On December 19th, the team at NEXT met for the 3rd installment of the NEXT Carrier Alliance.
The NEXT Carrier Alliance (NCA) is a customer advisory board of truck drivers in the LA and LB area. The purpose of the NCA is to gather deep insights into the difficulties drivers face on the road, the inefficiencies in their roles, and the opportunities NEXT has to improve their professions. Simply put, the goal is to build products and operations that improve driver’s lives – with direct input from drivers.
A Virtual Impact
This meeting took place virtually due to COVID-19. However, despite the stay at home orders, we had a remarkable turn out with 16 owner operators and fleet owners tuning in from their homes or the cabs of their trucks.
For 5 hours, we discussed topics including:
- What NEXT does right and where we fall short for drivers and fleet owners
- How drivers and fleet owners want to plan their workdays and find loads
- Biggest challenges drivers and fleet owners face
- What role NEXT can play to help them solve those challenges
- What fleets and drivers need to take their profession to the next level.
Additionally, we wanted to hear everything drivers have had to go through this year and beyond – it goes without saying that this has been a complicated year for truck drivers across the country as they worked through the highs and lows of being an essential worker though a global pandemic.
“One of the best things about working with NEXT is being able to participate in these meetings. You guys at NEXT really care about us drivers. No company has ever invited me to meet with their CEO, heads of Operations, Marketing, and other teams. It’s amazing to get to voice my concerns, share my troubles, and know that the decision makers not only listen, but will follow up with me about those things.” – Owner Operator in Los Angeles and NCA Member
Moving Forward Together
With the insights we gathered from the NCA meeting, the next step is to make the wishes of drivers and fleet owners a reality. The NEXT team is hard at work analyzing the insights, building action items, and putting processes in place to ensure that we build the things our drivers and fleet owners need to earn more, and enjoy their work.
