Solving The Driver Problem

In this special edition four-part series of Solving The Driver Problem, we talk to some of the panelists from our upcoming Preventing a Nuclear Verdict webinar on how to implement best practices to keep drivers on the road and out of the deposition chair.

Nuclear verdicts (judgements of $1 million or more in favor of the plaintiff) are on the rise, and can be devastating to your carrier business. Our webinar panelists will give you great insights on what safety and institutional measures you can take to protect your company.

Get more information and register here:

Wednesday, March 24th - Canada Panel: https://go.avatarfleet.com/nuclear-verdict-webinar-mar-24 

Thursday, March 25th - US Panel: https://go.avatarfleet.com/nuclear-verdict-webinar-mar-25

In this special edition four-part series of Solving The Driver Problem, we talk to some of the panelists from our upcoming Preventing a Nuclear Verdict webinar on how to implement best practices to keep drivers on the road and out of the deposition chair.

Nuclear verdicts (judgements of $1 million or more in favor of the plaintiff) are on the rise, and can be devastating to your carrier business. Our webinar panelists will give you great insights on what safety and institutional measures you can take to protect your company.

Get more information and register here:

Wednesday, March 24th - Canada Panel: https://go.avatarfleet.com/nuclear-verdict-webinar-mar-24 

Thursday, March 25th - US Panel: https://go.avatarfleet.com/nuclear-verdict-webinar-mar-25

In this episode, Scott talks with Jason Kent Crowell from Brady Trucking about the recruiting evolution and how you can attract a fleet of high-quality drivers, even in the midst of the ever-changing supply and demand curve of 2020.

This is done through creating real, driver-centric recruiting ads and videos; providing a realistic job preview to potential candidates; and reaching drivers where they exist in the world: truck stops, in their cabs, and on their portable devices.

Our blog has written responses to some of Jason's work; you can find those posts here:

The First Step to Driver Retention: How You Recruit Drivers

The New Recruiting Funnel

The most recent episode of our podcast “Solving the Driver Problem” features Irwin Shires, a longtime driver and safety expert, who works as Vice-President of Education and Engagement Ohio Trucking Association & Ohio Association of Movers. He also worked for 19 years at Panther Logistics and as the Government Qualification Coordinator specializing in contractors who needed to wade through the complex process of transporting explosives and hazardous materials for the government. Our conversation covered several critical topics involving DOT compliance and audits, which allowed Shires to share his expertise with us.

Jeremiah Guappone, Senior Director of Operations and Business Development at Datagenomix, talks with Scott about the advantages of using the Facebook ad network to recruit truck drivers. Facebook is an oft-untapped resource for job recruiting, but has many beneficial features that allow you to target CDL drivers.

Jeremiah explains how it is more like fishing with a spear instead of the wide nets cast by traditional online job boards.

John Liberatore from Primacy Risk Services sits down with Scott to talk about how companies can protect their drivers and themselves from lawsuits brought on by accidents. As the founder of a company that specifically responds to accidents and gets out in front of lawsuits, he has lots of great advice for coaching drivers on what to do in the event of an accident, tactics on dealing with plaintiff attorneys, and what safety directors can do to avoid huge payouts.

Scott talks with BRISK Management Services founder Bob Bernatchez about insurance captives, a growing alternative to traditional insurance for trucking carriers. They discuss what a captive is, if joining one is right for your company, and the benefits of being a member.

Clay Merches is the president of Leading Edge Consulting, an agency that works with carriers and insurance providers to improve safety and reduce trucking accidents across the board. He talks with Scott on understanding FMCSA regulations and violations, helping carriers with bad CSA scores make drastic improvements, and what resources are available for safety directors - first and foremost, their fellow safety directors working at other companies.

In this episode, there are two visual aides referenced. You can click and view these slides below.

Slide referenced at 8:46

Slide referenced at 28:37

Scott sits down for a chat with the originator of the term "The Driver Problem," AvatarFleet founder Mark Gardner. He shares some of his history in the trucking business, how his accident 30 years ago led to the creation of his efforts to increase safety on the roadways, and how to lead your workers so they are all working toward the same goal.

This week on Solving The Driver Program, Scott talks with Chris Harris, a.k.a. The Safety Dawg, who works with trucking companies on recruiting, training, and compliance. His experience covers just about every aspect of the trucking industry, as he started out as professional driver. Since then, he has worked for over three decades in insurance risk management, trucking management (recruiting/compliance).

Chris shares his best recruiting and retention strategies, how to implement safety and training programs, and other wisdom from his long storied career in the industry.