Usher is a nationwide tank-transport carrier based in Louisville, KY, that serves customers in the chemical and petroleum industries. This year, the family-run business is celebrating its 73rd anniversary with one of its longest-tenured drivers of 43 years nominated to receive the National Tank Truck Carriers (NTTC) Driver of the Year award.
Usher’s Transport’s management team chose to partner with Stay Metrics to reinforce the company’s longstanding family-centered culture. Stay Metrics provides driver surveys that gather feedback at several points during the on-boarding experience and administers a privately branded driver rewards portal.
Early survey results identified that drivers were not feeling adequately prepared upon completing its orientation training program. Management focused on the early driver experience and engaged senior drivers in a new mentorship program to help new associates learn the job and more quickly feel part of its family culture.
Usher Transport also uses the Stay Metrics rewards and recognition platform to recognize drivers for meeting specific objectives of the job and for tenure. Drivers receive points to redeem on items from an extensive online catalog. Usher has branded the online platform as “My Usher Rewards.”
To increase buy-in and engagement from drivers in My Usher Rewards, management encouraged the families of drivers to participate and also expanded the program to include all non-driving associates below the level of director.
“At Usher Transport, our leadership team took time to fully vet not only the Stay Metrics program but how it could foster change within our organization,” said David Guess, executive vice president of human resources and safety for Usher Transport. “In short, we were looking for a ‘best practice.’ After examining the logic and data, we were confident the investment in this program would, in fact, produce an ROI far beyond the measurable dollars.”
Guess, who also serves as chairman of the southern region of NTTC and chairman of the Kentucky Trucking Association, estimates that Usher Transport could increase its revenue by $1 million by preventing turnover of only five drivers per year.
As the program has grown, management has focused on ensuring that rewards categories are fair for all driver jobs, which include local, over the road and a railroad division that provides Direct to Locomotive (DTL) fueling.
“Usher Transport is raising the bar for the entire industry by expanding their driver-centric culture to touch the entire team,” said Jerry Scott, chief operating officer of Stay Metrics. “Using survey data to drive meaningful improvement, including office employees in My Usher Rewards, and truly creating a family atmosphere is producing remarkable results.”
