Stay Metrics identifies key factor in early driver turnover

Stay Metrics uncovers new data concerning driver satisfaction that is helping carriers revamp their recruiting and orientation processes in efforts to create and retain drivers.

The University of Notre Dame’s Dr. Gitta Lubke conducted research on 1,000 drivers with 10 different carriers to establish the most important predictors of drivers’ intention to leave their carrier. The results showed that not meeting the promises carriers made to new drivers during recruiting and orientation was the number one reason for drivers to consider leaving their carrier.

“One might think it’s quality of life, time at home or pay that would rank at the top, but we discovered these were far less relevant to unmet driver expectations set during recruiting and orientation,” explains Tim Hindes, CEO of Stay Metrics. “This is a big find because it puts two very important pieces of the puzzle together.”

Earlier research by Stay Metrics illustrated the high percentage of drivers that leave a carrier in the first six months. Stay Metrics researchers concluded that these drivers left before they could be oriented into the culture of the company, but the question “why” remained. So Dr. Lubke’s analysis focused on three questions:

1. Which of the driver satisfaction questions are most important to predict driver turnover?
2. How good of a prediction can we make using the collected data?
3. Are there different types of drivers for whom different sets of factors are important to predict turnover?

“Thanks to Dr. Lubke’s findings we clearly know the most common reason drivers leave their carriers early is that their expectations were not met,” Hindes says. “Somehow drivers feel as if what they are experiencing isn’t what they signed up for.”

The research has been enlightening for many Stay Metrics carriers, and Stay Metrics is helping its community of carriers reimagine their recruiting and orientation process.

“We don’t want our carriers to simply modify their programs, we want them to reimagine what recruiting and orientation could look like, tailored around delivering on and addressing driver expectations,” Hindes says.

The new study by Dr. Lubke ran parallel to comparing carriers with the lowest turnover to drivers scoring in the “expectations not met” category. The study provides evidence that carriers experiencing higher turnover indicated they had trust issues inside their recruiting process.

“We are excited because with this new data we have several carriers modifying their recruiting/orientation programs,” Hindes says, “and we will be tracking their driver satisfaction scores closely.”