Eight benefits of a truck driver mentor program

Safety and training are essential in the trucking industry. After all, accidents can cause injuries, even fatalities, leaving open driver spots. Accidents can also cost companies a lot of money through insurance and vehicle damage.

The power of mentoring is not often discussed in training strategies to improve driver safety. Learn how a truck driver mentor program can elevate your entire fleet’s skills. 

The difference between a mentor and a manager

To highlight the importance of a mentorship program, it’s essential to differentiate a mentor from a manager.

First, a mentor is on the same level as a new driver. A manager, on the other hand, is in a position of power. That power imbalance can cause stress to new drivers, and in an attempt to look better, they might not ask questions.

The relationship between a mentor and mentee is much less formal than that between a manager and employee, which allows for stronger bonds between the two.

Another difference between a mentor and a manager is their goals. A mentor’s goal is singular: Help a new driver become the best driver possible. A manager, on the other hand, has multiple, wide-ranging goals that focus on the company as a whole. 

The difference between a mentor and a trainer

What about a trainer and a mentor? These terms are often used interchangeably. However, they are two different, but important, roles.

A trainer tends to have multiple students, leaving little time for them to give the one-on-one attention that new drivers need. Additionally, as with managers, there tends to be a more formal relationship between the trainer and student.

A mentor is usually assigned to one person, allowing plenty of time for personalized attention. They don’t have to answer multiple people’s questions and can fully focus on their mentee’s development as a driver.

A mentor can also provide more in-depth information than a trainer on how to perform specific tasks. This goes back to having to focus on many people versus a single individual.

A trainer has to make their lessons accessible to people at all skill levels, which means they can be surface level. A mentor can provide the right amount of information for the individual’s skill level. In addition, they have more flexibility with their teaching. Trainers usually have a set course prepared, while mentors can teach situation by situation.

8 benefits of a mentorship program

There are many benefits to initiating a truck driver mentor program in your company. 

1. Learning from experience

Introducing an experienced driver as a mentor will help fill in the gaps that traditional training creates. Learning how to do something and actually doing it are two very different things - especially when it comes to trucking.

Many scenarios can occur on the road that training wouldn’t cover. A driver with enough experience to become a mentor has probably seen it all. They can explain to new drivers how to handle these situations in easy-to-understand terms. 

2. Providing room to make mistakes

Due to the informal relationship between a mentor and a mentee, there is more space for mistakes. Mistakes are part of the learning process but can significantly cause stress if made in front of a boss. 

A mentor allows mistakes to be acknowledged and corrected with helpful advice without causing the new driver to fear they may lose their job. The best drivers are created when there’s room to make and learn from mistakes. 

3. Providing career advancement for mentors

Career advancement is a crucial way to retain drivers, and mentoring is a great avenue for advancement. Proper instruction can shape a good mentor into a strong trainer or manager. Letting experienced drivers know that mentoring could be the next step in their career will help provide them with job satisfaction. 

4. Acknowledging a mentor’s skills

Promoting a driver to mentor, even informally, acknowledges a driver’s skill. Everyone appreciates being recognized for their hard work, especially in trucking, where the work can be grueling.

5. Creating a more collaborative environment for everyone

While trucking can be solitary, having a truck driver mentor program creates a more collaborative environment. The more interaction truckers have with each other, the better connections they develop - which is essential for a positive work environment.

Becoming a mentor may also cause drivers to interact more with their peers when they need information or advice to pass on to their mentees.

6. Increasing the number of safe drivers

Adding a mentorship program to your training provides extra time to ensure new drivers behave safely. Many driver errors can be deadly.

Some factors that contribute to accidents are out of the driver’s hands, but there are just as many that can be controlled.

The more training and guidance a driver receives, the more likely they are to be a safe driver - and a profitable one. The more drivers you can trust to do their job safely, the more successful your company will be.

As mentioned before, mentors have the experience to back up their advice, which can make a huge difference to new drivers. If a mentor has been in an accident, they can share about that to emphasize the importance of safe driving. They can also share safe spots to stop for the night or ways to load cargo safely. 

7. Developing skills faster

Drivers who receive guidance, advice and answers to questions will improve their skills faster compared to new drivers without a mentoring program.

There are so many tasks, routes and driving techniques to learn that having a supportive person beside you can be reassuring. That support allows new drivers to focus on developing their skills rather than being concerned about their job status or how they look to others.

8. Improving retention

The first few months of any new job can be overwhelming. It’s not uncommon for companies to lose drivers within the first few months due to the new drivers feeling like they can’t handle the job or feeling isolated from the rest of the company.

A mentor can prevent both of these problems. Through consistent guidance and assurance, new drivers can feel confident as they develop their skills. Mentors can also be a source of community by providing a safe space for new drivers to share any concerns they have, whether about their skills, not fitting in, or anything else. 

A mentorship program can be the key to your company’s success

One of the benefits of a truck driver mentor program is that new drivers get extra attention and care as they learn how to be truckers. This extra, customized attention makes safer, more profitable drivers. 

If you’re looking for other ways to provide detailed or customized training, a driving simulator can help. Driver Training Solutions driving simulators provide a scenario library that covers almost everything that can occur on the road. Users will be able to practice driving repeatedly while getting a real feel for operating a commercial truck, thanks to physical feedback built into the system.