NEWS IN BRIEF, Continued from page 11
required all drivers with BMIs of 35 or above to undergo a sleep study, Jones notes that the Eighth Circuit found it unnecessary for the carrier to consider any employee’s unique characteristics beyond BMI before it could require test- ing. “This determination gives motor carriers leeway to craft workable safety policies that, in turn, can help them
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reduce exposure for allegedly fatigued drivers.” Is there any downside to the rul-
ing? Jones says “Perhaps so. In defend- ing against fatigued-worker accident claims, some employers have argued that, under the ADA, the employer had no right to compel testing. In clearing the way for sleep apnea testing of driv- ers, Parker may make such an argument a much tougher sell.”
ATA MEMBER REDUCES DRIVER TURNOVER WITH RETENTION SOFTWARE Texarkana-based carrier Southern
Refrigerated Transport (SRT) announced a 16% reduction in driver turnover in a white paper published by WorkHound, a software platform company for retain- ing drivers. WorkHound, whose mobile plat-
form allows drivers to share feedback with their employers, conducted a case study with SRT’s 900 drivers. Using the software, companies gain insight about the driver experience. “If it costs $4,000 to replace a driv-
er [at SRT], and you’re losing 10 drivers a week, that’s a lot of money,” said Terri Lafayette, recruiting director at SRT. Lafayette sees the company’s family
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atmosphere as influential to its success. The decision to use WorkHound came after structural changes inside the com- pany put the driver’s fleet manager in charge of any and all needs that drivers may have. Formerly, these needs were handled by SRT’s two-person driver rela- tions department. “In trucking, it is really important
and expense tracking in the palm of your hand.
to understand and address urgent issues at the speed of business,” said Max Farrell, co-founder of WorkHound. “[Carriers] may survey drivers and sit on the information for three months, but they’ll lose a lot of people in that time.” SRT began using WorkHound in
February 2016. Drivers use their smart- phones to share anonymous feedback, praise, problems and ideas with their carriers through WorkHound. The soft- ware then aggregates the feedback data and turns it into insights so carriers can react to issues and retain drivers.. According to American Trucking
Associations, turnover continues to skyrocket around the industry. In the fourth quarter of 2015 alone, driver turnover rates at large truckload carriers climbed to 102 percent. “WorkHound was a very worth-
while investment, and I think other companies are going to have to do the same thing,” Lafayette said.
Issue 6 2016 | ARKANSAS TRUCKING REPORT
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