About Road Gator

Let's Talk!

Hi! My name is Bobby McElyea. I am a Transporation Executive with over two decades of professional experience. My father was a truck driver for many years while I was growing up. Some of my favorite memories from my summers are seeing the night skies in West Texas and how all of the stars were clearly visible. Interestingly enough, my father always warned me to stay away from trucks and the industry. I obviously got too close out of curiosity and transportation has a way of sticking with you once you get involved.

Throughout my experience over the years, I have seen many things when it comes to professional drivers. One common theme is often a search for respect and appreciation. Every carrier that I have worked with or been associated with has tried very hard to find ways to solve for this. In most cases, it still feels like we fell short. The question is, why did it keep failing?

The hard truth is that the transportation industry is very competitive. This competition often breeds a cannibalistic approach to recruitment. Company A and Company B might offer the same pay package but structure them differently to give them a competitive advantage. We all try to recruit and lure drivers from other markets to our own to bolster our numbers. In the end, the driver makes the change, hoping it will be a big and positive change in their life. Because A and B are truly very similar, the driver ends up feeling a disconnect and immediately starts looking for the next opportunity. Because we are all so interested in recruitment, it is less and less common to be denied an opportunity because a driver has too many jobs in recent history. So, we make the hire and continue the cycle.

Anyone who spends time near a driver orientation room can testify that many drivers will be on their phones talking about job offers they are interested in that they have received AFTER accepting the opportunity with your company. Often, they are checked out before ever getting truly checked in. I have always told people that drivers can easily quit a job....but quitting a relationship is hard for anyone.

I have seen this cycle too often and decided that someone must do something about it. This problem affects so many parts of the industry. It is a cycle of destruction, but a cycle that has an exit ramp. It needs to be solved for our current driver base as well as the young people who are coming in to carry on the great legacy they are leaving behind. Many young people are not even considering transportation as a career path because of a negative reputation!

This is where Road Gator came into existence. We believe that the solution to this problem is not something that a carrier can solve on their own. A single solution shared by the industry is what we offer. Our mission is to celebrate the success and pride of this great industry. Our voluntary based system provides scoring based on things that matter most. Are you a driver who has experience? We give you points that continue to grow as your experience grows. Do you have tenure with your company and avoided job hopping? We give you points that continue to grow as you stay loyal. Do you have verified experience with other carriers before your current one? We give you credit for that. After all, this is your professional resume/education. After all, would you get a college degree if it was only good in one state? Do you have awards for service, safety? We give points for that. Do you as a carrier want to designate special awards that are specific to only your company that can also qualify for points? We can partner with you for that as well! By celebrating pride and accomplishment, we hope to curb cannibalistic turnover, bolster retention, set up professional drivers with better long-term success.

The motoring public often has a misrepresentation of what the transportation industry is all about. Too much focus is placed on negativity. It's time to stop discarding and abandoning our professional drivers. We want to shine a positive light on this industry!