In a presentation to the UBS Global Industrials and Transportation conference earlier this week, two executives from the company told the virtual gathering that while Heartland had increased pay, it was finding that other steps to address driver concerns — and not just another round of increases in the company’s per-mile rate — were having a positive impact on retention.
In comments that at times echoed those told to FreightWaves in a recent interview with USA Truck, CFO Chris Strain said Heartland is learning that “some drivers are willing to take less in pay for the trade-off of being home every night.” That has helped squeeze driver supply but also in the mix are other reasons frequently cited for the current code red level of difficulty in hiring drivers: lingering health concerns from the pandemic and the loss of drivers effectively kicked off the roads by their record in the federal Drug and Alcohol Clearinghouse.
www.freightwaves.com
In comments that at times echoed those told to FreightWaves in a recent interview with USA Truck, CFO Chris Strain said Heartland is learning that “some drivers are willing to take less in pay for the trade-off of being home every night.” That has helped squeeze driver supply but also in the mix are other reasons frequently cited for the current code red level of difficulty in hiring drivers: lingering health concerns from the pandemic and the loss of drivers effectively kicked off the roads by their record in the federal Drug and Alcohol Clearinghouse.
Better pay alone doesn’t retain drivers, Heartland finds
At a UBS conference, two execs from the truckload carrier reviewed the market for drivers in the midst of the freight boom.
www.freightwaves.com
