In July, 2015, its data showed that 75 percent of terminated drivers were not married; 17 percent were re-hires; and nearly 88 percent had gaps in their employment of six months, on average, in the past three years.
David Dallas, senior vice president of the 350-truck carrier based in Jackson, Tenn., shared these findings for a panel discussion on driver recruiting and retention at the McLeod Software user conference in Birmingham, Ala., on Oct. 6.
Milan Supply Chain Solutions changed its hiring practices after this analysis in an effort to get turnover down to 40 percent or less, he said. Knowing that engaging the spouse is important to retention, the company now spends more time explaining health insurance and other benefits of interest to drivers and their families, he said.
As for re-hires (drivers it hires a second time), Milan now funnels them through safety, operations and human resource departments to get additional screening before making hiring decisions.
The company also is more selective of drivers with employment gaps, particularly those who come through its driving school. Enforcing this policy has been difficult, however.
“We all have the emotion of ‘how we are trying to help people?’” he says. When this policy was relaxed, “the statistics showed us again that they didn’t last.”
