The correlation of firm and owner-operator family performance: analysis of the last-mile transport system in Mexico

In Mexico, the commercial relationship between owner-operator truck drivers and supply chains in the last-mile transport system is unbalanced; as contracting companies are favoured, transporters are disadvantaged which reduces competitiveness. Further, the impact of owner-operator truck drivers' families on company performance has been ignored. The alignment of a company's actions with owner-operator truck drivers' families' wellbeing, meaning work-family integration, implies creating an optimal environment for them to tend to their family responsibilities. The question is how does corporate family responsibility (CFR) impact owner-operator truck drivers' work-family balance and improve family performance? This empirical study shows that CFR is strongly associated with collaborators' family wellbeing, and owner-operator truck drivers' family performance correlates with the hiring firms' performance; further, the latter improves their work-family relationship and, in turn, their profitability. In other words, performance is positively impacted when all parties involved take an active role in wellbeing and productivity. The study contributes to previous literature on CFR, owner-operator truck driver and hiring company dynamics, family and firms' performance, as well as to the understanding of the implications of family performance on organisational performance.