a handy resource for fleet managers looking for a quick way to organize dozens of applicant files. By allowing this process to be automated, companies can utilize hours wasted on filing to perform more detailed interviews with potential drivers. Business Fleet noted that sufficient time in the interview process can expose an applicant’s attitudes toward personal responsibility, and impressions like these are crucial for hiring the right employees.

Automating the background check process also provides an opportunity for drivers to demonstrate their accountability from the get go. Drivers with excellent resumes will shine when their merits are confirmed, helping fleet managers to establish trusting relationship with new drivers. Drivers fond of fudging the numbers will be found out early on in the hiring process so companies can save themselves the cost of employing a poor performer.

Telematics catch bad driver habits early
Even the most robust hiring processes can fail to catch drivers with bad habits or behavioral issues. This reality highlights the importance of tools like fleet telematics and fuel cards, which once deployed reveal performance inconsistencies as they occur in real time. A driver’s incompetence at following routes, for instance, is easily observable thanks to GPS tracking technology. Likewise, closed loop fuel cards programs are designed to spot and report unauthorized purchases as they happen.

Another way that telematics can be utilized to evaluate new hires is by referencing driver data to establish performance checkpoints. Factors like speeding, over-braking and poor fuel-efficiency can be objectively observed through data collected by telematics systems. By encouraging drivers to improve their telematics reports and hitting benchmarks based on the performance of more experienced drivers, fleet managers can encourage employees toward excellence. At the same time, using telematics to set high standards ensures that poorly-performing employees are removed from their positions as soon as possible.