Driver Experience Advisor
Key Responsibilities
Driver Engagement & Coaching
- Build strong personal relationships with drivers by understanding their goals, family priorities, and work preferences.
- Conduct regular check-ins and one-on-one conversations to address satisfaction, performance, and retention risk.
- Authorized to engage cross-functionally across all Hirschbach departments to address and resolve issues contributing to driver turnover.
- Collaborate with Driver Leaders to align on driver concerns (e.g., low miles, home time, pay, equipment) and maintain proactive communication.
- Serve as a liaison between drivers and departments including Recruiting, Safety, Payroll, and Maintenance to resolve friction points and improve experience.
- Use Workhound to monitor weekly feedback, identify trends, and directly address actionable driver comments.
- Conduct coaching interventions based on service, safety, or customer service issues, particularly with drivers in the bottom 20% of performance metrics.
- Facilitate transitions during fleet changes and ensure driver history is preserved and shared with appropriate teams.
- Act as a business coach for lease-purchase operators, providing guidance on:
- Lease structure and expectations
- Weekly financial planning and forecasting
- Fuel optimization and maintenance planning
- Tax planning (via ATBS or CPA referrals)
- Analyze driver data to identify underperforming drivers and provide targeted coaching (e.g., HOS utilization, Lytx camera performance, tablet usage).
- Promote utilization of internal tools like Luma and other educational resources to improve driver understanding and performance.
- Track key performance indicators: bonus eligibility, production, safety incidents, preventable accidents, and Workhound satisfaction.
- Maintain at-risk driver logs in AS400; resolve flagged items through cross-functional collaboration.
- Lead root cause analysis to uncover drivers’ reasons for disengagement or resignation and recommend systemic fixes.
- Participate in weekly retention meetings and escalate critical issues when needed.
- Collaborate with operations to achieve fleet goals including:
- Reducing turnover to <90%
- Increasing miles per truck to 2,500 per week
- Improving safety performance and reducing preventable accidents
- Raising the percentage of drivers qualifying for bonuses
- Partner with the Driver Experience and Operations teams to continuously improve the driver’s journey.
- Identify and address systemic issues such as inconsistent communication, payroll errors, or delayed shop repairs.
- Support change management initiatives (e.g., new pay models, technology rollouts) by acting as a voice of the driver and ensuring transparent communication.
- Share frontline insights to inform leadership decisions and continuous improvement efforts.
- Participate in process improvement initiatives and contribute to internal projects as assigned.
Driver Mentor & Ambassador Program Management
Administer and support the OTR Driver Mentor & Ambassador Program for company drivers and independent contractors.
Maintain mentor program documentation, SOPs, and the Driver Mentor Assignment Sheet to ensure accurate fleet coverage and alignment with Directors of Operations.
Partner with Directors, Driver Leaders, and Safety to identify, screen, and onboard qualified driver mentors.
Ensure mentors are trained on program expectations, boundaries, coaching skills, and documentation standards.
Monitor mentor engagement, contact cadence, and documentation to ensure consistent support for new and at-risk drivers.
Act as a liaison between mentors, Driver Leaders, and Operations to escalate and resolve retention, safety, pay, home-time, and communication issues.
Calculate monthly mentor incentives based on fleet turnover performance and submit for Director approval. (Natilie’s Report)
Track program effectiveness using retention, early-tenure turnover, and engagement metrics, and recommend improvements as needed.
Support mentor development by reinforcing leadership behaviors, professionalism, and alignment with Hirschbach values.
Ensure program compliance by reinforcing confidentiality, proper escalation, and adherence to safety and company policy.
Education and Experience
- 3+ years of experience in transportation or logistics, preferably with driver-facing responsibilities
- Demonstrated strength in identifying root causes and applying structured problem-solving
- Strong financial acumen, especially related to small business or lease-purchase operations
- High emotional intelligence with the ability to coach, persuade, and resolve conflict
- Proficiency in Microsoft Office Suite, AS400, and transportation tools (e.g., Geotab, Workhound)
- Excellent verbal and written communication skills
- Bachelor’s degree in business, Transportation, or a related field preferred
Schedule & Work Environment
- Monday–Friday, standard business hours with flexibility for after-hours support as needed
What’s in It for You:
- Bonus incentives to reward your impact!
- Day-one benefits including medical, dental, vision, and company-paid disability & life insurance.
- 120 hours of PTO — available on your first day!
- Work from home up to 160 hours after just 6 months.
- 401(k) with company support.
- A team culture that values YOU, your growth, and your leadership.