How to keep good drivers in your car
Most drivers do not leave an owner for a better car. They leave because their week stopped working. Here is what to watch for and what helps.
1 September 2026 Karabo Ngoatle, Founder and Group CEO 3 min read
If you own a car that someone else drives, or a few of them, you already know the most expensive thing that can happen. It is not a repair. It is losing a good driver.
Finding a new one takes time. Checking them takes time. The car stands while you look, and a new driver takes a while to settle. A good driver who stays is worth more than almost anything else in your business.
Why good drivers leave
In my experience, very few drivers leave an owner because of the car. They leave because their week stopped working. Usually it is money: a cash gap between payouts that pushes them to quit, switch, or just stop showing up.
Drivers rarely tell you this. But the signs show up in how they drive long before they say anything.
Signs a driver is under money pressure
- They drive on some days and disappear on others, often just before a big expense is due.
- They seem stressed about fuel or data more than about the work itself.
- They ask for the weekly amount to be paid late, or in pieces.
- They are suddenly very keen to leave for another owner or fleet, for reasons that do not quite add up.
- Their phone is ringing with calls they do not want to take.
Informal lenders do not advertise. But the instability they cause shows up in your car's numbers before the driver tells you what is going on.
The mistake owners make
The biggest mistake I see is treating a driver's money stress as entirely their own problem. I understand why. You are running a business, not a charity.
But a stressed driver is an inconsistent driver, and an inconsistent driver is unpredictable income for you. Helping your driver have a steadier week is not charity. It is good operations.
Your drivers are not a cost line to manage down. They are the business. Their stability is your stability.
What actually helps
- Be clear about money from day one. Write down the weekly amount, what it covers, and what happens when the car is in the workshop.
- Keep the car in good shape. A driver who loses days to breakdowns loses income, and that is when the pressure starts.
- Make it easy to talk early. A driver who can say 'this week is going to be short' before the day is a driver you can work with.
- Point your driver to fair options for a cash gap: a cost stated up front in rands, a short fixed term, and repayment that matches when they are paid.
- Treat the good ones like the asset they are. Small things, like answering the phone and paying what you owe on time, build loyalty.
Something I learned running Detour
When we started Detour, I paid the team's salaries before I paid myself. There were months I was not sure how I would cover my own costs, but the people doing the daily work got paid first.
It taught me something that applies to every car owner. The people doing the work are the ones keeping things moving. Look after them first, and most of the rest follows.
How Detour fits for owners
If you have a car you want on the road, you can list it with Detour. We find and screen drivers for the car, and you choose which one drives it. Drivers on Detour are on a weekly plan, and they have the Detour team and Kairah on WhatsApp to talk to when the week gets hard. That is support your driver gets without you having to become their bank.
Look after the driver's week, and the driver looks after your car.
List your car with Detour
