Truckload Carriers Association (TCA) will be hosting an audio conference from 11 a.m. to 12:30 p.m. (EST) on Dec. 11, on how to effectively manage new drivers in their "First 30 Days" with your company.

Too often, after drivers complete their orientation, they are left to sink or swim on their own. Most drivers will leave before they drown.
This audio conference will provide the tools to help your company implement a plan that will ensure that company drivers and owner-operators survive that critical 30-day period.
After this seminar, you will know what separates high-retention carriers from high-turnover carriers, and will be able to answer the following:
-- What training and information should be part of orientation?
-- How do you make a new driver's first road trip a success?
-- What are some ways to get the family involved?
-- How do you establish bonds with the driver to make sure that minor problems stay minor?
-- How do you anticipate retention issues and avoid them?
Anyone involved with driver management/recruiting can participate. That includes human resource directors, fleet/driver managers, operations directors and/or CEOs.
The audio conference features a panel of speakers who will provide valuable information and practical advice on the best way to work with your drivers, along with responding to several question and answer periods. Speakers include:
David Goodson, director of transportation excellence for KPMG, LLP, St. Paul, Minn. Goodson is a former truckload industry executive and management consultant specializing in carrier profitability and driver retention. He is author of the leading book on retention in the industry, entitled, "How to Recruit and Retain Drivers."
Chuck Johanns, recruiting and retention analyst for Dart Transit Co., Eagan, Minn., has 30 years in the transportation industry. His areas of expertise include operations, recruiting, driver training and retention.
He currently works directly with independent owner-operators to solve problems that would otherwise lead to turnover.
Kerry Kearl, vice president of company fleets for Crete Carrier Corp., Lincoln, Neb., has more than 30 years of experience in virtually every area of the trucking industry, including maintenance, operations, marketing, safety, senior management and as a driver and owner-operator. He has spent the last 15 years working for Crete in its safety and company fleets departments and has helped Crete maintain one of the lowest OTR driver turnover rates (37%) in the country.
Colin Heupel, director of human resources for Voyager Express Inc., Denver, Colo., is responsible for recruiting, selection and orientation of new drivers, assisting in organization and implementation of safety programs and procedures, and supervision/remedial training of drivers. Voyager won TCA's Grand Prize Fleet Safety Award in 2000 for fleets under 25 million miles.
The cost to participate in the audio conference, which includes the handouts and materials, is $129 for TCA members and $159 for non-members. Audiotapes of the conference will be available for the same fee as the live audio conference for those who cannot participate on the day of the event, or for $59 for those who do participate.
To register, visit www.truckloadacademy.org and click on "audio conferences." Or call (800) 775-7654. To get the most out of the audio conference, participants are urged to dial in using a speakerphone, and have as many employees as possible listen in, all for the same cost. The seminar will include an interactive question-and-answer session so that many of the participants' questions can be addressed.