In addition to the benefits of nightly showers, a comfortable bed, and the space to spread out a little, putting drivers in hotels for overnight hauls is good for everyone involved. Aside from free continental breakfasts and accumulating hotel points, this also gives us a solution to problems having a trainee of the opposite sex may present.
Companies who have made the switch report:
• Happier drivers and increased driver retention
• Financial savings in purchasing day cabs over sleepers
• Fuel saving due to no idling
• Less wear on tractors
• Ability to carry heavier cargo compared to sleepers
Perhaps most importantly, drivers report feeling a deeper connection to their company and an increased sense of loyalty.
At Carbon Express, we made the move to Day Cab trucks in 2009 and it has been a win-win ever since. We’ve experienced a steady decrease in safety incidents since moving to day cabs, and we attribute that to our drivers being better rested and alert.
In addition to safety, eliminating sleepers allows us to haul 21% more weight than our competitors and allows us to fulfill our corporate responsibility to protect the environment.
As our own Steve Rush says, “The improvement in efficiency is there and always has been, but it has been ignored by this industry in favor of keeping the driver in the sleeper.”