Truck drivers are in high demand and low supply, and this has led to fleets struggling with long-term recruitment. Truckers have a lot of options, so it’s not uncommon for many to leave their current employers in search of higher pay elsewhere. Recruitment is possible if you take the right approach and understand the standpoint of the current industry.
Recruiting Drivers: A Shortage Nightmare
The American Trucking Association reports that there is a current driver shortage of 80,000 truckers, and this figure may rise to as high as 160,000 in 2030.
A few factors are driving the shortage, including (but not limited to):
- An increase in demand
- A lot of truckers are retiring early
Many driving schools closed in 2020 – 2022, and this added to the driver shortage.
Demand for goods is outpacing the number of new CDL drivers, and filling empty positions is difficult for trucking fleets. If your truck driving recruiting hasn’t been revamped, it needs to be. Utilizing effective strategies can help boost recruitment for your fleet.
7 Effective Ways to Recruit Truck Drivers
1. Be Selective About the Drivers You Hire
Your fleet may need new drivers, but you need to be selective about who you recruit to your team. While you may need new drivers desperately, hiring a bad fit for your fleet is never a good option.
Being selective will help you:
- Maintain lower turnover rates
- Save money in the long-term
Your fleet needs to be discerning when hiring, which may mean requiring a certain level of:
- Experience
- History of safety
If you’re hard-pressed to find drivers and cannot find the right fit for your fleet, you may want to consider more intensive training programs.
2. Referral Programs
A referral hire has a 46% retention rate compared to someone being hired through a job board. Your existing employees have networks of friends who may be in the industry. Some of these friends may have been made in the trucking school they attended.
Creating a referral program is possible and can be incentivized, too.
For example, many of the largest fleets in the country are filling their ranks through referrals that may be structured in the following way:
- One large bonus after the 12-month retention period, or
- Smaller bonuses given out after 1, 3, 6 or 12 months if the hire stays with the company
Bonuses can be monetary in value, or you can opt to provide extra vacation days for the employee.
At TCI, our driver referral program works like this: For each hired driver that is referred, the TCI employee who made the referral will receive a $1,000 bonus paid incrementally over a 4-month period. There is no limit, so the more drivers they refer, the higher their earning potential. They’re also entered in a year-end drawing to potentially win $5,000. Imagine the earning potential – all for handing out a business card and sharing your experience of what it’s like to drive with TCI. To learn about our driver referral program, click here.
3. Make Use of Job Boards
Job boards may have a lower retention rate than a referral program, but they still have a 25% retention rate after four years. If you want to maximize your job listing exposure, you need to make use of job boards.
However, you want to adhere to two main points within this list when using a job board:
- Be selective about who you hire
- Optimize your job listing to weed out the number of unqualified applicants
Multiple trucking-related job boards can be used for recruitment, including platforms such as Indeed.com, AllTruckJobs, CDLJobs and many others. Add your job listing to these boards to attract potential drivers to your fleet.
4. Use Social Media as a Truck Driving Recruiting Tool
Social media can be an effective recruiting tool. Platforms like Facebook, LinkedIn, and Instagram can be great ways to connect with potential drivers.
Social media is also an effective tool for promoting your company as a great place to work. Use these platforms to show potential applicants what it’s like behind the scenes. Have current drivers share their stories and explain why they like working for your business.
Social networks have large user bases, which presents an opportunity to promote your job openings on a larger scale.
5. Focus on Work-Life Balance and Wellness
For some, the idea of spending weeks out on the road is part of the appeal of trucking. For others, especially those with a family, being away for so long can be challenging.
Offering flexibility in scheduling and focusing on work-life balance can help attract more applicants. Many drivers also value wellness benefits, such as gym access, nutrition counseling, and online communities aimed at helping drivers stay healthy.
Encouraging drivers to lead healthy lifestyles can also help reduce the number of sick days they take. A healthy workforce is a productive workforce.
6. Make Sure That Your Job Application is Mobile-Friendly
Today, more people are searching and applying for jobs online. In 2021, 67% of job applications were completed on mobile devices. Truck drivers are always on the go, so mobile-friendly job postings and applications are convenient.
It’s worth the effort to make the application process mobile-friendly because the response rate will likely be higher.
7. Optimize Your Job Description
Optimizing your job description can help you attract the right drivers. It’s important to make sure that your job posting is accurate and includes essential information that applicants will be looking for.
Make sure that you highlight:
- What you can offer
- What you need from them
- Application requirements (experience level, endorsements, etc.)
- What kind of salary or hourly rate you’re offering
- Work-life balance benefits
- Other forms of compensation that you offer, such as bonuses, vacation time, health insurance, etc.
- Special perks, like Wi-Fi or rider or pet policies
The more optimized your job description, the more likely you will be to attract the right drivers.
Focus Your Efforts
With the industry facing a shortage of 80,000 truckers, it’s tempting to hire any driver to fill your ranks and get shipments moving. But focusing your efforts on hiring safe and reliable drivers while offering great perks and benefits will help improve employee retention. Use these tips to improve the recruiting process and hire drivers that are a good fit for your business.
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