Reducing long distance truck driver’s intention to leave: An analysis of professional drivers and owner operators using importance/performance methods

Abstract

Since it is widely known that turnover is highest among unsatisfied employees, the authors argue that long haul professional drivers (PDs) and owner operators (OOs) can be retained by using a yearly importance/performance analysis of company drivers. Because qualified drivers are becoming more scarce and difficult to recruit/retain, carriers need to focus on increasing driver retention. In this article, we suggest an Importance/Performance (IP) model which uses an “if then” perspective, relating intention to leave as a function of the PD/OO: IP structure. This model is used to explain the managerial changes that could be made to retain professional drivers and owner operators. INTRODUCTION AND LITERATURE REVIEW Research into the nature and causes of truck driver turnover and retention in the United States has been ongoing for much of the last twentyfive years. Reasons for interest from both researchers and practitioners in this area abound and continue to increase in importance for a number of reasons. The following subsections discuss the industry and the driver retention issue, and highlight some of the reasons for this interest from researchers and practitioners. Growth in Demand First, even after accounting for the prolonged recession in the U.S., the volume of truckload freight movements has declined in some product categories, increased in others, but has shown more strength of demand and even growth than in other areas of the economy. The strength and stability of demand for truck transportation is in part due to growth in international trade. According to Meixell and Norbis (2008), growth in imports and exports in this country have outpaced growth in the economy as a whole and they expect this trend to continue. As the economy continues to improve over the next few years, this will lead to a significant rise in the demand for truck transportation. Of course, as the demand for truck freight transportation increases, the demand for drivers mirrors this change. In fact, the demand for drivers in the U.S. has been growing more rapidly than the supply for a number of years. The increasing gap has implications for all sectors of the economy, not just transportation and logistics. In a 2005 study, it was reported that the supply of truck