How to Retain the Best Delivery Drivers

Here we go, Monday morning in Distribution Land, and delivery supervisors across America are on edge. Yesterday was the big game or a holiday or some other significant event and you know certain drivers always call in sick the next day. It's 5:09 a.m., 39 minutes after the time they're supposed to notify their supervisor if they are calling in sick. You try him on his Nextel, "User Not Available". You call his cell phone and it goes straight to voice mail after one ring. The last resort is calling his house and waking up his wife. "Should I?", you ask your self. "Heck yeah! I don't want to run that route." Besides, you want to spend time with a new driver today making sure he's ready to go on his own full route tomorrow.

This scenario is repeated day after day in the beverage delivery business, and always has been. But, not for all companies. Let's face it, all employees miss a day here and there. Everyone has doctor appointments, all our kids get sick, cars break down, pets die, I get it. But, what is it about those organizations who never seem to have these attendance problems? What do they have in common? Ask yourself these simple questions:

1. Have all employees read and signed the attendance policy in the employee handbook? If not, print it out and have them sign it. Make sure it clearly states the company's policy. It should state that they must call their supervisor before a certain time if they can't come to work. Leaving a voice mail is NOT acceptable.
2. What is the morale of the driver staff? Good managers have a pulse on the morale of the delivery department. Make sure your delivery supervisors handle situations correctly regarding negative talk amongst drivers. This is the number one cancer in any organization and it must be stopped at it's source. Make sure drivers are all treated the same with regard to workload, not ability. Nothing pisses off good, hard working drivers more than knowing they get slammed day after day while those who have trouble finishing their work are given light routes.
3. Do you have "lead" drivers? This is important on several fronts. One, it shows a driver you trust in them to handle more "senior" tasks such as training new drivers and delivering special loads. Two, it gives them an opportunity to get noticed by other managers and is useful for their own career development. These should be your more experienced drivers, but only those who are good trainers. This designation should be accompanied by a pay increase, typically around $10 a day to their base.
4. Are there regular meetings? Drivers should be meeting with their supervisors daily, but regular department meetings should take place weekly. These weekly meetings only need to be 20-25 minutes long and need to touch on KPIs, DOT and safety, that's all. Don't let the drivers turn it into a bitch session about the sales reps and the warehouse, or you'll be there all morning. And besides, drivers like to get the hell out in the morning so they can get done and go home. Be sure to provide doughnuts or something at every meeting, and make sure you get enough!  
5. Do you have a recognition system in place to reward good work? Whether it's a gift card, a plaque or even a nice polo shirt, have something that shows them you appreciate their hard work. These should be presented at general sales meetings at least quarterly, if not monthly. And, at least twice a year, you should have food for them, and only them (sales and warehouse departments can have their own meetings and food). It goes a long way.
6. Do you have the proper equipment? Hand held computers, vehicles and hand trucks are the most common equipment issues which lead to diminished work performance. In my experience, you need to have the top equipment. If a hand held won't upload, a driver's truck won't start in the morning or his hand truck has a flat tire, the day is already going downhill. Be sure there is staff in place who can fix these issues on the fly. The fleet department should be open when the drivers arrive to work. Someone should have a decent knowledge of how to reboot a hand held or fix a @Magliner wheel (the best there is) at 5 a.m. If not, drivers are going to miss cut-off delivery times and that snowballs fast!
7. How are the drivers compensated? Ahhh, finally. THE topic. Even your most loyal drivers know what the competition is paying their guys. They've been recruited from supervisors in the field. Are your drivers getting paid on the higher end of the salary scale for comparable jobs in town, or, are they in the middle or bottom of the scale? If you don't know, I suggest you find out. See if other companies are paying base plus commission. Are they paying commission on empties? All these things matter. Also, be sure to have a yearly merit review in place with potential to receive an increase of up to 5%.

Stay ahead of your competition. They're probably out there right now trying to steal your top talent. Be sure to find out all you can about drivers. Companies like @CocaCola employ lots of good ones. See one delivering to a store, stop and talk to him. You can find more information about delivery drivers @BeverageInd and @BevNet and other magazines and blogs. You're not always going to be the market share leader in your business, nor do you have to be. But, you should always strive to have the lowest driver turnover, which will result in lower OPEX and hopefully, higher bonuses.

This blog is the opinion of the author. None of the companies mentioned here have any affiliation with this blog, nor do they endorse its contents...but they should. Gregg W Shore is a 23 year beverage veteran who writes his blog @DrinkPro, A View of the Beverage Industry, from the Inside Out. Connect on LinkedIn and follow on Twitter @DrinkPro