The problem
Long detention times can have a negative impact on several aspects of a company's business, but just as important as improving detention time is measuring the impact of changes to see what works. This case study highlights one company's efforts to improve their drivers’ experience of detention time, the impact of those improvements, and the beginning of their venture into True Load Time, a new Tenstreet product.
Improving detention pay
In August of 2022, leaders and drivers at Classic Carriers began discussions about what improvements should be made based on findings from their Ongoing Experience Survey, administered by Tenstreet. Among many improvements considered were improvements to detention pay. After serious consideration, discussion participants agreed to two adjustments:
- A decrease from two hours to one hour for detention pay to begin accruing
- A $5 increase in the detention pay rate. These changes were initiated in September 2022.
The resulting data suggested these changes had an important impact on drivers’ perceptions. It is important to note that other improvements were initiated by Classic Carriers and that it is nearly impossible to isolate the impact of the changes to detention pay alone. Nonetheless, the timing of the initiative and the nature of the findings paint a convincing picture.
Improving pay fairness and work-life balance
The changes to detention pay appear to have influenced both drivers’ perceptions of pay fairness and their perceptions of work/life balance. The items below all exhibited substantial improvements between May and November of 2022.
Pay fairness survey item topics
- Fairness considering experience
- Fairness compared to other carriers
- Fairness considering the amount of work
- Enough pay to support self/family
- Overall, enough pay
Work-life balance survey item topics
- Control over schedule
- Enough off-duty time
- Enough time for my personal life
- Enough time at home
- Strain on personal/family life
- Overall, happy with work/life balance
Improving turnover, commitment, and Net Promoter Score
During this same period, there was a decrease in turnover of 60% in November as compared to May. The company did see an unexpected spike in turnover in May, although by averaging the monthly turnover from January through October, there was still an overall decrease of 35% in November. That low level of turnover in November 2022 had not been seen since September 2021. Between May and November, Classic Carriers saw improvements in Driver Commitment survey items relating to the overall difficulty of quitting, whether they would be still working for Classic Carriers in a year, and whether they want to work for Classic Carriers for the rest of their career. These items are indicative of long-term commitment. Between May and November, Classic Carriers also saw improvements in their Net Promoter Score®[1], which is an indicator of a driver’s likelihood of recommending Classic Carriers to other drivers. In short, drivers’ long-term commitment to and the likelihood of recommending Classic Carriers both improved.
Next steps: True Load Time
These results indicate that improvements to detention pay had an impact on drivers’ perceptions of pay fairness and work-life balance and their overall commitment to the company. Classic Carriers is now exploring a new Tenstreet product called True Load Time, which allows them to measure actual detention times at certain locations and better plan future routes. Based on the results from the ongoing experience survey, this step will likely lead to increased driver satisfaction and decreased wait times.
About Classic Carriers
As a family-owned and operated company based in Versailles, Ohio, Classic Carriers has more than three decades of experience in logistics management. Classic Carriers services food shippers, medical equipment manufacturers, plastics producers, and many others in all 48 contiguous states. Efficient. Reliable. On-time. You can count on Classic.
About Tenstreet
Tenstreet’s platform connects carriers and drivers, making it easier to fill trucks while staying compliant. We help thousands of motor carriers and private fleets to market, recruit, onboard, manage, and retain drivers. Since 2006, millions of drivers have used Tenstreet’s platform to quickly and securely apply for their next job.
[1]Net Promoter, Net Promoter System, Net Promoter Score, NPS, and the NPS-related emoticons are registered trademarks of Bain & Company, Inc., Fred Reichheld, and Satmetrix Systems, Inc.
