Who’s in charge of your business? Naturally you are, but you are also at the mercy of the open sea of the market, being buffeted by the economic winds.
At this time of the year, the feedback is stronger than ever about the lack of drivers. If you had the power to make big changes in the industry, what would you do? Specifically, what would you do to attract and retain drivers?
It remains the biggest issue facing the industry. While recruitment initiatives among some operators are aimed at solving it, they are a relative drop in the ocean.
Pay is dictated by the market and what your customers are prepared to pay, but you may have some control over conditions and the type of work you take on.
Put yourself in a driver’s shoes and ask yourself what it’s like to work for your own company. Would you want the job?
And, in the case of coach drivers, while some adventurous drivers take advantage of their layovers, many prefer to stay with their coach. What are the facilities like at the other end?
How happy would you be with four or so hours to kill in a coach park with no facilities, just a hard-standing and pay-and-display machine?
And that’s even before we start considering the issue of unsocial hours. No wonder so few want to walk in drivers’ shoes.
