Driver Advisor

The Driver Experience Advisor serves as a strategic and relational support partner for both lease-purchase operators and company drivers. This role integrates coaching, operational oversight, and business mentorship to build trust, drive performance, and increase retention. By combining data-driven insights with personal connection, the Advisor plays a critical role in ensuring drivers are informed, engaged, and supported throughout their lifecycle at Hirschbach.

• 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.

• Business & Operational Support
  • 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.

• Performance & Retention Strategy
  • 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

• Team & Process Improvement
  • 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.

• 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,…