Overdrive sister publication CCJ's annual "What Drivers Want" survey probes the relationship between employee drivers and leased owners and their fleets, and results from the 2025 edition have already made a little news in Overdrive.
There's a marked difference in truck operators' pay method preference versus the reality -- better compensation for all time worked is a big ask in the preference column. Yet as CCJ's Angel Coker Jones recently reported from a live panel discussion featuring execs from Boyle Transportation, Nussbaum Transportation and J&R Schugel, finding and keeping the best over-the-road long-haul drivers at any fleet isn't solely about pay.
Readers can download the full What Driver Want report via this link.
Asked why they think fleets have a hard time finding drivers, 81% of survey respondents chose Pay, more than any other reason, sure. But in the No. 2 slot was bedrock Respect (73%) to those on the front lines of any trucking business, large or small.
That's the truck operators, of course.
Though it might seem silly to some, small fleet owners should take to heart what Michael Lasko, Boyle assistant general manager and VP, had to say about respect.
Lasko started his career as a truck driver, and "I still say to this day, when you're a professional driver, you don't hear 'please, thanks and good job' anywhere near as much as you deserve,” he said.
[Related: Pay wish list: Leased-owner, company-driver preferences v. reality]
To deliver the respect, Lasko and others on the panel emphasized a multi-faceted package of concrete steps to build company culture with effective communication, up-front explanation of pay packages and whole lot more. As Jones reported, noting all the myriad reasons drivers flagged as crucial in fleet difficulties, "it could be argued that every element on this list, including pay, reflects the industry’s level of respect for drivers."
It's particularly the case when pay disputes surface, when emotions run hot. "Pay can be emotional," said J&R Schugel President and CEO Sean Clayton. "Getting pay right is important, and then when you don't get it right, owning up to it, admitting it and fixing the mistake" will go a long way to cementing the partnership with the best drivers.
Readers can download the full report as well as access the replay of the live webinar at this link.
[Related: Skin in the leased owner's game: Oberman Logistics simple, transparent plan to expand]
