When you start hiring more drivers, Foley can take care of driver qualification file management.
Picture this: you just arrived home from a long, tiring day at work. You open your front door, and you’re greeted by a friendly bark, wagging tail, and smiling face. Your dog immediately improves your mood and welcomes you home with plenty of kisses and maybe even their favorite toy.
This isn’t something truckers get to experience every day. In fact, if they’re over-the-road (OTR) drivers, they may only get to see their pets once a week or even once a month, if they’re lucky.
As an employer, you can change this by allowing your drivers to bring their pets along for the ride. You may even see a boost in how you recruit truck drivers and keep them for years to come.
According to a Truckstop.com survey, 54% of professional truck drivers who already travel with a pet passenger would reconsider their careers if they weren’t allowed to take their pet with them on the road.
Especially as more Gen Z drivers are making their way into the workforce, here’s why you should consider pet-friendly cabs:
- Pets are a source of comfort and companionship for drivers who often get lonely on the road.
- Drivers may have more health awareness, as they need to take their pets for walks.
- Knowing their pets are with them and do not need supervision at home, drivers will have peace of mind.
- Better driving habits may result from employees wanting to keep their pets safe on the road.
We’ll cover each of these reasons and how they can help you recruit truck drivers in more detail below.
Comfort & Companionship
Your drivers spend a lot of time alone. Sure, they can call or video chat with their loved ones while they’re taking their 10-hour breaks, but what about the rest of the time they spend in their cabs?
Having their pets with them can help relieve any loneliness or anxiety your drivers may be feeling. Being away from their families for unknown periods of time can take a toll, but if they have a little piece of home in their passenger seat or lying across the dashboard, that may be what they need to keep on trucking from one destination to the next.
Truck driving is a physically, mentally, and emotionally demanding job, and as an employer, you should be doing anything you can to relieve the stress surrounding your drivers’ everyday duties. Inviting them to bring their pets is a step in the right direction.
Increased Health Awareness
On the same note as relieving stress, pets can be excellent reminders for your employees to take care of themselves. Every time they need to take a walk, your drivers will have the perfect excuse to get some fresh air and exercise, which they may not otherwise take the time to do while on the road.
According to the American Heart Association, dog owners are 31% less likely to die from a heart attack or stroke than non-dog owners. Since truck drivers are twice as likely to be obese compared to other US workers, having a companion who encourages better health and more frequent exercise can help your employees improve their physical condition.
Reliable Pet Care
Drivers who either live alone or have a family or roommates with busy schedules often need to figure out how their pets will get the care and attention they need while they’re on the road for days or weeks on end. They may need to rely on others to take care of their pets, or take them to daycare, which ends up being another financial expense to add to their budgets.
When pets are allowed to hop in the cab with your drivers, this burden is erased. Your employees’ pets will be with them for the entire duration of their trip and receive the frequent care they deserve. Plus, your drivers will save a few pennies, which we can all appreciate.
Careful Driving Decisions
Think about how you drive when you have passengers, children, or animals in your vehicle. You’re more likely to follow the speed limit, take turns a little slower than usual, and stop more gradually, right? The same idea applies to your drivers with their pets in the cab.
Knowing they have man’s best friend beside them, drivers will do whatever they can to ensure they get to their destination safely. You may see a reduction in speeding tickets, failed roadside inspections, and crashes with the addition of a pet-friendly driver policy.
If you’re still trying to keep an eye on your employees’ driving habits and reduce the risk of accidents, try Foley’s MVR monitoring program. You’ll be the first to know if any of your drivers commit a traffic violation. From there, you can take corrective action and keep operating a safe fleet.
Recruit Truck Drivers (and Keep Them) with a Little Help from Foley
Now that you know the benefits of allowing your employees to bring their furry friends on the open road, you may be wondering how you can create a workplace policy surrounding this new initiative. Here’s a list of 51 companies that have done just that.
Once you have a policy in place, it’s time to promote your new pet policy! Make sure you’re emphasizing it in your CDL driver job ads (and while you’re at it, make it easier for candidates to apply with Foley’s eApplication). You can also share it on your social media platforms.
If you start hiring more drivers and you’re not sure how you’re going to keep up with their driver qualification files, MVR checks, DOT drug screens and alcohol testing, or other compliance requirements, turn to the experts at Foley.
Our compliance specialists are ready to offer you a FREE demo of our DOT compliance services. We can take away the stress as your pet-loving fleet continues to grow!
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