# 100% OWNER-OPERATORS. 30% TURNOVER. HOW? | Brake Check

Page: https://stenobird.com/podcast/freightcasts-478950/100-owner-operators-30-turnover-how-brake-check
Text version: https://stenobird.com/podcast/freightcasts-478950/100-owner-operators-30-turnover-how-brake-check.md
Podcast: [FreightCasts](https://stenobird.com/podcast/freightcasts-478950)
Published: 2026-09-17T14:11:00+00:00
Episode link: https://chtbl.com/track/894889/traffic.megaphone.fm/FREIGHT3222531806.mp3
Audio file: https://chtbl.com/track/894889/traffic.megaphone.fm/FREIGHT3222531806.mp3
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JSON: https://stenobird.com/v1/public/podcasts/freightcasts-478950/episodes/100-owner-operators-30-turnover-how-brake-check
Duration seconds: 2273

## Resource

100% owner-operators. Turnover around 30%. In an industry where some fleets live with turnover north of 90%…HOW? That’s what we came to Mercer Transportation in Louisville, Kentucky to find out. For Day 1 of Truck Driver Appreciation Week, Brake Check is LIVE from Mercer Town ... but we’re not here for another corporate speech about how much drivers are “appreciated.” We want to know what appreciation looks like when it actually shows up in the numbers. Charles sits down with Chasity Hebner, Director of Recruiting, to talk recruiting, retention, why Mercer continues pushing to improve even with turnover around the 30% range, and what drivers actually need from the companies asking for their loyalty. Then Andrew “Dragon” Pendragon and Valerie Simms, Launch Success Managers at Mercer, take us behind the scenes of what happens AFTER recruiting makes the promise. Because signing an owner-operator is one thing. SETTING THEM UP TO ACTUALLY SUCCEED IS ANOTHER. What happens during those critical first days? Why does support matter? What does Mercer do differently? And can you really connect driver appreciation to retention? Forget the pizza. Forget the T-shirt. Forget the annual “thank you drivers” email. Maybe the best way to appreciate a trucker is to build an operation they actually WANT TO STAY WITH. Sponsored by Apex Capital, OOIDA and Hey Bubba. SOUND OFF IN THE COMMENTS: What is the ONE thing a carrier could do that would make YOU feel genuinely appreciated? And if you’re an owner-operator.... what makes you stay, and what makes you walk? #BrakeCheck #Trucking #OwnerOperator #TruckDriverAppreciationWeek #TruckDrivers #DriverRetention #MercerTransportation #TruckingIndustry #FreightWaves #TDAW2026 ⁠Follow the Brake Check Podcast⁠ ⁠Other FreightWaves Shows⁠ Learn more abo…

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## Transcript

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