The Nussbaum Road Captain Summit is a bi-annual (spring and fall) 3-day event where Nussbaum Road Captains gather to learn about relevant topics and discuss problems and solutions for today’s professional driver. The purpose of the event is to collaborate with each other, build relationships, and see what’s going on in each other’s worlds.
What is a Road Captain?
Road Captains are Nussbaum drivers with excellent driving scores and a well of wisdom inside. It takes a special person to be a Road Captain – a Road Captain is someone with patience who is willing to hold a lot of conversations and field questions of all kinds. Every single driver is assigned a Road Captain upon their arrival at Nussbaum (with the exception of trainees and dedicated drivers), and each Road Captain generally has around 3-4 drivers under their “wing”.
Why do we host a Summit?
Road Captains are a resource for our drivers. They receive feedback, questions, and concerns. The Summit is held bi-annually for the Road Captains to learn, share driver concerns, and have discussions with other Road Captains. Road Captains represent the voices of our drivers, and the Summit is a way for Road Captains to voice concerns with management, be listened to, and really have that open-door mentality.
What Does It Involve?
The Summit takes place over three days. The first day involves a mix of Road Captains and office personnel from almost every department at Nussbaum. The goal on the first day is to have the right people available to answer any questions that may come up, as well as to allow departments to hear driver concerns and feedback. Subsequently, those departments can take the information shared and brainstorm solutions. Equally as important, the mix of drivers and other Nussbaum departments allows for relationship building.
Day one begins with talks from Nussbaum leadership – updates on current industry trends, the freight market, ESOP updates, and other relevant topics. After lunch, the group splits into three sections for breakout sessions. The sessions are designed to allow drivers and office staff to have discussions and share concerns and problems, as well as brainstorm solutions.
Days two and three are more “in the weeds” and are for Road Captains only. They feature a Crucial Conversations course, short talks from various Nussbaum departments, updates on any changes that may be taking place at Nussbaum, and what the new hires are learning in orientation. Overall, days two and three are there to equip Road Captains with information to better help our incoming (and current) drivers with any questions they may have.
Why We Love It
Drivers are the biggest piece of our company, and we want to know their concerns and questions. Our hope is that the Road Captain Summit can be a way to connect and build relationships with each other and can be a way to hear every voice.
