Heads turn when a Hirschbach tractor-trailer rolls by. At first glance, the vehicle is adorned with graffiti. Upon closer inspection, the artful design has a striking logo and tagline: "What's Your Drive?"
The eye-catching equipment leaves an impression: “This is a different type of company.” Behind the bold exterior is another standout: a unique mobile app that supports drivers and creates win-win situations for everyone involved in freight movement.
Hirschbach uses its custom mobile app to give drivers more job satisfaction through independence, respect, and teamwork.
1. Empowering Driver Independence
Truck driving is among the highest-paying jobs that don’t require college degrees. However, research shows income is not the primary factor of job satisfaction.
According to a recent 2024 What Drivers Want Survey by Commercial Carrier Journal, 30% of respondents got into trucking to experience the open road, and another 20% chose this career to avoid micromanagement. Fleets can give drivers more independence by putting more control directly into their hands. For example, a fleet-based mobile app can provide instant access to information and comprehensive job tools inside and outside the cab. Rather than call or message dispatch with urgent questions, drivers can often resolve their issues using clearly defined workflows and tools like custom workflows, trip planning tools, and one-click access to company news, payroll, training resources, and more.
With custom apps, drivers stay connected to the office during the workday to receive and respond to urgent communications. During rest breaks, they can efficiently plan their next trip from a single screen that provides fuel locations, weather, traffic data, upcoming loads, truck-safe routes, and more details.
Drivers value independence so much that 22% say they'd switch fleets for better freedom of choice for loads. Some forward-thinking fleets have extended autonomy by creating self-dispatch features in their custom apps. These features allow drivers to choose loads while automatically validating their selections meet specific requirements. This streamlined approach for load selection can reduce idle time and significantly boost driver satisfaction and productivity.
2. Simplifying the Daily Grind
According to the CCJ survey, 65% of drivers cited a lack of respect and team inclusion as significant retention challenges, second only to compensation concerns.
In today's trucking industry, fleets can show drivers respect in many ways, such as appreciation events or rewards and recognition programs. Additionally, many fleets demonstrate respect daily with custom apps that significantly improve communication speed and transparency.
Just as importantly, fleets can show drivers respect by simplifying their jobs. The same CCJ survey found that 35% of drivers cite regulatory burden as their primary job frustration. Custom mobile apps make it easy for drivers to stay compliant and complete non-driving tasks so they can focus on what matters most — arriving safely and on time while maximizing their earnings.
Hirschbach is one of the largest truckload fleets, operating over 3,000 trucks and managing 4,000 drivers across 18 locations. The Dubuque, Iowa-based company uses its custom app to connect drivers with various departments, ensuring they receive relevant information and maintain clear lines of communication. Drivers can handle everything from paperwork scanning to reviewing their earnings without picking up the phone.
Hirschbach’s mobile app, built on the Eleos platform, eliminates the need to juggle multiple applications. It gives drivers step-by-step workflows for each load, visibility of hours-of-service data, and trip-planning tools for selecting fueling and rest breaks, monitoring weather and traffic information, and turn-by-turn voice navigation.
3. Creating a True Team Atmosphere
Fleet-based mobile driver apps can be instrumental in building stronger team connections within fleets. The key lies in their ability to implement driver suggestions for workplace improvements quickly.
Hirschbach's CIO, Quek Song, highlights this advantage, noting how the Eleos platform allows immediate modifications based on driver feedback. Before using Eleos, the fleet had an off-the-shelf app from a different provider and experienced delays in addressing its needs.
“The most significant difference is that an off-the-shelf app is closed. If you want something done, you must engage the vendor to do it for you. With Eleos, whatever you want to do, you can do it. You have the platform, and you can make any improvement you want,” he said.
The company said it's recent transition to the Eleos platform has improved driver satisfaction. Song credits the engagement of a Driver Ambassadors committee with actively shaping new app enhancements. The committee gives drivers a genuine sense of ownership and responsibility in the company's technological evolution.
Jeff Nemmers, Hirschbach data engineer, said the platform's flexibility and customization capabilities allow the fleet to provide drivers with real-time access to critical information, including miles driven, safe miles achievements, fuel usage statistics, and detailed pay information through the highly rated MyInfo section.
Elevating the driver experience
With support for Android and iOS devices, drivers can use their devices for load documentation, directly enabling immediate paperwork submission through the app. The streamlined process has notably improved payment turnaround time for completed loads.
The fleet’s attention to detail extends to intuitive features that prioritize tasks for drivers and allow them to view new dispatches while they complete their current trips. The platform's flexibility allows seamless integration with its transportation management system , ELD telematics, and learning management system.
This integration flows across company divisions, including dedicated, over-the-road, and expedited services. The app for drivers in each division provides single-menu access to messaging, workflows, hours-of-service status, training materials, and more.
A daily to-do list reminds drivers of what they must complete when they take their next break from driving. With this crucial information at their fingertips, drivers can better manage their day and stay on the road.
“Our ability to deploy custom dashboards with automated situational updates, particularly during severe weather events through our weather forecasting partnership, helps keep our drivers informed and safe,” Nemmers said. “Our recent driver survey shows strong adoption of these features, with over 60% of respondents rating their overall satisfaction highly. The platform's stability and comprehensive toolset have made it essential to our drivers' daily operations."
With comprehensive mobile app solutions, fleets like Hirschbach demonstrate a commitment to drivers by continually improving their job experience. This results in a more engaged, independent, and satisfied workforce, proving that everyone wins by enhancing the job experience for front-line employees.
