With the endless shortage of drivers accentuated by the impacts of the pandemic on the workforce and demand for the supply chain, truckers looking more than ever all possible means to recruit new drivers and keep those that already exist.

labor basin Fleets now mainly consist of two types of drivers: young, aged about 25 to 30, who come to engage and older, 50 and older, who can be veterans of the road or who just won a CDL to start. a new career.

Either way, savvy fleet managers are now taking advantage of a wide range of technologies to help make their drivers’ jobs easier, safer and more efficient. In turn, the impact of these positive efforts can make existing pilots want to stay and attract new pilots.

The technologies used to improve the safety of drivers and their way of life on the road covering the full range of advanced assistance systems for driving, tablets workflow and e-DVIRS to paperless management documents, in-cab energy efficiency and safety supervision via video.

But none of these high-tech equipment will score points without being fed and kept in mind with a communication, training and appropriate supervision. On the other hand, even the best technology can disable some drivers, older individual who perhaps are not willing to many changes.

To inform fleet managers about how best to integrate technology so that drivers benefit, HDT editors to present a free online seminar Thursday, March 3, 2022, at 14 pm Eastern | 11 a.m. Pacific.

Title “How technology can help attract and keep driversthe webinar is the third in the HDT Driver Retention series.

Speakers for the webinar are Rick Schmidt, Director of Human Resources and Safety Transport Nussbaumand Josh Mecca, Director of Recruitment for American Central Transport. The session will be moderated by Business/Washington HDT David Cullen Contributing Editor.

In its remarks, Mecca will focus in particular on the roles played by effective connectivity, communication and coaching in putting technology to work for drivers.

“Leveraging multiple technologies requires multiple communication channels,” he observes. “It’s often a driver’s first interaction with a technology solution. We’re all kind of learning this together, so it takes a constant two-way communication channel. Regardless of the specific technology.

Mecca emphasizes that “we are all constantly connected, but we, as businesses, must also intensify our communication game. As a carrier, you must ensure that your candidates receive your strong and clear message “. He added that if “we know that we are recruiting qualified candidates, we can always improve. Some drivers react better through individual sessions, some are doing well with a phone session, and some accept to follow the path of self-coaching.

Schmidt will address several topics, such as how to attract young drivers, including the use of social media, training and development of the current conductor, and continuing education, including with podcasting. He noted that the successful deployment of the technology among drivers required “to acknowledge the changes they have crossed, ready to help them grasp and know where you can and can not push back any resistance.”

He also advises that the integration of new technologies should be done thoughtfully. “You have to take the time to explain and don’t forget to train the office staff, too; they need to know a lot about how these solutions work. During the deployment of the event recorders, we called all the pilots and spoke with them. If they really pushed back, the CEO and CFO spoke with them. No driver was left.”