Ruan is an 88-year-old, family-owned company, and we consider all team members family. We know staying connected is paramount.
Ruan recognizes the importance of having a life outside of work and getting home to spend time with those who matter most. That is why 80 percent of our jobs allow our drivers to be home daily. Still, daily communication back home is important to drivers, as well as their families. We encourage drivers to safely park their trucks to avoid distractions on the road when they need to connect with family on their smart phones.
One way we keep our drivers and their families connected to Ruan is through our newsletters and our intranet, the Hub. The Hub is an app that team members may download to their personal smart phones, plus it is loaded on all of Ruan’s Android devices. This is a convenient tool for drivers to access the information that is most relevant to them at a time when it is safe to use their mobile devices. Using mobile devices while driving is strictly prohibited as part of our safety culture because the distraction could be dangerous for our drivers and the motoring public.
Our drivers also attend quarterly Impact Meetings and receive a weekly enewsletter called DriveRED. This e-publication includes learning and development information, safety training, recognition, company updates, benefits information, and more. Ruan utilizes social media channels such as Facebook, Twitter, and Instagram to interact with our drivers and their families. We encourage our drivers to “digitally engage” with us when they aren’t driving. Ruan also utilizes direct mail to deliver important messages directly to our team members’ homes. Ruan sends dozens of communications each year to our drivers’ homes so that their families can also review and enjoy the information.
In addition, Ruan pairs our RedTrak mobile application for order execution with our electronic logging device’s messaging system. The platform is user-friendly and is operated from either a Samsung Galaxy mobile phone, Samsung tablet, or docked in the cab of each truck based on the needs of each customer. Utilizing this system, we communicate with our drivers by sending important safety messages, operations reminders, benefits details, and more.
“With more than 300 operations across the country and more than 4,500 professional drivers, we have to be creative to reach everyone with a consistent message,” said Vice President of Marketing and Communications Tara Meier. “We’ve found a way to employ a variety of channels to safely stay connected to our drivers when they’re on the road.”