Here are just a few ideas to get you started for your new rewards catalog. You can incentivize company truck drivers by:
Giving company-specific awards like company-branded gear. Just make sure these things are cool or useful so people actually want them! Furthermore, they should be the best quality possible and limited quantity available.
Some good examples for rewards are:
- Limited-edition trucking T-shirt;
- Truckers hat;
- Coffee mugs;
- Notebooks;
- Water bottles.
You can get almost anything branded or personalized, but there are some things that are of a special value to the drivers and have no cost like:
- Lunch with the President/CEO/Leader;
- Professional Development courses.
Some other things with which you can incentivize company truck drivers include:
- Trucking books/Audio books and eBooks; ; (like example: A studying guide for the HAZMAT practice test, or a book where freight class codes are explained);
- Local Favorites/ Restaurants coupons;
- Personalized CD with best trucker songs;
- Trucking movies DVD‘s;
- Courses;
- Concert tickets;
- Tickets for local attractions; (like upcoming Monster truck show events or other trucking industry events);
- Time off;
- Electronic gadgets for their cab;
- Gift Cards;
- Car Rental/ Gas voucher (filling the employees ¾ ton truck can means a lot more then you think);
- Health, wellness and fitness centers memberships.
This list is endless. Everything that is given with a purpose can mean a lot to the person receiving. So use our own unique and creative way to incentivize company truck drivers and reward them with things they will genuinely value.
There are many gifts for truckers! You just need to choose the right one!
2. Implement Driver of the Month Award
Another good way to incentivize company truck drivers is by implementing a “Driver of the Month Award”.
Many trucking companies are using this technique or better to say program, to give appreciation towards their loyal drivers.
You/ the compliance department can identify every month few drivers with clean work and safety histories and give them a reward.
Drivers who are in good standing and have a good safety record will leave a good score on the Safety and Fitness Electronic Records (SAFER). So, by recognizing their good work and when you incentivize company truck drivers, you are making room for more success and progress.
It doesn’t have to be something supper fancy and expensive. It should be something that shows them they are appreciated and recognized for their hard work and contribution.
So except the certificate of appreciation, there should be a giveaway like:
- T-Shirts;
- Hats; (Patagonia hat is a good choice);
- Trucking gloves, etc.
A small token of our appreciation can go a long way!
Only a trucker with professional achievements should be nominated for this award. These nominations are then presented to the FMCSA and the Department of Motor Vehicles (DMV) for further evaluations.
3. Implement Driver of the Year Bonuses
When you to incentivize company truck drivers by implementing driver of the year bonuses, make sure you always pick the best drivers for the prize.
You are probably wondering, “Why I am saying this”?
Well my experience has shown me that this kind of truck driver awards is one of the most sensitive ones.
Like for example, you might have more than one driver who is eligible for the award and you have to be careful to not hurt somebody’s feelings.
So, with other words you will have 12 drivers of the month nominated for 1 driver of the year bonus program.
In cases like that, you should set up the standards for the bonus nominees to fit only one person maybe or to make another award for the person behind him.
The nominees for a driver of the year bonuses must have:
- Minimum one year of experience;
- Have safe and courteous driving;
- Must have driven at least 12 months accident-free.
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The best way to do this is to have multiple driver of the year bonus awards program. This way, everybody will get something. All the drivers who displayed a higher degree of excellence during the year will be recognized and awarded.
4. Have Company Recognition Bulletin Board
Every time I walk into an office the first thing that I seem to notice is whether or not they have a company recognition bulletin board. I don’t know if that’s the case with other people, but to me a company with recognition board feels like home.
I can only imagine how a recognition bulletin board feels for a truck driver, especially if his/ her name is on it!
So a recognition bulletin board where you incentivize company truck drivers by putting their name on it is a good idea to make drivers proud and happy to be part of your organization.
You should not have one of those boards where, recognitions, fliers and memos go to die! It’s so out of touch! You should have the one, which everybody will like to see!
So use your creativity, personalize the board and make it a place where the information you share will live for long!
The bulletin board should reflect your company’s overall culture. It should say the good the bad and the ugly, but it should also contain the achievements of your drivers as well as the rest of the crew like dispatchers, brokers, etc.
Now, there might be people in your organization that don’t want personal information, such as their last achievement certificate or their birthday picture hanging on the board. In that case make sure that their personal information doesn’t go public.
Other thing you should also consider is to make sure that the board is constantly updated! You should always keep the bulletin board fresh, useful and fun to look!
5. Develop a Friendly Relationship
Build positive relationships with your employees! That doesn’t have to be the friendliest relationships on earth, but it should definitely be a respectful one.
