In the never-ending quest to fill the driver pipeline , technology just might be your biggest ally . And while nothing can substitute for human connection , some of the most important innovations in connecting drivers and carriers have been digital .
For one company , Tenstreet , technology has super-charged the carrier-to-driver connection . “ We join carriers and drivers through the entire lifecycle of the driver ,” says Marilyn Surber , head of industry relations for Tenstreet and a recent first-time exhibitor at CLDA ’ s Final Mile Forum . applying for jobs . That ’ s usually their first interaction with it ,” says Surber . Right now , there are 2.3 million drivers using Tenstreet ’ s mobile app , Driver Pulse , with over 300,000 drivers active each month .
“ For carriers , the dashboard allows them to connect with drivers in the app to find , hire , train , retain and coach ,” says Surber . “ They have all the information right in front of them to recruit , run background checks , and complete onboarding forms and training modules . We strive to give the carrier a full picture of the driver . Did they have any accidents ? What training has happened since then ? How many hard-braking events do they have ? Are they getting speeding tickets ?”
Tenstreet ’ s roots are in the trucking business . “ We ’ ve been in business since 2006 . We have 4,400 clients and the majority of those are truckload carriers . We entered the final-mile space four years ago fueled by the driver shortage that was building in that space ,” she said . “ Final-mile carriers traditionally have had fewer problems hiring drivers . Now , they are having the same difficulties of hiring and retaining drivers that those in the truckload market have experienced forever . We have a lot of clients in that market but not as many as we want . It ’ s the reason we exhibited at the Final Mile Forum to help these carriers as well .”
The Technology Connection
Tenstreet ’ s dashboard and mobile app represent an innovation in the way carriers establish and maintain relationships with both employee drivers and independent contractors . “ The app plays a part in the lifestyle of those relationships . For drivers , it ’ s about finding and
To give carriers this big picture , innovations in technology now allow carriers access to safety telematics . Tenstreet integrates data from popular safety telematics companies so carriers can see the driver ’ s full story . “ This is very new in last-mile ,” says Surber . “ But it ’ s starting to become more mainstream , and people are asking for it . They can also view camera footage in the same place they see other data points and then create a follow-up with one click . That ’ s a useful innovation ,” says Surber .
For carriers , having all safety-related information in one dashboard protects them . “ This way they ’ re not leaving themselves open to lawsuits or claims of negligence , because they have all this data in front of them ,” she says . “ If there are action items , such as certifications they need to renew , they have a place to manage those actions . That ’ s helpful from a liability standpoint . They can manage the compliance of drivers right from the dashboard . It ’ s the big picture in one place .”
spring 2023 I customized logistics & delivery Magazine 27