The tow truck industry always seems to be changing. Being in the towing business forces you to adapt to new conditions within your company. One of the things that always seems to be changing in towing is the people working alongside you. It can be hard to keep drivers at your business sometimes.
Having a secure and stable employee base is important to any business, but especially a tow truck business, where experience and knowledge are key. The effect of drivers on tow truck insurance rates is significant. We’ve got some tips to help you retain the hardworking drivers that work for your wrecker business. You don’t want to say goodbye to them, do you?
First of all, do you know why your employees leave?
If you’ve noticed that your drivers leave frequently or that you seem to have a revolving door of employees, ask yourself why these people leave. Are you firing people? Or are they leaving voluntarily? If they’re leaving voluntarily, why are they jumping ship?
Lots of the time employees become jaded with their jobs and want to leave when there are miscommunications about expectations. Employees like to know what’s required of them and what they’ll be expected to do in the course of their jobs. If the job isn’t what they thought it would be, they might be inclined to find another one. Broken promises on the part of the employer also don’t endear companies to their workers – there has to be trust. Excessive workloads are another thing that could drive people away. Towing is hard work, but is it getting out of control? Your employees know that they’re in for a demanding job, but they didn’t sign up to be worked to death.
Knowing why your drivers are leaving is step one of figuring out how to keep people at your company. You can’t fix a problem if you don’t know what it is.
How to keep your valued drivers.
Having safe drivers who have plenty of towing experience can help you save money on your tow truck insurance rates. There are a few things you can do to keep your drivers at your wrecker business.
Tell them that they’re appreciated.
No one likes to feel like they’re overlooked. Your drivers need to feel like the work that they do matters, and that you notice how hard they work. Are there things you can do to show your drivers that you care, like providing lunch for them every once in a while? These things can go a long way.
Be honest with drivers who aren’t meeting your expectations.
If you have a driver who isn’t meeting your expectations, be honest with them about it. Let them know that you’re there to help, and give them solutions that will help them do better. Make sure that they don’t feel like they’re on their own. If you notice improvements, tell them!
The trick is to have a workplace where all employees are accountable for meeting the expectations and guidelines that you have for them.
Have clear goals and values.
Make sure that your drivers know what they’re working towards and how they’re supposed to act. They need to know what you want them to do, and they need to know that everyone is being held accountable to the same values. You can’t let one driver act a certain way and then penalize someone else for acting the same way.
Give your drivers feedback and one-on-one time.
Your drivers need to know that you know they exist. Setting aside some time to meet with every driver goes a long way to let them know that they’re a valued part of your business. This is also a great time to give feedback so that the driver knows where they stand.
When a driver leaves.
Despite your best efforts, there might be times when your employees choose to leave your towing business. If this is the case, try to catch up with them about six months after they leave to get an idea of what caused them to go. The logic of waiting a bit is that the employee will be more willing to speak their mind if they’re secure in another job when you ask them about their departure.
A note about hiring.
Another way to reduce your driver turnover is to make sure you’re hiring the right drivers in the first place. When you hire, be completely honest about the job requirements and what it will involve. You need to find people who are a good fit – these are the people who are more likely to stay with your business.
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The tow truck industry changes quickly, and it’s important to have good people that you can rely on working for you. Do what you can to keep people around – they’re the heart of your business, after all.
Do you need some tow truck insurance quotes? Great! We would love to help you out with that. Our team of wrecker insurance experts can help you identify your risks and build an insurance plan to protect you from them. All you have to do to get in touch with one of our agents is fill out our quick quote form or give us a call today.
