How to Deal with a Driver Shortage During the Holidays

How to Deal with a Driver Shortage During the Holidays | FuelZ

The holidays are a challenging time for any fleet owner. Demand usually goes up around the holidays, especially for a shipping fleet, and this can be really good for business. The problem that arises is that most of your drivers would like to be home with their families and use some vacation time over the holidays. A short supply of drivers will cause a struggle to keep up with increased demand. With this added strain, the chances of something going wrong increases. Here are some suggestions from a fuel card company on how to deal with driver shortages this holiday.

Hire Right Before the Holidays

In any normal company, employees will leave for various reasons. For fleet companies, the best time to do your hiring for the coming year is right before the holidays, when your need for drivers is greatest. This will give you the largest driver pool at the most optimal time of the year. Be careful not to wait until the holiday rush is already upon you. This could lead to more problems if adequate time isn’t allowed for training purposes.

Offer a Hefty Referral Bonus

Look to your drivers — they can probably pull from their years on the road to recommend new drivers with industry experience. They not only know what the job entails, but have a good idea which of their friends would do a great job. Offering a hefty referral bonus will incentivize drivers to find the right people for the job.

Increase Pay Incentives Over the Holidays

While not everyone is swayed by pay incentives, many drivers will be willing to work during the holidays for increased pay. Take some time to think about your current incentive structure. Put yourself in your driver’s shoes, and figure out what incentives would be enough to work the holidays.

Increase Efficiency

Ultimately, a driver shortage over the holidays can lead to the need for more creative ways to run a fleet. Reducing empty miles takes planning. If it is done correctly, it will cut your required trips by half, redeeming wasted fuel and mileage for the trip back in the process. This makes your drivers twice as effective.

Fuel Card for Busy Times

Juggling drivers during the holidays can be a complicated, time-consuming task, and details of reimbursement, such as receipt tracking, can get lost in the shuffle. This can be a frustration to both drivers and managers alike. With a Fuelz fuel card, you can do away with receipts, keeping track of all expenditures with real time controls. It will save your company time and money.

Contact Fuelz today and find out how your company could benefit from fuel card services.