Up Front

Family matters, even on the road

We’ve been involved in the recruiting and retention side of the business for more than 35 years, and from Day One onward, the biggest beef we’ve always heard from drivers is that they want to be treated with a little respect by their company and not “like a number.” Of course, it took perhaps the most severe driver shortage in history to bring that obvious point to the industry’s attention.

Suddenly, everyone on the recruiting and retention side of the business is talking about “lifestyle issues” in regards to drivers because they know that a happy driver is less likely to take a hike on them. Let’s face it, spending weeks at a time on the road away from the wife and kids isn’t the recommended way to build a healthy marriage.

Is it possible to do both; that is, drive over-the road and maintain love, peace and happiness on the home front? Whenever we’re faced with one of these perplexing driver questions, we go to the best source for answers. For this issue’s “Say What” feature (see page 34), we asked a handful of drivers the following question: Is it possible to maintain a good family life and drive over-the-road?

The answer is generally yes, but you need a strong spouse to hold down the fort while you’re away.