Joplin, Mo.—Aug. 27, 2013—Con-Way Truckload, a full truckload carrier and subsidiary of Con-way Inc., held a special recognition event to honor driver Bill Compton for surpassing 4 million miles driving for the company. A 33-year veteran with the same carrier, Compton bucks the industry’s driver turnover trend to become the first Con-way driver to reach this significant milestone.
Over the years, Con-way Truckload has taken a number of steps to combat the troubling pattern of driver turnover in long-haul trucking. While, according to American Trucking Associations, the average turnover rate in the industry is between 95 and 100 percent annually, Con-way Truckload’s turnover rate hovers below 70 percent. Con-way attributes its strong retention to regularly seeking driver feedback on a variety of operations and work-life issues, including the adoption of new technologies, tractor models and job satisfaction.
“Bill is the Cal Ripken of drivers,” said Saul Gonzalez, president of Con-way Truckload, referring to the former Baltimore Oriole who set a major league baseball record for consecutive games played. “His loyalty and dedication is the gold standard, not only for Con-way drivers, but the entire industry.”
To put Compton’s feat in perspective, consider that if a person drove that distance in their car, they would need to change the car’s oil 1,333 times.
“I drive a truck for a living. I like my job. I never thought about reaching any milestones,” said Compton.