Truck Drivers Say Home Time Tops Their Reasons to Switch Jobs. Propane Routes Already Offer It.

The Situation

An empty driver seat in January means overtime for the drivers you still have and slower answers on runout calls. Dealers already hold the thing drivers say they want most.

In a fall 2025 survey by Conversion Interactive Agency and People. Data. Analytics (PDA), 56.3% of truck drivers said they were looking for a new driving job. That is up from 46.8% in spring 2025 and the highest share since the two firms began tracking more than four years ago. Asked why, 58% of drivers in that survey named better home time. A local propane driver is home every night.

The Facts

The American Transportation Research Institute (ATRI) 2025 Top Industry Issues survey drew more than 4,200 industry stakeholders. Its truck driver respondents ranked driver compensation first among their concerns, ahead of truck parking. Land Line, the OOIDA publication, reported that ATRI's carrier list puts driver shortage at No. 5 and driver retention at No. 6.

Neither survey breaks out propane or other local-delivery drivers. Both cover truck drivers generally.

According to Conversion Interactive Agency and PDA’s Fall 2025 Truck Driver Survey (https://conversionia.com/blog/fall-2025-truck-driver-survey-released-by-leading-recruiting-retention-solution-providers), predictable pay was the second most-cited reason for looking (52.4%), ahead of consistent miles (43.2%).

Business Impact

A local route fixes the complaint drivers name first. Home time may let a dealer offer slightly less than a long-haul carrier pays. Other local CDL employers offer the same home time, though, so your wage has to match theirs.

A dealer hiring for winter is chasing the same CDL holders as every local business that runs trucks. Many applicants will come from over-the-road work. They know the job, but they may not yet hold the endorsements a bobtail needs.

Key Takeaways

• Nearly 48% of drivers in the Conversion/PDA survey are 56 or older, and the survey release expects retirements to outpace new entrants in the coming years. Our read: the CDL pool will keep tightening, so start recruiting before the cold sets in.

Action Steps

1. 1.Rewrite your driver job posting this week so the first line says drivers sleep in their own beds and run a predictable route.
2. 2.Compare your driver pay with local CDL openings before your next hiring push.
3. 3.When an over-the-road driver applies, confirm early whether they hold the endorsements your bobtails require. That is typically a Class B CDL with H (hazmat) and N (tank vehicle) endorsements. The H endorsement requires a TSA security threat assessment, which adds to onboarding time. H and N together are often issued as a combined X endorsement, and the required CDL class depends on the truck's weight rating. Confirm current rules and processing times with your state CDL licensing agency, and budget the time.
4. 4.Nearly one in four drivers said they feel disrespected at their current job, according to the Conversion/PDA Fall 2025 Truck Driver Survey. Ask your current drivers what would keep them through winter, and act on what they say before the first cold snap.

Competitive Advantage

A dealer that keeps the drivers it has needs fewer new hires. “Retention starts with respect,” said Scott Dismuke, VP of Operations at PDA, which ran the survey with Conversion Interactive Agency.