February: What Readiness Really Looks Like in a Driver-Shortage Market
February is often described as a planning month in logistics, but anyone working close to driving operations knows it rarely feels that neat. Driver shortages don’t pause because the calendar says February. They are constant, structural, and felt every day on the ground.
For us, readiness in February is not about forecasts or wishful thinking. It is about understanding the reality of the driver pool we have today, reducing risk before pressure builds, and putting support in place early enough to make a difference when demand rises again in March.
The challenge is well known. There are fewer experienced drivers in the market than the industry needs, and competition for those drivers increases as soon as volumes lift. What often gets overlooked is that chasing supply at the point of pressure usually leads to poorer outcomes for everyone. Stretched drivers, short-term fixes and rising fatigue all increase risk at exactly the wrong time.
That is why retention matters more than attraction in a market like this of driver shortages. We have focused for years on keeping drivers engaged, supported and working with us consistently, not just filling shifts. Our retention rates sit above industry norms because we invest in relationships, not transactions. Drivers know what to expect from us, communication is clear, and issues are dealt with early rather than ignored until they become problems.
Referrals play a big part in that stability. When experienced drivers recommend other drivers, it is rarely about incentives alone. It is a signal of trust. It tells us that drivers are confident enough in how we operate to put their own reputation behind us. In a tight labour market, that kind of endorsement is far more valuable than broad advertising.
At the same time, readiness is not just about experienced drivers. Supporting new drivers properly matters just as much. Bringing someone new into driving without structure, guidance and honest conversations does not solve a shortage problem, it shifts risk elsewhere. February gives us the space to slow that process down slightly, make sure inductions are thorough, expectations are clear and support is in place before those drivers are exposed to busier, more pressured environments.
Another reality of this period is honesty with clients. February is when we have the clearest view of what coverage will realistically look like later in spring. It is the right time to talk openly about pinch points, flexibility and where contingency planning may be needed. Those conversations are far more productive now than they are when shifts are already going uncovered.
For me, readiness comes down to this: knowing your drivers, knowing your risks, and doing the quiet work early so pressure does not force poor decisions later. February does not feel dramatic, but it is where operational confidence is built.
When March arrives, demand will do what it always does. The question is not whether pressure will return, but how steady the system will be when it does. That steadiness does not happen by accident. It is built, deliberately, in the weeks before it is needed.
Leann Lewis, Operations Director
