Fleet feedback is fuel for thriving teams

When your workforce speaks up, they provide a real-time diagnostic of your business’s health. Actively seeking feedback helps fleets reduce turnover and save thousands in replacement costs. At major motor carriers, turnover exceeds 90 percent and replacing a single driver costs about $8,200 per driver, according to American Trucking Associations’ 2024 Driver Compensation Study. Listening isn’t just courtesy — it’s a competitive advantage that drives operational excellence.

Drawing on her extensive experience as vice president of workforce solutions at TrueNorth Companies, featured speaker Sue Nelson emphasized at Women in Trucking’s Accelerate Conference that internal input is a strategic lever for shaping effective teams and driving meaningful outcomes.

Shift leadership into higher gear

We’ve all heard, “People don’t quit jobs; they quit managers.” Yet many managers are struggling too. According to Gartner, 74 percent of HR leaders say their managers are not equipped to lead change. Leadership development often gets sidelined by daily demands, widening the gap between expectations and capabilities.

For best results:

• Pair experienced managers with emerging leaders for mentoring
• Host monthly roundtables to share what’s working
• Send office staff on ride-alongs to understand driver challenges

Transit agencies like Santa Clara Valley Transportation Authority saw retention jump from 80 percent to 95 percent after implementing mentoring programs, and Transit Workforce Center research reports new drivers paired with mentors stay at higher rates than those without.

Align culture with operations

Even strong leaders struggle when culture falls out of sync. In transportation, misalignment carries high stakes — it can disrupt operational efficiency, create capacity volatility and amplify the industry challenges carriers already face.

The leadership gap is part of the problem. According to Gartner, 57 percent of HR professionals say managers fail to enforce their organization’s vision, while 53 percent say leaders do not model it. When the top is out of step, the effect ripples throughout the organization.

The impact on engagement is clear. Gallup finds that only 20 percent of U.S. employees strongly agree they feel connected to their workplace culture — a signal that cultural alignment isn’t a “soft” goal, but a measurable business advantage.

Fleets can strengthen culture by:

• Linking culture to operations — tie safety metrics to performance reviews
• Opening communication channels — invite suggestions and act on what you hear
• Embedding expectations early — make cultural priorities clear in onboarding and ongoing training
• Recognizing role models — reward team members who exemplify core values

By focusing on culture as a strategic lever, fleet leaders can improve engagement and drive measurable operational results.

Map tomorrow’s talent pipeline

Too many motor carriers treat talent — drivers, mechanics and logistics staff — as a static resource rather than a strategic asset. Aligning workforce planning with business goals is essential to minimize costly disruptions and drive growth.

How to strengthen your talent strategy:

• Plan ahead and anticipate change — look 1–2 years forward to adapt to market shifts, technology adoption and evolving customer needs
• Align people with operational priorities — ensure the right talent fuels growth, integrates contingent workers and has skills matched to new tools and industry requirements
• Develop leadership and succession — build plans for critical roles, safeguard continuity and enable smooth transitions
• Secure and sustain your talent pipeline — recruit proactively and link learning and development to operational goals so your teams are ready before gaps appear

Only 15 percent of companies operate at this level, according to Gartner. Getting talent right allows fleets to respond faster to market changes, execute initiatives confidently and keep operations moving while satisfying customers.

Steer change with clarity

Seventy-four percent of HR respondents say managers are not equipped to lead change, Gartner reported. In an industry with tight margins, unforgiving schedules and costly downtime, poorly executed transitions create serious constraints. Before long, your most reliable people start quietly looking for more stable environments.

The real cost of mismanaged change is measurable. Employees are significantly less motivated, less likely to stay and less likely to speak up when change is poorly led, according to Gartner’s change-management research.  

These outcomes aren’t inevitable. Clear communication about why a shift matters — whether a new safety policy, routing technology or fleet-wide process update — helps people understand the stakes. Prioritizing initiatives based on readiness and operational impact reduces overload, and early involvement through feedback and pilot programs builds ownership rather than resistance.

Accelerate performance by listening

Internal input should never be treated as a box to check. It’s one of the most effective ways for you to understand what’s happening on the ground to make faster, smarter decisions. When you act on feedback, you improve fleet operations and prevent safety issues before they arise. Research from ABA Technologies shows that timely, person-mediated guidance boosts safety and operational outcomes more effectively than technology alone. Technology helps you see the problem. The conversation fixes it.

To foster stronger collaboration, you can:

• Run ongoing surveys and pulse checks to monitor engagement
• Conduct stay interviews to learn what motivates drivers — and what might cause them to leave
• Hold skip-level meetings so frontline workers have direct access to decision-makers
• Provide continuous channels for real-time concerns and suggestions
• Communicate changes clearly to demonstrate accountability and action

Paying attention to team perspectives is what turns compliance, safety and efficiency from obligations into advantages — and it’s the difference between merely operating and truly optimizing your fleet.

Drive decisions with insight

Listening uncovers your operation’s strengths, weaknesses and opportunities. Leaders who listen and act foster a culture where managers are prepared, team needs are anticipated and change is managed with confidence. The result is a workforce that streamlines processes, drives innovation and keeps fleets running efficiently.

‍