Uploaded August 2026 | Updated September 2026, 2 weeks ago
Truck driver turnover can exceed 90% at major fleets....and trucking still keeps asking what's wrong with the DRIVER. Maybe we're asking the wrong damn question.
What if trucking's driver retention problem isn't really a recruiting problem?
What if it's a LEADERSHIP problem?
On this episode of Brake Check, Charles sits down with fleet owner Pam Polyak to put trucking leadership under the microscope.
We're digging into why truck drivers quit, what happens during the critical first 90 days, driver-manager relationships, fleet culture, onboarding, frontline leadership, driver retention, detention, employee engagement and why constantly recruiting replacement drivers may be treating the symptom instead of fixing the disease.
Why do good drivers leave?
Is pay really the reason?
When does a new driver actually decide they're done?
How much does a bad dispatcher or manager cost a trucking company?
What should fleets change during the first 90 days?
And if your company keeps losing drivers...
AT WHAT POINT DO YOU STOP INTERVIEWING THE DRIVER AND START INTERVIEWING THE BOSS?
If you're a truck driver, owner-operator, fleet owner, trucking executive, dispatcher, driver manager, recruiter, safety professional or transportation leader, this conversation is for you.
Because you can buy newer trucks. Raise recruiting budgets. Add bonuses. Build better onboarding technology.
But if people keep walking out the door...
MAYBE IT'S YOU.
#Trucking #TruckDrivers #DriverRetention #TruckingIndustry #FleetManagement #TruckDriver #Transportation #Leadership
Truck driver turnover can exceed 90% at major fleets....and trucking still keeps asking what's wrong with the DRIVER. Maybe we're asking the wrong damn question.
What if trucking's driver retention problem isn't really a recruiting problem?
What if it's a LEADERSHIP problem?
On this episode of Brake Check, Charles sits down with fleet owner Pam Polyak to put trucking leadership under the microscope.
We're digging into why truck drivers quit, what happens during the critical first 90 days, driver-manager relationships, fleet culture, onboarding, frontline leadership, driver retention, detention, employee engagement and why constantly recruiting replacement drivers may be treating the symptom instead of fixing the disease.
Why do good drivers leave?
Is pay really the reason?
When does a new driver actually decide they're done?
How much does a bad dispatcher or manager cost a trucking company?
What should fleets change during the first 90 days?
And if your company keeps losing drivers...
AT WHAT POINT DO YOU STOP INTERVIEWING THE DRIVER AND START INTERVIEWING THE BOSS?
If you're a truck driver, owner-operator, fleet owner, trucking executive, dispatcher, driver manager, recruiter, safety professional or transportation leader, this conversation is for you.
Because you can buy newer trucks. Raise recruiting budgets. Add bonuses. Build better onboarding technology.
But if people keep walking out the door...
MAYBE IT'S YOU.
#Trucking #TruckDrivers #DriverRetention #TruckingIndustry #FleetManagement #TruckDriver #Transportation #Leadership
