Company: Interide Transport, Salt Lake City, UT
Operation: A 100-plus unit fleet specializing in temperature-controlled and flatbed transportation services
PROBLEM:
Founded in 2009 by former C.R. England Logistics president Sean H. Snow, Interide Transport has grown quickly to more than 100 trucks and 150 trailers, the majority of which are refrigerated units operating nationwide. With late-model Peterbilt and Freightliner models equipped with a host of driver comfort and convenience items such as APUs and the latest in fuel-saving technologies, the SmartWay fleet still battled to attract and retain quality drivers.
The carrier offers what it terms “excellent pay” and provides fuel and safety bonus packages, but its recruiting costs remained too high. With the cost of advertising, job posting, paying a recruiter, truck cleaning, and sign-on bonuses amounting to $4,200 per driver added, the fleet began looking for a way to reduce its driver turnover.
If late-model trucks, driver amenities, strong pay, and bonus packages were not the answer, what was?
SOLUTION:
The fleet turned to EpicVue, a provider of satellite TV systems and programming. Installation of the systems has not only reduced driver turnover, but it is paying for itself, even though Interide is paying the $49 monthly subscription fees for each driver. With no upfront costs to offset, the fleet is paying $56,640 per year for the service.
“Since installing EpicVue in our entire fleet, we’ve seen a 23% improvement in driver retention that we can attribute directly to having in-cab satellite TV systems,” says Snow, Interide founder and CEO. “That equates to a $92,400 savings in hiring costs per year, and after accounting for the EpicVue monthly subscription fees, it means saving about $36,000 annually. The satellite TV systems are one of the major reasons we’re retaining drivers.”
Because of the systems, the company says it has eliminated the need to hire 22 new drivers each year.
“EpicVue’s value is seen in the impact it has on retention and its effect on our driver recruiting budget,” Snow says. “For every driver who stays with us because we have satellite TV in our trucks, we eliminate those costs.”
Interide first installed 30 EpicVue systems in 2014 as a test. By early last year, the entire fleet had been equipped with the systems.
EpicVue provided Interide’s technicians training on the installation, which includes an antenna, DVR, and 24-in. flat screen TV. Each install took about two hours to complete. Now drivers have access to over 100 channels of DirecTV programming including premium channels such as HBO/Cinemax, Showtime and NFL Sunday Ticket.
“It’s a big deal to drivers to have TV in their trucks, including younger drivers who expect technology to be available to them,” Snow adds. “EpicVue is a differentiator that sets us apart and helps us retain drivers.”
