In the transport and delivery sector, performance is based on team efficiency and customer satisfaction. But in the face of technological developments, new consumer expectations and growing market requirements, it is essential to train your employees continuously.
However, motivate your delivery people, drivers or logistics managers to actively participate in these courses can be complex.
Discover How to create an environment conducive to learning while valuing the central role of your teams, to make vocational training a strategic lever within your company.
Identify specific training needs
To set up relevant and effective training courses, it is essential to precisely identify the needs of your teams. This requires an in-depth analysis of their current skills, the evolution of the sector and their feelings about their own needs.
Analyze current skills
Start by assessing the skills of your teams to identify gaps and anticipate needs. Delivery drivers obviously need to drive safely, but they must master certain digital tools, such as route management applications or handheld scanners.
📦 Amazon, leader in delivery, regularly evaluates technological and organizational skills of its deliverers to maintain a high level of service while optimizing individual performance.
Anticipate changes in the transport sector
The transport sector evolves rapidly with vehicle electrification, automation, environmental regulations, and the rise of digital solutions. By integrating these challenges into your training, you are helping your teams to remain competitive in the face of these changes.
🌿 Many transport companies train their drivers in eco-responsible driving, which reduces fuel consumption and environmental impact while making teams aware of sustainable practices.
Involve your teams in the choice of courses
Your employees are the first to know their daily challenges and needs. Organize participatory workshops, interviews or surveys to gather their expectations.
🚚 DHL, one of the world leaders in logistics, has set up a training program called “DHL Academy.” This program includes participatory workshops where employees can express their training needs. During these workshops, delivery drivers and warehouse staff share their daily challenges and suggest training topics, such as route optimization or time management.
🚆 The SNCF has launched a program called “SNCF Formation”, which includes a digital platform where agents can vote for the courses they deem necessary. For example, after observing a growing demand for skills in crisis management and communication with the public, SNCF integrated these themes into its training offer.
💡 According to a study conducted by Capgemini Research Institute, 56% of transport companies believe that mastering digital tools is now essential to improve operational efficiency and customer satisfaction.
Create tailored training programs
The effectiveness of the trainings depends largely on their ability to meet the real needs of employees, especially in a sector as dynamic as transport. If trainings are not aligned with the daily challenges of teams, they risk losing their impact and leading to disengagement.
Focus on practical content
To be effective, your courses must address concrete problems encountered in the field. For example, suggest:
- Vehicle maintenance training to avoid unexpected failures and improve safety.
- Dispute management training to help delivery people better manage dissatisfied customers.
UPS, a leader in logistics, offers its deliverers practical modules on securing packages, planning routes and managing customer interactions. These courses contribute to strengthening their operational efficiency, by providing them with tools that they can immediately apply in their daily work.
Add modules on transversal skills
Developing transversal skills is just as essential. Integrate training on communication, stress management or leadership, which is particularly useful for delivery people working under pressure or during peak periods of activity.
→ For example, DHL regularly organizes workshops to help its teams better manage their time, prioritize their tasks, and strengthen collaboration between colleagues. These skills not only improve customer service, but also create a more harmonious work environment.
Adopt flexible and engaging formats
To adapt to the intense pace of carriers, choose short and varied formats:
- Video capsules accessible via smartphone at any time.
- E-learning modules available 24 hours a day for employees on the go.
- Sessions in small groups for practical demonstrations, promoting exchanges and collective learning.
💡 A LinkedIn Learning study reveals that 58% of employees prefer modular training because it fits more easily into their schedule and provides a learning experience that is more tailored to their needs.
Communicate effectively about your training courses
To ensure the success of training programs, it is essential to communicate effectively about their content and benefits. Clear and engaging communication can make the difference between training that is followed with interest and one that goes unnoticed.
Highlight the concrete benefits
It is important to clearly explain how the training courses offered will improve the daily life of your teams.
⌚ For example, training on route planning can reduce the stress of delays, optimize trips, and improve productivity, all while having a direct impact on their job satisfaction.
By illustrating these benefits with concrete examples, like reducing travel time by 20% through effective planning techniques, you're showing employees the importance of engaging in these sessions.
Diversify your communication media
Use a variety of supports accessible to all to promote your training courses:
- Posters in warehouses or garages, where your teams go on a daily basis, drawing their attention to the next sessions.
- Messages via internal applications or instant messaging tools to quickly reach your teams, even when they're on the go.
- Weekly meetings to announce new sessions and discuss them with your teams, allowing a direct exchange on expectations and feedback.
✈️ FedEx regularly shares videos of testimonies of employees who have benefited from the training. This inspiring feedback reinforces the support of other team members by showing concrete examples of improving performance through training.
Involve team leaders and managers
Supervisors play a key role in promoting training. Their involvement can significantly influence employee participation.
📣 Ask them to relaying information concerning the training courses and to share their own experience of the sessions taken. Their enthusiasm and commitment can motivate teams and encourage active participation, creating an environment where learning is valued and supported.
💡 By implementing these communication strategies, you not only increase the visibility of your training programs, but you also promote a climate of commitment and enthusiasm around professional development within your company.
Facilitate access to training courses
In the transport sector, where schedules are often irregular and working conditions vary, it is essential to ensure easy and flexible access to training courses. Without it, even the best professional development initiatives can go unnoticed.
Adapt training to the constraints of the sector
Suggest flexible and adapted solutions is important to meet the needs of teams. Organize early morning or evening sessions to adapt to the different rotations and schedules of your employees.
📮 La Poste offers its delivery people online modules that they can follow between two tours, which increases their engagement without disrupting their productivity. This approach also makes it possible to avoid unnecessary travel by making training courses accessible remotely via mobile platforms or dedicated applications.
Offer short and targeted training courses
Opt for micro-courses focused on specific skills that can be quickly assimilated. For example:
- Use of digital tools to optimize deliveries.
- Application of safety regulations when loading and unloading packages.
These formats allow teams to quickly integrate new skills while respecting their operational constraints.
💡 A 10-minute training module per day increases participant engagement by 45%. (Cegos)
Motivate and reward your teams
To ensure employee engagement in training programs, it is essential to implement motivation and recognition strategies. Valuing the efforts of teams and establishing a rewards system contributes to creating a dynamic and stimulating learning culture.
Value their efforts
Recognizing the efforts made by your teams is fundamental to strengthening their motivation. Highlight the skills acquired during the training courses by:
- Mentioning these skills during annual evaluations, which highlights their involvement and progress.
- Integrating these skills into career development paths or by offering internal promotions, thus allowing employees to visualize a promising future within the company.
💡 This recognition can also take the form of positive feedback shared during team meetings, where individual successes are celebrated collectively.
Set up a reward system
Establishing a rewards system encourages employees to actively participate in training courses. Offer concrete incentives, such as:
- Shopping vouchers or bonuses for the most assiduous and motivated employees, which encourages regular participation in training sessions.
- Certificates that recognize new skills, that can be added to their internal CV and that are useful for their career.
🏆 XPO Logistics rewards employees who have taken training courses with certificates of competence and digital badges. These distinctions are not only rewarding, but they can also be added to the professional profile of employees on the company's internal platform. By integrating these elements into their internal CV, employees strengthen their employability and visibility within the organization.
Train your teams in the transport sector and delivery is an essential lever for improving the quality of service, reducing errors and strengthening the motivation of your employees.
By identifying their specific needs, creating relevant programs, and valuing their efforts, you transform training into a real competitive asset.
It is also a strategic investment to strengthen the commitment and loyalty of your employees.
