Carriers: Elevate Your Support Teams With the Power of the 9-Box Performance Model

With the ongoing delay in freight rate recovery, the KSM Transport Advisors (KSMTA) team is launching a new article series designed to help carriers “level-set.” These recommended practices should be effective in any market environment. During a recent industry presentation, industry leader Thom Albrecht, chief revenue officer at Reliance Partners, emphasized the need to “Prepare To Thrive.” This message really resonated and has since become an important reminder we share with our clients to stay the course, despite ongoing and significant challenges.

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In the trucking industry, success depends on more than just drivers and trucks – it also relies on the effectiveness of support teams in operations, finance, business development, safety, and recruiting. The 9-Box Model offers a strategic way to evaluate and develop these crucial team members, aligning their contributions with company goals.

Over the past 18 months, the KSMTA team has worked with many clients to assist in the process of right-sizing operations to match the reduction in capacity (tractor/driver count). Despite the freight recession lingering for a prolonged period, the upswing will come, and companies need to be prepared to leverage improved opportunities as they are presented.

In downsizing initiatives, many companies do not approach the process with a strategic mindset. It is very common for carriers to start with the highest-compensated staff members and first make cuts in crucial business development roles. Although this tactic can produce short-term P&L relief, it will likely result in long-term pain.

Utilizing a strategic method to objectively evaluate both performance and potential is a crucial activity in any market cycle, but using the 9-Box Model can be helpful to purposefully downsize.

What Is the 9-Box Model?

The 9-Box Model categorizes employees based on two dimensions:

• Performance: How effectively they meet job responsibilities.
• Potential: Their capacity for growth into advanced roles.

By plotting employees into one of nine categories, organizations can create tailored strategies to nurture talent, address underperformance, and prepare for succession.

Applying the Model to Carrier Support Teams

The 9-Box Model offers a structured approach to identifying, developing, and retaining top talent across key areas of carrier support teams. By tailoring focus areas, growth paths, and performance metrics to each department, this model ensures every team member has a clear path to success while driving measurable results.

Operations

• Focus Areas: Scheduling/planning efficiency, problem-solving, and adoption of logistics technology
• Growth Path: High performers can lead cross-functional initiatives or mentor peers
• Potential Metrics:
  • Pre-plan days (on average)
  • Fuel network compliance
  • Idle
  • On-time performance
  • Above and beyond activities: training sessions completed, mentoring activities completed, customer feedback

Finance

• Focus Areas: Budget accuracy, financial reporting, and cost-saving innovations
• Growth Path: High-potential individuals can transition into strategic planning roles
• Potential Metrics:
  • Days to bill
  • Accounts receivable days sales outstanding (DSO)
  • Detention capture (%)
  • Billing accuracy
  • Above and beyond activities: training sessions completed, cost optimization/audit activities

Business Development

• Focus Areas: Client acquisition, market expansion, and retention strategies
• Growth Path: Top performers can lead strategic partnerships or market growth initiatives
• Performance Metrics:
  • Daily calls completed (prospecting)
  • Qualified leads (with clear guidelines defining a qualified lead)
  • New customers onboarded
  • Customer profitability
  • Above and beyond activities: customer scorecard meetings, price optimization

Safety

• Focus Areas: Compliance, incident reduction, and proactive risk assessments
• Growth Path: Leaders can expand into regional safety roles or company-wide initiatives
• Performance Metrics:
  • Inspection failures/fines
  • Critical safety incidents (from cameras/telematics)
  • Accident rates (both DOT and non-DOT reportable)
  • Above and beyond activities: SOP development and documentation, safety meetings completed

Recruiting

• Focus Areas: Time-to-hire, quality of hires, and retention
• Growth Path: Innovators can take on workforce planning and employer branding projects
• Performance Metrics:
  • Turnover: 30-60-90 and 365 turnover
  • Seated percentage
  • Orientation show %
  • Quality of hires: using an objective based model to evaluate drivers based on productivity, safety, and qualitative measures
  • Above and beyond: training partners developed (driving schools, etc.)

How To Implement the 9-Box Model

Implementing the 9-Box Model is a straightforward yet impactful way to align performance with potential across your teams. In a few steps, you can create a continuous cycle of improvement that drives both individual and organizational success.

1. Define Metrics: Use performance data like safety compliance, financial accuracy, or hiring success rates.
2. Evaluate Potential: Look for adaptability, leadership skills, and innovation in problem-solving.
3. Tailor Development Plans: Create targeted coaching, training, and mentorship opportunities for each category.
4. Repeat a minimum of once per year for each team member.

Why Use the 9-Box Model?

By mapping performance and potential, trucking companies can focus resources where they matter most:

• Develop High Potentials/Stars: Retain top talent and groom future leaders. These people are the best candidates for succession planning.
• Address Underperformance: Provide clear pathways for improvement. Setting performance expectations is critical.
• Strengthen Succession Planning: Ensure key roles are always covered.

Adopting the 9-Box Model is not a one-time initiative or a shiny object to revisit sporadically; it’s a dynamic framework that should become part of your company’s leadership routine. Quarterly reviews of your team’s performance and potential ensure that you’re continuously aligning your workforce with organizational goals and market opportunities. As the freight industry anticipates better days ahead, now is the time to implement these practices, fortify your teams, and prepare to seize opportunities when the upswing arrives.

To learn more or discuss any of the ideas shared above, please contact a KSMTA advisor or complete this form.