How to Build a Trucking Culture Drivers Line Up to Join

Tracy Rushing:

We talk about culture a lot, but truly it's just the truth. Like what's the truth at that house, at that carrier? And then if their recruiting department or their sales team is tasked with telling that truth, is the operation of that fleet confirming that as truth? That's the biggest thing is like, are we selling the real opportunity, or are we selling what we think is the real opportunity, or what is our intention?

Carlo Solórzano:

Welcome to Don't Get Played, a podcast from Cisive.

This show is for talent acquisition leaders and people managers who care about trust at work. How it's built. How it's measured. And how leaders design systems that hold up when speed, risk, and accountability collide.

I'm Carlo Solórzano, Senior Director for Cisive Driver iQ.

Driver turnover is one of the most expensive problems in trucking. Most carriers know that. What fewer carriers have figured out is that the turnover problem is really a truth problem. There's often a gap between what gets sold in the recruiting conversation and what a driver actually experiences when they show up to work. That gap is where retention dies.

My guest today is Tracy Rushing, Executive Director of Safety and Recruiting at RE Garrison. Tracy has spent 30 years in this industry, starting in a scale house and working her way into building one of the more distinctive fleet cultures in trucking… a carrier with a waiting list of drivers who want to join.

In this conversation, Tracy walks us through what it actually means to build a destination employer. We talk about the Crown Driver Program and the seven kept promises indicators that RE Garrison shares with every candidate from day one. We get into how they use performance data, like accident ratios, ELD compliance, and fuel efficiency… as trust-building tools rather than “gotcha” metrics. And we talk about what it really means to vet a vendor the same way you vet a driver.

RE Garrison is a place drivers actually choose to go… and keep choosing to come back to. Tracy's going to tell us how they built that culture.

Let's get started!

Tracy Rushing. Welcome to the podcast.

Tracy Rushing:

Morning. Thank you for having me.

Carlo Solórzano:

So good to see you. Yeah, of course. Thanks for being here. We really appreciate it. Let's just jump right in. You've said R.E. Garrison has a waiting list of drivers who want to join. When did you realize that you'd actually built something different there?

Tracy Rushing:

Probably back in 2023. The mentality kind of changed of what are we really offering — are there any outliers in what we have to offer a driver versus what another carrier would? And when we walked through it and said, you know, our opportunity is different.

The way that we create the opportunity for success and then transfer the ownership of that success to the driver, and really take on the role of supporting that ownership and supporting that success, I think is what sets us apart. And when the drivers started talking about that, there was a clear shift in us seeking candidates and candidates seeking us. It was a clear shift.

And then when you throw in the fact that we're a jellybean fleet, we have multicolor fleets — you get to choose the color of your home here, you get to choose your lane for success here. The driver referral program really took off, and that's what helped us sustain our waiting list.

Carlo Solórzano:

You know, you hear it all the time, how powerful a referral is, a quality referral. Right? And I think it just can't be overstated.

Tracy Rushing:

I completely agree.

Carlo Solórzano:

So you started in a scale house, right? Like 30 years ago. How does that perspective shape how you think about what drivers actually need from a carrier?

Tracy Rushing:

So for me it just clearly defined my role. For a driver, I am the voice on the other end of the phone. I am the recalculation of hours. I am the one that's gonna be here to accept, to help you understand where you are in your recap. But I'm gonna do everything that I can to support you in your role, even if it's outside of, you know, what lane to choose today or where the cheapest fuel is along your route.

I'm here to make a phone call for you. If you can't get to a truck stop, and this is back in the day, right? Like when — if you had to get to a truck stop to make a phone call. Probably dating myself a little too heavily, but. You know, I am your support person, and I really appreciate that role. And the drivers have to put a high level of trust in the person on the other end of that phone or the other end of the messaging, or however we're communicating with them today.

And I had some really good mentors along the way who said, you know, don't devalue that role. You're not a bookkeeper, you're not a secretary. You're the driver support person. And you can do everything that — drive that truck for them. It really empowered me to take on that role and own it and appreciate it. And having drivers continually reinforce that to me and my staff, that support, the trust that you can place in your support, is invaluable to them as a driver.

Carlo Solórzano:

That trust is critical, and it's one that shouldn't be broken. Because having that relationship and that trust makes things run so much more smoothly. What does destination employer mean to you in practical terms and not just part of a recruiting pitch?

Tracy Rushing:

It means that this is somewhere you want to be, right? Like this is the thing we get to do. And I always think about that for a destination. When you set out for a destination, it's not normally something that you have to do. It's somewhere you want to be. It's somewhere you want other people to be. It's somewhere that you appreciate, that you wanna go back to.

It's the thing we get to do, and I think that's what really gave us that thought of we wanna be the destination for the driver. Not just the delivery point, but when they leave their home, sometimes in their home, we wanna be the place they wanna be. We want them to be at the terminal asking for things that they need or letting us know how the trip was or how our customers treated them.

So for us, that destination home, it's really taken on life of its own. It started out as an idea, but it's become the truth for us, and I'm really proud of that at Garrison.

Carlo Solórzano:

So you've described your recruiters as being hyper-focused on selling the opportunity for ownership. What does that look like in a first conversation with a candidate?

Tracy Rushing:

We are hyperfocused on selling the idea of ownership, but for us, ownership means an opportunity to succeed. Like, when you think about owning something, how productive that thing is, or that relationship is, or how qualified that is, it really lies with the owner of that thing.

And so we want to make it clear, right? Like, it is sales. Recruiting is a sales job. But we wanna make it clear that we expect you to behave as an owner in all the ways, from handling the freight, to dealing with our customers, to how you interact with another driver at our terminal, to the respect that you give to your equipment.

We believe that it's instilled in us, in our culture, and we're very blessed that our staff takes ownership of the things that they're tasked with every day. And sharing that from the very first conversation — yes, we have a different expectation than what you may find at another motor carrier. We expect you to behave as an owner. We expect you to take pride in that ownership, and we are going to make every opportunity for you to succeed in that role. Your responsibility is to capitalize on that as the driver. And having that immediate shift of expectation has served our fleet so well.

I think coming out of what has been awful, right, like this market has been awful, into a new normal — I don't think, you know, it is a new market. It's a new normal for us. But coming into that and having that already instilled in our drivers is what's generating continued success for the fleet, is that they understand that they have to own that. Every load, every drive, you know, we say one drive at a time.

They have complete ownership of that. All the things themselves, their behavior, the quality of the delivery, their interaction with the motoring public, they own that. And I think that's what sustained us so well through this recession, or whatever they call it. It's just a different trucking that we've been doing for a few years now.

And to know that the spark is still here, the fervor for the job has not died. To me, when I hear the drivers talk about it, when I hear operations talk about it, it's clearly seated in that they owned it. Every drive, every time, no matter what the circumstances around it were. And I think that's what's carrying them today.

Carlo Solórzano:

So what happens when a driver seems qualified on paper but maybe doesn't connect with the ownership mentality? How do you handle that?

Tracy Rushing:

Very carefully. So, you know, we do have an opportunity for drivers to be successful at Garrison. We have the tools to create that, but we know full well that we will not be able to create an opportunity for every driver to succeed, just like for a support person in the same role. Like we can't create an opportunity for every person to succeed because what they offer to that opportunity doesn't equal success.

And so just being clear about what the expectation is, transferring ownership of success to the support person or to the driver. And then being honest to say, you know, for the greater good of R.E. Garrison, you're not going to be able to be successful here, or we are not the right recipe for success for you.

And just being honest about it. Right? Like we always say, tell the truth and then don't be sorry about it. That's kind of the thing — there is a truth at Garrison, and the way that our fleet lives and breathes, and every person will not generate success in this environment. And just being forthright about that. Like, we want you to be successful, even if it's somewhere else. And then moving on.

Carlo Solórzano:

You can't overestimate the importance of fit.

Tracy Rushing:

Absolutely.

Carlo Solórzano:

I've heard you talk about the Crown Driver Program. So let's walk through that a little bit. Walk us through the Crown Driver Program. What are the KPIs and why do you feel compelled to share them in the very first conversation?

Tracy Rushing:

We call them kept promises indicators. We heard that said a long time ago and we've adopted that. Those are the things that you say to our fleet as a driver — these are the things that I can do, these are the things that I will do, and these are the things that I absolutely won't do. And those are your promises to the fleet. And our promise is that we're gonna create every opportunity, give you every tool for that to be true.

And so when we talk about zero expiration restrictions, if you get within 45 days of an expiration at Garrison, you are restricted from success. Like it's all about the vocabulary. You have restricted yourself from being successful here. We created the opportunity, you didn't capitalize on it. And having the driver self-monitor in that — like, that's one of the kept promises. I will not allow my credentials to get within 45 days of expiring. I will manage that as an owner.

I will not have a preventable at-fault accident on the roadway. We're not intolerant. We understand that the motoring public is out there with you, but if it's a hundred percent preventable by the FMCSA determination, then you have to take ownership of that. That's preventable, that means you didn't keep your promise. There was something that was preventable in that.

If you have hours of service violations discovered in our ELD platform, you didn't keep your promise. There's a regulation laid out that we all have to abide by, and you made a promise. And really having the driver understand that they own that, they own these promises. And when they don't meet success, they either have to make our team aware that we impeded their success and we need to make a correction on our side, or they just didn't capitalize on it.

It will not be from lack of input. Our coaches are gonna call you and help you and send you messaging. We're gonna give you input about where you are on the road in all seven KPIs. So if you have coachable camera events, that means that device in the truck was coaching you long before one of our coaches said, hey, it's time not to just look after you anymore. We probably need to look over you a little because you're not keeping this promise.

So all seven of the KPIs — I don't even know how many I hit — but they're all the driving job, right? Like, don't have coachable camera events. Don't have hours of service violations discovered in the ELD platform. Don't allow your credentials to get near expiration. Don't have preventable at-fault accidents. Manage your equipment well.

Like one of the KPIs that we talk about when we introduce these to a new driver is a real coaching curve for us — we expect Garrison equipment to operate at 7.25 miles per gallon or better. We know that we are going to manage our equipment on behalf of you, owner, so that it is capable of that. You have to manage the driving function of that equipment so that it maintains that. And that's a really tough KPI for us. It's a really tough promise for us to convey to a driver and educate to the driver, which you would think it would be like, you know, following too close or something that's just odd and you know that's normal and happens all the time.

But understanding that our commitment to you, our promise to you, is that we're gonna give you the tools to maintain your equipment in a way that it will manage that. And then coaching to the success in this KPI is your profitability. Like, if I can motivate you with money, then this is definitely the promise that you have to keep of that. You're gonna use your cruise control when it applies, and you're not gonna harsh brake and you're not gonna tough accelerate, and you're going to take ownership of that.

So all seven of the KPIs, they're just promises that you're gonna do the whole driving job as an owner all the time. And our promise on the backside of that, they're never not related. We have balancing promises to those things. If your equipment won't meet this because we didn't get you in for a service, or if Garrison has to take ownership of that, then we levelize that promise for that period of time for the driver. And so I think the fleet knowing that they can hold us to the same level that we hold them to it, it balances that level of trust for us.

Carlo Solórzano:

That was great. So there's clearly an inherent tension between transparency and intimidation when you lead with performance standards, like you just really thoroughly laid out for us. How do you frame it so that candidates recognize that it's an opportunity and not a test?

Tracy Rushing:

We just lay it out the same every time. And you know, everyone's not gonna hear what you say the same way that you say it. And so we just know that the opportunity is good and true because we have drivers who succeed, wildly succeed, every day. If we have a recruiter who is struggling to communicate well with a particular candidate, maybe, you know, you and I have a great communication style and we can say the one thing and you hear what I say and it's reciprocated in the same way. But maybe I have another person, I say the exact same thing and they hear it completely different.

We have a core group of drivers, those Crown Drivers, there's 227 of them now. I'm so proud of it. And any one of them is willing to step in at any moment and have a recruiter say, you know what, we're having some communication issues. Maybe I'm not explaining it in a way that it's clear to you, because I'm not a driver. We say that a lot. I am not a driver. I am a driver support person. And so I hear what you're saying, I'm not sure I have a good answer for you. I might have a right answer for you and it not be good, so I'm gonna get a driver in the mix.

And then introducing a Crown Driver to a candidate, to an ownership candidate, that's what we like. We have ownership candidates who want to partner with Garrison, and having another driver hear the question completely different or hear the concern completely different than we heard it and answer it the exact same way that we would've answered it, it just changes the mix. And so having your drivers, whatever your fleet culture is, be able to communicate that clearly, it's invaluable. And they actively participate in that recruitment process on a regular basis.

Carlo Solórzano:

Love that. One more question pertaining to the Crown Driver Program. How has that program changed driver behavior over time and what does the data show?

Tracy Rushing:

The data shows that our per million mile accident ratio is down significantly and continues to fall year over year. It was already pretty manageable, I think. I'll be giving away state secrets any minute, I'm sure. But we were at, I think, in 2022, we were at 0.48. And we are so proud that in 2025 we ended the year at a 0.29. For a fleet to perform as many miles as our fleet performs, you know, we're almost at a hundred million last year, we edged up on a hundred million miles last year, to know that they safely operated around my family on the roadway, I cannot say thank you enough for that.

And having that be our culture, to say to our drivers, you operated around me on the roadway. You operated around my family on the roadway. My teenage driver, my elderly parent, the people that I care about on the roadway, without incident. You can't say thanks enough for that. You can't show your gratitude enough for that.

And all while they're doing the thing that our country cannot live without, delivering all the things that we need and that we want, and doing that without incident. They deserve a medal, right? Like all the time. Because I'm not a commercial driver and I'm zipping around out here in my SUV like everybody else, in a hurry, late for something, distracted. And they are killing it every day. And I'm so proud of them. And not just our fleet, you know, we're partnered with a lot of fleets who understand their responsibility to deliver what we need and what we want without incident. It's a big deal for us.

Carlo Solórzano:

You've been intentional about building vendor partnerships that align with R.E. Garrison's mission and core values. What does that vetting process look like?

Tracy Rushing:

It's probably a lot stricter than you would think, but it has to be. We are very intentional about aligning ourselves with vendors who understand that our role is driver support and their role is driver support. Our expectation is for those vendors to behave in a way that supports our drivers, whatever that is.

If you're the vendor who's delivering to the Pepsi machine here, we expect you to do that with care for our drivers. You are driving your delivery truck around in their home, bringing things they need and want. If you are Driver IQ or Cisive and you are helping us pull background reports and things that help us meet the regulation, but then know our candidates, it has to be done carefully and with respect to the driver. Are we always gonna find positive things on those reports? No. Are we gonna deliver that news with care and respect? Absolutely.

And so when we do every single thing, every decision that we make, every word we say, every swipe of the pen, with supporting that driver in mind, that's when you're gonna know that that's gonna be a good fit for us as a vendor.

And just like all drivers and all driver support are not good fits for Garrison, not all vendors have been good for Garrison, and we're not always a great customer either. We're pretty demanding, because we expect that behavior from our vendors, to be mindful that we are supporting the driving job.

And so just, you know, setting an expectation and expecting it to be met. I think it works in all the relationships, right? Like if it's us, or if it's Garrison and a driver, or me and a coworker, or Garrison and a vendor, the expectation doesn't change. We are here to support the driving job or do the driving job. That's the only two jobs in our industry. And so knowing that you can align yourself with a vendor who understands that, it takes a lot of tension out of that relationship.

Carlo Solórzano:

All the ships are sailing in the same direction, or trucks are driving in the same direction, as it were. So what does background screening and compliance, where does that fit into that philosophy? What does a good partner relationship in your space look like from your perspective?

Tracy Rushing:

So integrations are at the front of mind now, right? Like, can we get the information without having to train our driver support teams to manage multiple systems? We've seen that happen a lot in our industry, and I think the vendors have done a great job of saying, you know, we wanna lessen the points of contact to get what's required by the regulation.

But then more than that, for you to know the truth of a thing. So for us to be able to say, you know, we're gonna use this platform and it's gonna integrate well to all these partners, it lessens the load to train those driver support team members on multiple platforms. And then to have it come back timely, to have that information quickly, because on time delivery is a big deal in our industry, even when it is waiting on a background check to come in. And so that language is used in all things. Are we getting on time delivery of our background screening reports? Did we not meet the expectation of this driver to have them in a welcome home event on this date because we were waiting on X, Y, Z? Or what was the path of least resistance?

And then, can we trust it when we get it? Is this information good, clear, correct? Can a driver validate it? Can a verification of employment validate it? Trust but verify. Like, we have to do that. And so we wanna intentionally build and align those things where that regulatory information has to come in. That one is not very labor intensive. We have to get this information, we want to know the information. But how do we get it with fewer points of contact? And then how do we know that we trust it? That's a perfect mix. That's the mix for success in that we're gonna speak truth to this driver. We're gonna have true, good, right, and timely information.

And then it supports us in defense. And I know that some people don't like to lead in the conversation with that, but if I'm getting a background report back, or I'm getting a drug screen result back, or I'm getting a VOE back that I can't explain clearly when I need to defend why I chose this relationship with this driver, why I chose to extend this opportunity to this driver, it's worse sometimes than not having it. And that's just the truth of it now. Is it clear? Is it understandable? Is it readable? Is it usable? Not just to me, who sees, you know, a hundred a month, but to an attorney or to a member of a jury, unfortunately.

And so those things are very important now. Report formats coming back and being easy to decipher what they mean. You know, those are things that we didn't consider probably even 15 or 20 years ago, and unfortunately it's front of mind all the time.

Carlo Solórzano:

So Women in Trucking is something you've championed throughout your career and has been near and dear to your heart. How does that lens change how you design recruiting and culture programs?

Tracy Rushing:

You know, probably more than I wanna admit. We wanna create opportunities for all drivers to be successful, but knowing that all drivers don't require the same level of commitment from a carrier to be successful. Knowing that a new driver requires a different level of interaction than an older driver. A female driver requires a different level of interaction than a male driver, just like a team requires a different level of interaction than a solo driver.

And so being aligned with groups like Women in Trucking — I remember the days when we were so few in numbers that we just stuck out. Like, oh my gosh, there's a girl here. And in my case it was, there's a 20-year-old, what do we do with her? There's a 20-year-old girl here. I'm not that same now, but to be able to see our industry not just adopt roles that cater to female drivers or female driver support, but to really advocate for those roles to be filled, because there are different things that we offer to this industry than our male allies.

And to know that our male allies are now finding value in that and promoting those opportunities for success. You know, it would be an ignorant assumption for us as females to assume that we could be successful in this industry without those male allies, those gentlemen who have paved the way for us to deliver America safely. That would be an ignorant assumption for us.

But to say that as a female ally in this industry, to see other females be able to adopt the industry that I'm passionate about and have less obstruction to success, that is one of the things that I'm the most proud of, and especially for that organization. Miss Ellen and I have been friends for a long time, and I think just shining a light on the fact that our industry wasn't as friendly, or did not intentionally create obstructions, but didn't intentionally remove obstructions. And the fact that the focus has been on that now for almost 20 years, and to see our numbers grow and strengthen our industry, honestly I'm very proud of that, and I think that'll continue to grow.

Carlo Solórzano:

We've come such a long way and yet still have miles to go. So if you were advising a carrier that's stuck in that high turnover cycle that we see so many carriers caught up in, what's the one thing they're probably getting wrong?

Tracy Rushing:

That's a very broad question, but for me it is always, I try to listen and say, okay, what do I hear in this that is their carrier's truth? Like we talk about culture a lot, but truly it's just the truth. Like what's the truth at that house, at that carrier? And then if their recruiting department or their sales team is tasked with telling that truth, is the operation of that fleet confirming that as truth? That's the biggest thing is like, are we selling the real opportunity, or are we selling what we think is the real opportunity, or what is our intention?

Drivers are a very tolerant group of people, right? By and large, we're all offering the same opportunity. We need you to operate a commercial vehicle safely in the public, deliver our freight for a profit, and then return as good or better than you left. That's the truth for Garrison. It's the truth for every fleet in the country. But knowing how to do that in truth at a flatbed carrier versus a refrigerated carrier, versus a curtain side carrier versus a fuel hauler, it is recruiting selling what the truth to success is at that carrier. And then having the backside of that, driver support, confirm the truth instead of revealing untruths.

I think that's the biggest thing. It's not intentional harm. It's that we, as an industry, don't do a great job of saying, what's the truth at the shop? Like, what really happens when you bring your truck through the safety lane? What's the truth in operations when you're detained at a shipper or a receiver? What's the truth if you have a breakdown on the roadway? And then saying that thing as the truth and having a driver be fully aware. Like, hey, we got these issues right here. You can be successful, this is how. And then knowing what that roadmap to success is and selling it, selling the truth exactly the way that it's gonna be.

Drivers are very tolerant of that. They are not very tolerant, nor am I, of having a thing sold to me in one way and then not having it be the truth. And so I think that's the disconnect. We want to sell something that's flawless, and the truth is nothing is. We're not flawless. And if you don't keep these promises and if we don't keep these promises, then you're not gonna get what you thought you were getting. And so that's the truth for our fleet and every other fleet, is just being as transparent as you can be about what success is truly going to require of you.

Carlo Solórzano:

Yeah. Well, thanks for that. Tracy, I can't thank you enough for being here today. I have such admiration and respect for you and how you conduct yourself and all the things that you do for the industry and in all the ways. And so that means a lot that you came on with me today.

Tracy Rushing:

Thank you. I've had so much fun.

Carlo Solórzano:

Tell the truth. Set expectations clearly. Then hold yourself to the same standard you hold your drivers to.

The carriers stuck in high turnover aren't necessarily doing something wrong on purpose. They're just selling a version of themselves that doesn't match what a driver finds when they get there. When the recruiting conversation and the operational reality aren't aligned. And drivers notice. They always notice.

The Crown Driver Program works because it puts the promises in writing from day one… on both sides. RE Garrison makes commitments to drivers. Drivers make commitments to RE Garrison. That mutual accountability is what builds a fleet culture people actually want to be part of.

Thanks to Tracy for coming on and being so open about how she thinks about this at RE Garrison. It's rare to hear someone in this industry talk about recruiting and retention with this level of honesty.

The waiting list at RE Garrison is what happens when the truth you sell and the truth drivers live align completely.

If this conversation was useful, subscribe on Apple Podcasts, Spotify, or YouTube. And if you know a carrier leader who's serious about building a fleet people actually want to be part of, send this one their way.

We'll see you next time. And remember, in the meantime… don't get played.