Assignment 1-4

As discussed in my last paper, there are many issues that affect the trucking industry. As we look at a trucking company’s internal environment issues, many of those issues are the same or are similar to the industry as a whole. The company I looked at is confronting the following issues in its internal environment: retaining drivers, increased fuel costs, dispatcher communication, and compliance issues.

First we will look at retaining drivers. With the shortage of qualified truck drivers, there is stiff competition among trucking companies. After my husband obtained his CDL, his phone was ringing off the hook; each company boasting why they were better than the competition. The “perks” of trucking driving have increased over the years with companies focusing on work/life balance and many companies now offer guaranteed home time.

Being a small trucking company, it is hard to obtain and retain qualified truck drivers. Not being able to offer all the “perks” that a larger company can will limit their ability to find drivers. The role that management might take to address this issue is look at offering a benefit package to its employees. A well-rounded benefit package could include: personal time off, health insurance, 401k, and a specific pay scale. One way to retain employees would be to offer a bonus or incentive for employee’s staying with the company. Management might suggest that a $250 bonus is paid when an employee as been with the company one year, maybe even double it to $500 if an employee stays five years.

Next to salary, the biggest request by truckers is home time. For a company to be able to offer consistent home time is a big incentive for drivers. In my personal situation, my husband went to work for a smaller trucking company so he could run local. Sure he isn’t getting paid as much as he would working for a large company, but for us, home time was our top priority. For a “rookie” in the business, he was told the normal is out...