Evaluation Process

The process starts when a driver or independent contractor currently working with the company nominates them as a Best Fleet. Only one nomination is required, but somebody driving a truck on behalf of the company has to speak up.

Nominated fleets complete an online questionnaire that collects information about company programs and policies across a variety of different categories. The specific questions change over time, based on developments and trends in the industry, but the categories remain the same:

• Business Information
• Compensation
• Benefits
• HR Strategy
• Operational Strategy
• Performance & Recognition
• Development & Career Path
• Work / Life Balance

While the questionnaire is updated for every edition of the program, many questions are consistent. After completing the questionnaire once, participating fleets can use their answers in subsequent years to expedite the process.

After the questionnaire is complete, CarriersEdge representatives conduct a follow- up interview with the fleet to review the information provided in the questionnaire. Interviews are conducted over the phone and typically require 75-90 minutes to complete.

Why have both a questionnaire and an interview?

The interview supplements the questionnaire by allowing us to discuss programs and verify the details of what fleets are actually doing. This helps to minimize the effect of any “marketing speak” that may have made its way into the questionnaire, but also allows us to expand on programs that fleets undersell or overlook. It’s not uncommon for fleets to have innovative programs and not even realize how different those offerings are. The interviews help us pull out those overlooked details and get a real sense of what fleets are doing for their drivers.

The final stage of data collection requires drivers/contractors at participating fleets to complete a survey about their experiences with the company. The minimum number of driver surveys required depends on the size of the fleet. All surveys are completed online and names of participating drivers are not shared with the company.

Driver surveys are much shorter than corporate questionnaires, typically requiring about 15 minutes to complete.

After the data is collected, winners are determined by scoring fleets for the programs they offer, the satisfaction of their drivers/contractors, and results they’re seeing in safety performance and driver retention.

The top scoring fleets are named as Best Fleets to Drive For for the year.

Best Fleets are recognized each year across a variety of categories:

• Top 20 Best Fleets
  The 20 fleets that have the best overall scores for the year.
• Best Overall Fleet for Large Carriers and Best Overall Fleet for Small Carriers
  The two fleets in the Top 20 that have the absolute best overall scores. One fleet selected from the 10 largest carriers in the Top 20, the other from the 10 smallest. These fleets are presented with a trophy in recognition of their achievement.
• X Consecutive Years
  Fleets that make the Top 20 for 5 or more consecutive years are recognized for their consistency and innovation.
• Fleets to Watch
  5 fleets each year that have innovative programs but didn’t make the Top 20.
• Hall of Fame
  Fleets making the Top 20 for 10 consecutive years, or 7 years plus an overall win, are inducted into the Hall of Fame. Hall of Fame fleets need to requalify each year to remain in the hall.

The Top 20, Fleets to Watch, Hall of Fame, and X consecutive year winners are announced through social media and press at the end of January each year.

The overall winners are unveiled at the Best Fleets Education & Awards Conference in April.

Data compiled through each year’s edition of the program is published in that year’s Final Results book.