Managing the Challenge of Holiday Schedules at Your Truckstop

The trucking business never sleeps, which means truckstops and travel plazas have to keep their doors open around the clock. That can create a challenge when scheduling employees, particularly around the holidays. Learn how one NATSO member, Seth Miller, manager of Petro Travel Store #353 in Portage, Wisconsin, handles the issue.
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The trucking business never sleeps, which means truckstops and travel plazas have to keep their doors open around the clock. That can create a challenge when scheduling employees, particularly around the holidays.

Here is how one NATSO member, Seth Miller, manager of Petro Travel Store #353 in Portage, Wisconsin, handles the issue:

“We all know that the holidays are a time to spend with family and to give thanks. But, the trucking industry is a 365 days a year operation and thus, travel center employees are always at the drivers service at any time of day, any day of the year. And, yes, that includes Christmas Day.  

Travel center operators have the challenge of balancing a schedule to handle the holiday workload and granting time off for team players to be with their families. At the travel store in Petro of Portage, Wisconsin, each team player chooses to work three of the five holidays—Thanksgiving, Christmas Eve, Christmas, New Years Eve and New Years Day.  

This gives the team players the chance to plan for holiday traditions and events as they know when exactly they will work during the holidays. The three of five days strikes a fair balance between work and personal time and boosts morale for employees while they are working the holidays. Plus, the team players appreciate having some time off with their families.”

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Photo Courtesy of Petro Travel Store #353

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