Just as Covenant is committed to providing exceptional service and partnerships to our customers, our commitment to drivers is no different. At Covenant, we understand that current drivers and those considering joining our team have unique needs and desires related to their jobs. That’s why we invest significant efforts to increase creativity and diversity in recruiting initiatives, strengthen internal programs for current drivers, and ensure every member of our team feels heard, appreciated and has the opportunity to grow.
“Covenant is always trying to empathize with the needs of our drivers and meet their requirements. We strive to take care of our drivers versus just sell a job to them. We care about their experience at Covenant and seek ways of ensuring that they have long, successful and productive careers with us,” said Matt Duncan, vice president of enterprise driver recruiting.
Covenant has recently ramped up its efforts to retain drivers by adding or improving the following initiatives:
Career Pathing
Covenant provides various [MD1] driving tracks that allow drivers to be home daily or have set schedules. Over 60 percent of our drivers are on a set schedule, meaning they’re able to return home on a regular basis to enjoy a balance between work and life. If a driver wants to explore a different position within Covenant that better matches their career aspirations, we make it easy to do so through our new online transfer portal.
Driver Communication
Drivers have unique communication preferences. Covenant drivers can tell us if they prefer text messages, emails or phone calls. And when we reach out, we do so with only the most relevant information to be mindful of their time.
Staying Competitive
Great drivers deserve great pay. Covenant stays abreast of market trends to remain competitive in our industry and ensure our drivers are compensated fairly, with room to grow. We are also attuned to the growing prevalence of female drivers within the industry and our own company, proudly seeking the best ways to support their career growth.
Rewarding Military Experience
We recognize the value that drivers with a military background bring. That’s why we operate several training programs tailored to veterans and even active-duty U.S. Army personnel. The programs include on-the-job training, credit for military experience applied to a Covenant driving role, and our driving school program even qualifies for continued benefits with the G.I. Bill that venture past tuition, and much more. Learn more here (page 46).
Starting with the Best
We have a recruiting team that travels to 100+ driver schools nationwide to locate and hire the best drivers at the start of their careers. We then reward the talent we find with our aforementioned benefits with the goal of retaining drivers.
Altogether, these initiatives have increased driver retention by 36 percent in the past year alone.
Additionally, Covenant has strategies to continually incentivize drivers while simultaneously growing the business and serving our partners. Some of these include:
Driver Geographic Density
Certain areas demand higher coverage, so we maintain a higher driver density in strategic areas across the southeastern and southwestern parts of the country. This ensures a driver is always available. It’s one more way Covenant supports our drivers, as well as ensure supply chain integrity for our customers.
Private Fleet Conversion
When the opportunity arises, we approach a company that requires a fleet of trucks to transport its product/s and offer to absorb the fleet into our own. This allows us to make the company’s transportation logistics more efficient and cost-effective while diversifying our portfolio. Ever mindful of the drivers experiencing the change, we maintain continuity of benefits and offer bonuses and competitive pay.
Ultimately, Covenant is focused on the long-term relationship with each of our drivers. From hiring to retirement, our goal is to give each driver the most fitting opportunities within our company and provide the best employee experience in the industry.
