When a diverse group of employees have a voice and a seat at the table, trucking companies can benefit.
“One of the biggest things that you can do to help people stick around, feel good, and contribute to the company positively is give them a voice,” says Mark Murrell, president of CarriersEdge and co-creator of the Best Fleets to Drive For program. “And we are starting to see that in the Best Fleets now.”
That starts with listening to employees — and acting on what you hear.
People are more likely to stay with companies where they feel heard and where their feedback leads to real change.
Murrell has long emphasized the importance of creating open lines of communication with truck drivers. But when managing a more diverse workforce, that kind of feedback loop becomes even more critical.
“One of the things that we have said for years and years to fleets is to ask drivers what they want. Ask drivers what they think about things,” Murrell says. “Don’t just sit back and wait for them to come to you.”
An open-door policy isn’t enough. Nor is relying solely on anonymous surveys. “It works way better to be proactive and go out there and ask,” he says.
And this advice holds true for non-driving employees, as well.
Creating Space for Conversation
The importance of giving everyone a voice guided Atlas World Group after it rolled out companywide bias-awareness training developed in partnership with the University of Evansville — training that resulted in an American Trucking Associations Change Leadership Award in 2024.
Following the training, Atlas offered optional listening sessions where employees could share follow-up ideas and their own workplace experiences.
“I was very happy with people feeling comfortable enough to share their personal experience,” says Kelly Cruse, vice president of human resources and chief diversity officer at Atlas.
The sessions provided a forum for employees to express concerns, ask questions, and offer ideas.
Some of the most tangible results of those listening sessions came from employee suggestions.
“The African American History Museum is near our headquarters,” Cruse says, “so the company invited guest speakers from the museum and provided free museum tickets for employees.”
Who Gets Heard, Who Gets to Lead: Rethinking Trucking Culture
But listening alone isn’t enough. Companies also need to think about who gets a seat at the table.
Real change happens when the people helping steer the company also bring a variety of backgrounds and perspectives to the conversation.
“It’s not enough to hire a workforce that looks different,” says Murrell. “Companies should make sure there is representation on committees, career path options, support in the office, and that there’s a management team where different minorities and viewpoints are represented.”
He points out that while company demographics are changing in many day-to-day roles, upper leadership is often lagging.
“If you look at the top, it’s still a bunch of … old white men,” he says. “And that’s where there’s a real opportunity for improvement.”
Real change happens when the people helping steer the company also bring a variety of backgrounds and perspectives to the conversation.
Photo: Polaris Transportation
What Good Leadership Looks Like
That shift is already happening in some of the trucking industry’s most forward-looking companies.
According to Murrell, two of the three overall Best Fleets to Drive For winners this year were women-owned companies, and they pursue strategies that are good for both workforce representation and the business.
At Atlas World Group, having people in leadership who bring different experiences is already making an impact.
“We’re starting to see how, when we have strong leaders in our organization, that is broadening perspectives,” Cruse says.
Preparing the Next Generation of Trucking Leaders
One company putting strategy behind its commitment to balanced leadership is Polaris Transportation Group. In 2022, Polaris launched the Larry Cox Academy, a 15-month program to help team members gain broad knowledge and leadership skills by rotating through different parts of the company.
“They choose one person to learn about different parts of the company and take online courses,” explains Brenda Brajkovich, vice president of human resources at Polaris.
“They get to learn IT, planning, dispatch, so many different things that they probably wouldn’t have been exposed to.”
Brajkovich says the program is helping shape the future leadership pipeline at the company.
“It really sets the pace of who our next generation within Polaris are going to be leaders.”
Up Next: The Growing Role of Women in Trucking Roles
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