SAN ANTONIO - The 2012 Texas Trucking Industry Study shows Texas trucking companies that expect to grow this year are unique in seven key ways in terms of how they recruit and retain good truck drivers. According to the new study, companies that expect to grow are more likely to:

1. Hire drivers as employees rather than as contract workers, called owner-operators, who are responsible for most of their vehicles’ expenses.

2. Provide drivers guaranteed “at home” time, paid vacation and paid sick time.

3. Offer drivers health care and retirement plans.

4. Pay drivers bonuses for longevity and safe driving records.

5. Provide electronic onboard recorders (EOBRs) that eliminate the need for drivers to keep paper mileage logs.

6. Provide driver safety training.

7. Pay referral bonuses.

The findings are significant because the recovering economy and natural gas drilling are threatening to push truck driver turnover back above 100-percent annually in Texas, according to industry officials.

The American Trucking Associations (ATA) reported recently that turnover for large truckload fleets rose to 90 percent in the first quarter of this year, the highest level since early 2008. Moreover, small truckload fleets saw a 16-percent jump, to 71 percent, the highest level for that segment since mid-2008.

“The Texas trucking industry is faced with an ever increasing driver shortage challenge,” said John Esparza, president and CEO of Texas Motor Transportation Association (TMTA). “Through this intuitive study we are equipping our members with pertinent information to prepare for these situations and giving them tools to make educated decisions about their businesses reflective of the current economy.” 

TMTA is one of the largest state trade associations in the nation representing the trucking industry.

The Texas Trucking Alliance commissioned the 2012 Texas Trucking Industry Study to identify best practices in hiring, retention, benefits, and safety management in the Lone Star State's truck transportation industry. The study is based on a random sampling of the more than 15,000 Texas-based trucking companies.

About the Research

The 2012 Texas Trucking Industry Study is the second annual research study commissioned by the Texas Trucking Alliance (TTA). The randomized telephone survey was conducted by San Antonio-based Galloway Research Service in June 2012. It includes responses from 266 trucking company owners, CEOs and senior executives at Texas-based trucking companies in the NAICS 484 category, which includes more than 15,000 companies according to Dun & Bradstreet’s database. The research results were weighted to match the proportions of large and small companies and their geographic distributions across the state, and have a +/- 5 percent margin of error at the 90 percent confidence level.

About the Texas Trucking Alliance

The Texas Trucking Alliance is a collaboration between Texas Motor Transportation Association and four companies that have made a commitment to strengthening the Texas trucking industry: The Bassett Firm (Dallas), Business Financial Group (San Antonio), Lockton Companies LLC, and SelecTransportation Resources (Houston). The alliance promotes best practices in the Texas trucking industry by producing distinct industry research, benchmarking performance and educating industry executives and the public on trucking trends.