Welcome to the time of year when the football seasons wrap up, bank holidays roll in, and suddenly the idea of showing up on time becomes…optional?
If you’re in the transport and logistics industry, you’ve probably seen the pattern: warmer weather, longer days, and a spike in no-shows and late arrivals. Add a couple of last-minute “sick days” into the mix, and your morning shift plan can start to look more like wishful thinking than concrete reality.
It starts with prevention, not panic
We’ve seen enough staffing schedules unravel to know this much: the best way to handle no-shows is to stop them before they happen. That starts with proper screening and onboarding, making sure every candidate is suited to the job role, shift pattern, and working environment before they ever step foot on site. Pre-screening calls, reference checks, red flag spotting – it’s all part of how we lay solid foundations. And with a national recruitment centre and regional teams on hand, we can mobilise drivers immediately to meet demand, to make sure our clients are fully staffed and moving.
From there, we focus on staying one step ahead. Weekly updates. Shift reconfirmations. Clear absence procedures. We stay in touch, not just when something goes wrong, but on a regular basis. Because when you check in often, you spot problems before they snowball. And if someone is unavailable last minute? A two-hour call-in window gives us time to step in. When they’re back? We have a quick catch-up. No clipboard grilling, just a simple check to make sure they’re okay – because sometimes the small conversations are the most telling.
And when drivers move on, we don’t just wave them off; we ask questions. Feedback on the onboarding process, work schedules, and the day-to-day reality of the job helps us spot what’s working (and what’s not). It’s how we refine our approach, keep engagement high, and boost retention over time.
Wen life throws a curveball
No matter how much you prepare, sometimes people get sick. Cars break down. Alarms don’t go off. We get it – and we plan for it.
If someone drops out, we’re already on it. The search functionality in our candidate management system helps us identify trained, available drivers in seconds – and once we’ve got the list, our team moves fast, making direct calls and running targeted searches to get someone on-site without missing a beat.
And we don’t just plug holes – we look for patterns, tightening things up before small issues become big problems. Reacting quickly is important. Learning from it? Even better.
A safety net you can count on
We’re all about finding candidates who show up, stay on track, and keep everything running without a hitch. But we also know things can go off course. That’s why we’ve always got a backup plan ready, so when the unexpected happens, you’re never left scrambling to fill the gap.
Sunshine, sick days, sudden no-shows – we can’t control when they hit, but we can make sure you’re never caught out. So, if your current setup isn’t cutting it, let’s talk. We’re here to help you smooth things out.
