Of the top 10 employee benefits, company-paid weigh station bypass ranked second only behind core company benefits such as pay, time off, medical and retirement, and a rider policy, according to a driver survey recently conducted by Drivewyze.
The service also ranked higher than benefits such as sign-on bonuses and fuel discounts, which companies often use to help retain and recruit new drivers.
“Bypassing weigh stations allows drivers to obtain on-time performance more frequently – helping them meet Hours of Service requirements and getting them home faster,” said Brian Heath, CEO and president. “The survey validates that drivers want this technology – it makes their job easier. It showed that, when they consider two otherwise identical job opportunities, drivers are 3 times more likely to choose a job at a company that provides weigh station bypass service as a free benefit.”
Available on ELDs, smart phones and tablets, Drivewyze detects when the truck is approaching a fixed weigh station or temporary inspection site. Carrier information is pulled up and if the carrier passes the criteria established by the state’s commercial vehicle enforcement agency, a bypass is granted. “We’re finding that Drivewyze users with the best scores get a free pass 98% of the time,” Heath said.
The survey found drivers place a great deal of value in company-paid weigh station bypass service. Of the nearly 600 drivers who responded, almost half said they have never worked at companies that offered bypass. And out of those 320 drivers, 65 percent said they would be more likely to stay with their current employer if that employer offered paid weigh station bypass service.
Heath said the survey fact is crucial. “According to ATA, driver turnover at large truckload carriers hit an annualized rate of 87% in the second quarter of 2015. The shortage is estimated to be between 35,000-40,000 drivers and it is expected to get worse. The fact that drivers ranked weigh station bypass so high in our survey demonstrates that it’s an effective driver recruitment and retention tool. Drivers know from experience that bypassing weigh stations makes their jobs easier.”
Heath said the survey Drivewyze conducted found some other interesting things that would make weigh station bypass an important consideration for an effective retention and recruitment strategy:
• 99% of respondents rated weigh station bypass as important to their daily operation
• 63% of drivers who have worked for companies that provided weigh station bypass felt more positive about their job and company
• 79% of drivers who did not receive a company-paid bypass service at the time of the survey said they would view their job and employer more positively if they did offer it
• Among the drivers who were currently using or have used weigh station bypass, the average perceived value of company-paid bypass service was more than $2,000 in time- and fuel–related savings and more than 120 hours of saved drive time annually.
“From their own experience, these drivers know how many times and for how long they get delayed at weigh stations,” Heath said. “And they know roughly how much fuel is wasted getting their trucks back up to highway speeds. With so many other perks they could ask for, they certainly don’t want their companies wasting money on things that won’t make their work easier or more efficient. Since the average-sized fleet pays less than $170 annually to subscribe a driver with Drivewyze service, the ROI on providing company-paid bypass makes it a cost-effective investment in recruiting new drivers and retaining the best.”
Learn more about the Drivewyze driver recruitment and retention survey, and see the full survey results here.
