USA Truck recently unveiled its Drive Your Plan self-dispatch system, which will give drivers more freedom and flexibility, according to the carrier.

“It addresses the age-old issue between drivers and planning,” said Nick Wakefield, vice president of human resources and driver recruiting and retention. “By giving drivers control of their pre-plans, where they want to drive, and letting them choose when to take home time we are taking steps to improve their driving experience."

The new program also gives drivers the ability to go from just getting their CDL to becoming an owner of their own trucking company without having to leave the company and the customers they are used to servicing, according to Wakefield.

The custom load board mobile app allows drivers to see all available loads in a specific market, pre-plan their week, go anywhere they choose, and then plan themselves home whenever they want, as freight allows. 

“Our drivers have loved the program during our internal roll-out,” said Blair Ewell, SVP of operations. “Drivers ran significantly more miles and the fleets on the program reported increased satisfaction scores as well.”

To qualify, company drivers must have a minimum of 12 months experience and no more than five jobs in three years. They must also maintain a 2,000-mile-per-week rolling average over several weeks, with exceptions for vacation and breakdowns. Drivers must also first complete two to three weeks of training with the extended orientation team.