Turnover, trust, and trucking’s dirty little secret

The reasons vary. Personal emergencies at home. Equipment problems. Too many broken promises from the company. Whatever the reason, the driver decides continuing isn't worth it. They'd rather risk their last paycheck, burn bridges, and probably take a hit on their professional record than to keep driving. 

The thing is, issues usually bubble up before they boil over. Meaning there was probably a chance at intervention before the driver left the truck behind.

Truck abandonment is a particularly dramatic version, but toxic churn happens in other frontline roles and industries, too. It’s the kind of turnover that isn't about the job itself but how people feel doing it. And while other roles and responsibilities might not have a whole truck to leave behind, when technicians, dispatchers, and other frontline workers walk away from their jobs, it disrupts operations, delays service, and creates frustration for those left to pick up the slack. Not only that, when good talent leaves, they take working knowledge with them.

Here's how communication and accepting feedback from your drivers, technicians, and back-office employees can help keep your people (and trucks) on the road instead of the lot.

Getting ahead of brewing problems

At the core of these churn cycles, you’ll find common themes of burnout, miscommunication, and broken trust. The good news is that, with some work, these problems are typically fixable. But you can’t fix what you don’t know.

These days, there are technologies that help leaders spot problems with employee feedback. WorkStep,  the company I work for, adds a layer of anonymity, giving anonymous real-time feedback. And these platforms and resources do make the process faster, simpler, and more consistent. But the truth is, if you’re not ready to hear your workforce out and respond with some level of care, technology is not going to help.

Whether it’s a formal platform rollout or a shift in culture, what matters most is that the workforce knows someone is paying attention. And by the way, an “open door” policy isn’t going to cut it. How many people actually walk through those “open” doors? How many people call the boss’s cell phone? Most of the time, that number is zero. “Availability” is not engagement—and it’s not leadership. Real engagement, real leadership comes with action.

Sometimes it’s as simple as walking the floor, asking your frontline leaders what they’re hearing, or starting a shift with a five-minute huddle. Keep your ears open in the break room. Ask someone, “What’s getting in your way lately?” and stick around for the answer.

Anyone who’s worked with me over the last few years knows I have a few mantras I repeat constantly. One of them is “Give a damn.” Feedback doesn’t always need a formalized system and new technologies. It does always need leaders willing to give a damn.

Real-time feedback: Good for workers, good for business

As a turnover solution, worker feedback hits all the right metrics: it builds trust, boosts engagement, and surfaces issues before they spiral. But the impact goes well beyond retention.

When feedback becomes part of the culture, companies see gains in everything from safety and productivity to morale and profitability. It creates a two-way street where people feel invested and empowered, and that shift shows up across the business.

At WorkStep, we see it in action every day. The companies we partner with run smoother operations, catch problems earlier, and build work environments people actually want to be part of. We’ve seen companies save $75,000 in driver replacement costs in less than six months after opening up a feedback channel that improved culture and workforce relations. We’ve also seen feedback uncover real business problems. One midwest carrier learned that their phone system had a problem that was delaying maintenance responses and risking lost loads. It was a simple fix—and without the feedback, leaders would have never known it was a problem.

Listen like it matters (because it does)

Turnover isn’t random. It’s a reaction. When people walk away—quietly or dramatically—it’s usually because something (or multiple things) went wrong and it never got better.

Whether it’s a truck abandoned mid-route or a technician walking out of the shop, these moments don’t happen out of nowhere. They build over time, and there are signs along the way, for those willing to pay attention.

Leaders who take feedback seriously create workplaces where people want to stay because they feel like a part of something. It starts with listening—but it doesn’t end there. Once you get the feedback you ask for, put it into action and prove that the input is worth something. That way, you're not chasing abandoned trucks across the United States.