Sales drivers: A secret weapon on the road

They drive a truck. But they’re more than truck drivers.

Over the years, truck drivers have ascended to a special role within the Orgill logistics scheme — driver, delivery specialist and, maybe more importantly, ambassador.

“We consider our truck drivers almost our second sales reps,” said Randy Williams. “They’re in the stores every week. We’ll hear our customers say, ‘If you need to make a route adjustment, that’s fine. But I don’t want to lose my driver.’ ”

The relationships pay off — whether it’s calling ahead to the store manager when a truck is stuck in traffic, or picking up feedback from a store operator, often avoiding small problems before they grow into big problems.

One of the keys to fostering those relationships at the store level, Orgill says, is in route planning. The company offers its drivers the luxury of consistent and regular routes. “We’re telling our truck drivers, you get to sleep in your own bed at least five nights a week,” Williams said. “For most truck drivers industry-wide, they’re not doing that.”

Other steps to boost driver morale: The distributor says it conducts wage surveys to keep its pay scale competitive. And trucks are equipped with Peoplenet onboard and pallet jacks — both designed to make it easy on the drivers.

“Everybody talks about driver shortages, and that may impact us someday,” Williams said. “But that’s generally not an issue for us.”