When Tucker Freight came under new ownership in 2018, there were 28 drivers. Today, there are nearly 300. That kind of growth doesn’t happen by accident. It takes intention, consistency, and a willingness to invest in people at every stage of the driver lifecycle.

In this episode of Attention Retention, hosted by Jackie McManus, CEO of KJ Media, Cody McClain, Vice President of Safety and HR, and Dany Lynn, HR Manager, shared how Tucker Freight modernized recruiting, safety, and culture without losing their people-first foundation.

Speed and Clarity After the Apply

In a competitive market, how quickly you respond to a driver matters. Tucker Freight prioritizes speed to lead, but pairs it with clarity on next steps.
Cody emphasizes that drivers are applying to multiple carriers at once. The fleets that respond quickly and communicate clearly stand out.
“It shouldn’t have a lot of vernacular or garbage in there. It should just be pretty clear: if you want to continue, this is what you do. Quick, clear, and efficient.”
— Cody McClain

Retrain to Retain

Tucker Freight treats driver development as an ongoing investment. Their safety team operates with a simple mantra: retrain to retain.
Rather than moving quickly to terminate when issues arise, the team focuses on coaching and correction. The goal is to catch problems early and give drivers the tools to succeed.
“We’ll retrain and retrain and retrain just to make sure they’re here. They just have to be bought into that coaching.”
— Cody McClain

Control the Controllables

Weather delays, shipper issues, and traffic are outside a driver’s control. Attitude and behavior are not. Tucker Freight builds this philosophy into their coaching conversations.
The message is consistent across the organization: focus on what you can change, communicate through the rest.
“There’s going to be bad days, but if we’re controlling what we can control, we can talk through the rest of it. We’re not always going to agree, but we’re going to explain why.”
— Cody McClain

Structured Touchpoints Through Year One

Onboarding at Tucker Freight doesn’t end after orientation. The team schedules structured check-ins throughout a driver’s first year with driver managers, safety coaches, maintenance directors, and leadership.
Each touchpoint is tied to a driver’s “firsts”: first paycheck, first breakdown, first time navigating the settlement system. The goal is to catch friction early and reinforce that the company is a resource.
“We want them to establish that clear feedback loop so we can know what we need to improve on, and they know the expectations we have of them.”
— Cody McClain

Building Driver Identity, One Truck at a Time

One detail that sets Tucker Freight apart is their fleet. There’s no single fleet color. Instead, trucks come in a variety of colors—what the team calls a “bag of Skittles”—and drivers often name them: Green Machine, Purple Pete, Betty Blue.
It sounds simple, but it builds pride and individuality. Drivers post photos of their trucks on social media, and the company celebrates them.
“It adds an individualism to the drivers. They like to drive their truck, they like to show it off.”
— Cody McClain

Recognition That Involves Everyone

Tucker Freight runs a driver of the quarter and driver of the year program, but nominations come from across the organization. Dispatchers, maintenance techs, detailers, office staff—anyone can nominate a driver based on even a single positive interaction.
The result is recognition that feels earned and meaningful. One recent driver of the year went on to win the Iowa Motor Trucking Association’s Professional Driver of the Year award.
“He just says, ‘I’m just doing my job. I don’t think I deserve this.’ But you could tell it truly meant the world to him.”
— Dany Lynn

The Power of Thank You

When asked what carriers with limited budgets could do right now to improve recognition, Dany’s answer was simple: pick up the phone.
“Smallest, easiest thing, and everyone can do this within minutes, is just pick up the phone and tell the driver, thank you. It doesn’t have to be driver appreciation week to appreciate a driver. It should be every day.”
— Dany Lynn

Quick Tips You Can Apply This Week

  • Respond to driver applications quickly and with clear next steps
  • Build structured touchpoints through a driver’s first year, not just orientation
  • Coach before you terminate: retrain to retain
  • Let anyone in your organization nominate drivers for recognition
  • Give drivers ways to personalize their truck and share it on social
  • Call a driver this week just to say thank you

The message from Tucker Freight is clear: growth comes from consistency, communication, and treating drivers like people worth investing in. When the culture is real and the follow-through is consistent, drivers stay and fleets grow.

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