Game On: Trucking Gets Creative in Attracting Young Technicians

To attract young technicians, the trucking industry has been turning increasingly toward technology and gamification in training. (Getty Images) [Stay on top of transportation news: Get TTNews in your inbox .] Millennials and Generation Z have grown up surrounded by sophisticated technologies — such as video games and augmented reality — that now are making the transition from personal pastime to business tools. Trucking companies are exploring ways to harness these innovations to attract and retain the next generation of diesel truck technicians, an important task considering the industry’s significant labor shortage. “We are short 76 technicians companywide. That’s a problem,” said Greg Roberts, director of maintenance administration at Hogan Truck Leasing, based in St. Louis. Trucking, as well as other industries, has been tweaking its approach to working with younger generations, placing greater emphasis on gamification. This practice often involves technology, such as mobile devices, but it doesn’t need to. Gamification simply means applying game-design techniques in a nongame setting to encourage workers to achieve a desired outcome. It typically incorporates accumulating points or real-life or virtual rewards and competing with peers. “These young people have a tendency to be extremely competitive,” said Kenneth Calhoun, fleet optimization manager with Altec Service Group, and also general chairman and treasurer of the Technology & Maintenance Council, a council of American Trucking Associations. His priorities include addressing the technician shortage and boosting education and training for potential and new employees. A growing body of research indicates gamification keeps young employees interested in duties, especially those they may consider repetitive, mundane or boring. Gamifying creates an interactive and motivating environment said to reduce disengagement, boost productivity and provide greater long-term job satisfaction, serving as a retention tool. In short, gamification makes work fun and employees are driven by that. Fleets can introduce […]

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