Carriers That Are Helping to Pay for CDL Endorsements

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With over 750,000 active trucking companies in the U.S., according to the American Trucking Associations (ATA), there is a lot of pressure to offer unique benefits to attract top tier, quality drivers. One benefit that more carriers are offering is paid CDL training. Paid CDL training is a distinct way to differentiate yourself from other carriers and stand out to new drivers who are interested in a career in truck driving.  

What Is Paid CDL Training?  

Paid CDL training is a program adopted by a freight carrier to pay for drivers’ initial training and CDL certification, in exchange for some commitment to the company following the conclusion of the program. Generally, most carriers require a minimum of 6 months and up to several years commitment if a driver engages in their paid CDL training. Some companies offer the paid CDL training in-house, whereas some pay for the training through a third-party training program.  

When offering paid CDL training it is important to clarify whether the company will cover the costs of the training, or if the driver will be expected to reimburse the company through paycheck deductions once hired. Many drivers will not understand the difference coming in, so it is vital that this information is provided upfront.  

What Are the Benefits of Offering Paid CDL Training? 

Most carriers that offer paid CDL training find it to be extremely beneficial in building a strong team of drivers. Companies that have a large fleet generally gravitate towards company paid CDL training as it ensures a pool of available candidates, eager to begin their career in trucking and ready to get on the road as soon as they graduate.  

Paid CDL training is not only a great tool for recruitment, but it can be seen as a huge benefit to many new truck drivers who are not sure where to begin their career in trucking. Many enjoy the prospect of knowing they will have a job immediately upon graduation and having guidance through the process of attaining their CDL.  

Carriers That Are Helping to Pay for CDL Endorsements 

Carriers that help pay for CDL endorsements often find that their retention rate increases, as does company morale. Offering beneficial programs like paid training show prospective and current employees how much the company cares about building a successful team and keeping them around for the long haul.  

There are many carriers offering to pay for CDL endorsements including, but not limited to:  

  • Sysco Asian Foods 
  • Swift Transportation  
  • Maverick Transportation  
  • XPO Logistics  
  • C.R. England Global Transporation  

Offering paid CDL training has several pros and cons but could ultimately be a solid strategy for ensuring your team has an ongoing influx of experienced drivers coming onboard after receiving their CDL endorsements. For more tips on the best recruiting and retention practices in trucking, make sure to check out our blog.  

 

How to Set Your Truck Drivers Up for Success

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Nearly every truck driver can tell a story about taking a job with a company that does not provide them with the tools and resources they need to be successful. Whether it’s poorly maintained trucks or a confusing onboarding process, there are some clear indicating factors that will impact a company’s driver retention rate. Truck driving is already a stressful occupation, which is why drivers will not hesitate to change companies if they feel their needs are not being met.  

To ensure that your company has a strong driver retention rate, you should set your drivers up for success from the moment they first apply to work for you. 

Clear Application & Onboarding Processes: Long applications, lack of response, or being treated like a number are several reasons drivers have cited about why they decided to join another company. To keep quality drivers, you must first be able to hire and onboard them successfully, which is why this step is so critical. Work with your recruiting department to ensure that there are clear goals about responding to drivers in a timely manner, making them feel welcome, and following up regularly during the process. Solid communication during this initial phase of employment lays the foundation for the drivers’ experience with your company as a whole. It is also advisable to have a driver mentor program to help facilitate a new driver’s experience once they join the team.  

Set Realistic Delivery Goals: Once drivers have joined your team there are several areas that they may run into issues while working, but we have noticed the top one is related to delivery. Many shipping companies set timelines that are extremely tight providing truck drivers with little room for error. Delivery times can be impacted by many factors including traffic and weather, so it is important to give drivers some flexibility to account for unexpected events. The last thing your company needs is drivers driving recklessly to meet tight deadlines.  

Providing Resources for Mental & Physical Health: Truck driving takes a toll on a person’s body both mentally and physically, which is why providing resources for your drivers is a key way to help set them up for success. Health issues common amongst truck drivers include stress, high blood pressure, obesity, depression, lack of sleep, and more. To mitigate these issues, it is worth providing benefits that allow drivers to take better care of their health including insurance, gym memberships, schedules that allow for sufficient rest, and paid time off. Companies can also provide equipment to help trucks become more comfortable including seat cushions which provide lumbar support.  

Balance Home Time with Time on the Road: Another way companies can help drivers be more successful and lead a healthier, happier life is by balancing time at home, with time on the road. As mentioned above, depression is one of the biggest issues facing truck drivers today and it is largely due to the amount of time spent alone. To help your drivers combat loneliness, it is important to make sure their schedule does not keep them away from home for weeks at a time and that they have plenty of breaks to communicate with their families.   

Regularly Maintain Trucks & Equipment: Deliveries are only possible if drivers can arrive at their destination safely and without issue. Drivers are often faced with trucks and other equipment that is not functioning properly. To ensure your team is able to do their jobs successfully, maintaining trucks and equipment regularly is a must.  

The market for experienced and quality truck drivers remains competitive, which is why it is vital to consider new and innovative ways to increase driver retention. For more tips on how to increase driver retention, make sure to check out our blog for employers regularly.  

How Our Clients Are Celebrating This Driver Appreciation Week

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Commercial truck driving is one of the most dangerous jobs in America. It’s also one of the most important, with drivers across the nation responsible for transporting over 70% of the United States’ freight.  

 

Each year, Truck Driver Appreciation Week provides the perfect opportunity to recognize and celebrate the tireless commitment of commercial drivers around the country. Here at Drive My Way, we’ve noticed that many of our clients have found creative and thoughtful ways to uplift their drivers with fun gifts, exciting games, and heartfelt messages. 

 

Keep reading to find out how our clients are shining the spotlight on their drivers this appreciation week, and how to keep the recognition going all year round. 

Goody Bags, Prizes, and More! 

Presents don’t have to be limited to birthdays or the holiday season any more! This September 10-16, many companies will provide their drivers with unique merchandise, useful tools, or fun swagto show their appreciation. A personalized gift is a thoughtful way to reward drivers for their hard work and show that you care.  

Company merchandise is a great way to show drivers how important they are to the mission, such as Go-To Transport’s tumbler.

This year, drivers at Go-To Transport can look forward to receiving a fun collection of company merchandise from display tables set up at their locations throughout the country. A Go-To tumbler, pen, and personal thank you card will be available to every company driver that stops by throughout the week. Drivers will also be able to choose between either a baseball cap, beanie, or a hoodie, depending on supplies.  

 

Drivers for NFI Industries are sure to enjoy choosing from a wide range of fun gear this appreciation week too. With locations across the country and over 4,500 drivers and contractors nationwide, NFI has stepped up by offering company hats, shirts, duffle bags, lunch boxes, and more!  

 

Meanwhile, Schwend, Inc. is utilizing its four locations across the South to set up stations for drivers to receive goody bags and door prizes this appreciation week. Prizes will range from Schwend merchandise to tickets for a weekend vacation!  

At each location, Schwend will also be setting up a breakfast and lunch serving station, where drivers can receive a home cooked meal each day of appreciation week. But for any driver that isn’t able to make it to a company terminal, there’s no need to worry! Schwend will offer to cover a few meals throughout the week for any driver out on the road.  

 

Do Something Nice 

You can never say ‘thank you’ too often. For many commercial truck drivers, they don’t hear it enough. This Driver Appreciation Week, show your team how much you care by sending out a thoughtful message or organizing an exciting event.  

 

The management team at Go-To Transport has been busy working with their marketing division to create a video of thank you messages for drivers to go on company social media pages. Hearing words of appreciation directly from management helps keep drivers invested in the company mission by highlighting the direct impact they have through their hard work.  

 

At NFI, it’s clear they know food is the way to everyone’s heart. Besides offering catered breakfast and lunch throughout the week, the company will be holding BBQ cookouts and picnics with food trucks, snow cone trucks, and raffle giveaways to celebrate their hardworking drivers across the country. 

 

At Schwend, their late summer employee appreciation picnics act as an extension of Driver Appreciation Week each year with cash prizes, CB radio giveaways, games, and more. Held at their Jasper, TN, and Dade City, FL, terminals, the picnics are open for all Schwend employees, but focus on drivers and their families.  

 

Truck Driver Appreciation Week is an annual reminder of the dedication, sacrifice, and commitment of commercial drivers across the nation. It’s a time to recognize and celebrate drivers, and to highlight the incredible contributions they make each day to the economy and our way of life.  

Drive My Way is proud of our clients and the efforts they make each year to acknowledge the hard work of their drivers.  

 

If your company celebrates Driver Appreciation Week in a unique way, or you’d like to be featured in more stories like this in the future, be sure to reach out to us on social media!  

 

Why Your Company Should Have a Driver Mentor Program

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Driver retention is one of the most important, and sometimes most challenging, parts of the recruiting process. With the current driver shortage and evolving recruiting practices, it’s more imperative than ever to stay ahead of the curve and keep your drivers safe, satisfied, and engaged.  

 

One sure fire way to foster a team environment, while improving driver safety and retention rates, is to create a driver mentor program. By pairing new hires with more experienced team members, you can show your drivers that you appreciate their work and are willing to invest in them. In addition, mentoring relationships at any stage of your career can help you achieve personal and professional development goals, such as learning a new skill, strengthening a competency, or becoming more productive, just to name a few. Keep reading to find out why a mentor program could be the best move for your company.  

 

Mentor vs. Manager: What’s the Difference? 

You might be asking yourself: what’s the point of a mentor when you have a great team of managers on the payroll? Mentors play a less formal role, allowing management to maintain the necessary level of professionalism. A mentor gives new drivers a chance to ask questions they might not be comfortable asking managers, and takes the pressure off while they are initially familiarizing themselves with company protocols. Mentoring is open and collaborative relationship between a mentor and mentee that is built on trust.  The relationship is defined by both parties. It can be formal or informal.  

 

“Engagement is the key to learning and development and being involved in a mentoring relationship can be quite profound as both mentors and mentees make themselves vulnerable, trusting in the process as they confidentially share insecurities, struggles ,mistakes, and valuable learnings with each other. It’s a level of transparency that makes this experience unique and helps accelerate one’s personal and professional development. Having a strong mentoring program not only helps to engage and advance women in the organization, it builds supportive relationships and fosters a culture of learning.” 

⁠—Beth Potratz, President and CEO, Drive My Way 

  

What Are the Benefits? 

By instating a driver mentor program, you aren’t just helping your newest team members. You are also helping the experienced drivers who become mentors, as well as your company as a whole!  

 

For the mentee, the benefits cannot be understated.  

  • A low pressure way to learn about company culture and expectations.  
  • Access to an experienced driver’s tips, tricks, and advice.  
  • Guidance whenever they have questions.  

 

At the same time, experienced drivers who take on the responsibility of becoming a mentor will experience benefits too.  

  • A chance to progress their career by developing coaching skills.  
  • Increased pay or other company incentives. 
  • The feeling of company recognition for being selected in this important role.  

 

Besides increased retention rates, there are other ways a mentor program can benefit your company.  

  • Lower your insurance rates with safer drivers.  
  • Foster a team environment through increased positivity and communication.  
  • Save money on training seminars.  

 

Changing the Face of Trucking, One Mentor at a Time 

Driver mentor programs also offer another benefit, one that will help in developing the entire trucking industry. As more women and members of underrepresented communities enter the field, mentors are a great way to ensure they receive the support and guidance they need while forging new paths in the industry.  

 

Organizations such as Women In Trucking (WIT) offer their own mentorship opportunities, including their Mentor Match Program and online community platform Engage. Through these programs, WIT promotes connection, support, and mentoring for women entering the field and offers a chance for experienced drivers to give back.  

 

Although programs like these are changing the trucking industry, there is no better way to support your drivers than by starting at a company level. A driver mentor program demonstrates to these employees that you appreciate and prioritize them, enabling you to grow your fleet while attracting top talent from diverse backgrounds.  

 

 

Driver mentor programs are a great way to save money and time while demonstrating to your drivers that their success is your top priority. Mentors also encourage diversity and growth in an evolving industry and are becoming an important differentiating factor in today’s highly competitive market.  

 

We’d love to hear any mentor success stories, or lessons you’ve learned while pairing up drivers, so be sure to reach out to us on social media! 

Best Ways to Celebrate Your Drivers During National Truck Driver Appreciation Week

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Truck driving is a career that is not for the faint of heart. With long hours, physical demands, and the stress of working on the road, it goes without saying that truck drivers are some of the hardest workers out there. Not only is truck driving a strenuous job, but it is also a vital one. Without the dedication of America’s truck drivers, communities across the nation would go without necessary goods; from food to clothing, truck drivers are the cornerstone of transportation in this country. For this and many other reasons, we honor our truck drivers every year during National Truck Driver Appreciation Week.  

History of National Truck Driver Appreciation Week  

According to the American Trucking Associations (ATA), National Truck Driver Appreciation Week is a time for Americans to show gratitude to the millions of truck drivers who make sure goods are delivered to communities across the country. This program is an annual celebration that was started by the ATA in 1988 to recognize the vital role that truck drivers play in our supply chain and economy. To put it into perspective, at least 80% of communities throughout the U.S. rely on trucks to meet their freight transportation needs. This year, National Truck Driver Appreciation Week is September 10th –16th.  

 

Best Ways to Celebrate Your Drivers During National Truck Driver Appreciation Week  

There are many wonderful appreciation ideas for celebrating your drivers during National Truck Driver Appreciation Week. From bonuses to free lunches, these gestures go a long way in showing gratitude for your drivers. Some other creative ways to celebrate your drivers include:  

Ask Your Drivers: One of the best ways to celebrate your team is asking for their feedback. By having an open dialogue with your drivers, you can see the areas where the company is excelling, and the areas that could use improvement. Perhaps your drivers would benefit from the use of new technology. Do you have a bonus structure in place? Even new seats in their trucks could go a long way in showing that you value your drivers’ well-being. By asking them what would make their job more comfortable, you not only are able to show appreciation, but also demonstrate that their opinion has an impact on the company as a whole.  

Survival Kits: Way cooler than a gift basket, survival kits are a creative way to put together items that your drivers can use while they are on a haul. From healthy snacks to new tech, a truck driver survival kit is a fun gift that shows your team that you value their hard work and are dedicated to providing them with tools they need to continue to do their job well.  

Family Time: Truck driving is demanding physically, but it is also draining emotionally. Many drivers spend weeks at a time away from their families, which is tough. A great way to show appreciation for drivers is to include extra time with family. Whether that is an extra day off, family company events, or the option to bring your family on the road, these gestures mean the world to drivers. This story, shared on Healthy Trucking of America, highlights the ups and downs of having a parent that is an OTR driver. By ensuring that your drivers have a healthy work-life balance and plenty of time to spend with family, you can not only increase driver retention, but show your team that you genuinely care about them having quality time to spend with their spouses and children.  

 

Showing Gratitude for Your Drivers Year-Round  

While showing your gratitude to your drivers during National Truck Driver Appreciation Week is a wonderful gesture, year-round appreciation is an important tool for companies to invest time and energy into, so they can increase driver retention. For additional truck driver appreciation ideas, download our Quick Guide to Truck Driver Appreciation.  

 

What are some ways your company shows appreciation for your drivers during National Truck Driver Appreciation Week, or year-round? Connect with us on Facebook, LinkedIn, or Instagram; we would love to hear from you!  

4 Tips for Recruiting Truck Drivers

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If the ongoing  shortage of truck drivers  has made one thing clear, it’s that recruiting and retaining drivers is more important than ever. Hiring, training, and retaining dedicated drivers is crucial to finding success in today’s economy, and it all starts with the recruitment of the right candidates for the job.  

Struggling to attract talent or recruit them into your organization? Wondering how to meet the demands of the market and stay competitive in an ever-changing industry? These 4 tips are sure to help you set your organization up for success when recruiting truck drivers.  

  1. Make Your Marketing Driver-Centric

In today’s world, drivers look to the regular marketing channels to find information about prospective companies and fleets. This means that good recruitment strategies begin with strong marketing and carefully curated content.  

What kinds of content currently exist on the company website and social media pages? Information about how successful a company is won’t be of much interest to a potential employee. It’s important to highlight driver-centric content, or the kinds of benefits a driver can receive from your company.  

Ultimately, a driver wants to know that the company will treat their drivers with care and provide the benefits they are looking for.  

Highlight any wellness programs or culture initiatives that differentiate your company from the competition. Providing information on schedules, work-life balance, and fleet amenities can help drivers see how much you care. Including testimonials from current, satisfied employees builds trust and offers the real insight drivers are looking for.  

Remember, drivers are always wondering “what can they do for me?” Driver-centric marketing will leave no doubt in their mind that you’re the right company for them.  

  1. Target the Right Audience 

Before you start moving prospective drivers through the recruitment pipeline, you have to be sure you’re selecting from the best pool of candidates for the job.  

Many driving fleets have very specific needs and requirements that not all candidates are ideal for. Knowing how to target the right segment of candidates will make the process more efficient and effective.  

Databases allow you to select drivers based on driver type, years of experience, haul experience, geographical location, and other factors. Focusing on any of these segments early in the recruiting process can save you time and energy. It will also increase the overall effectiveness of the company. By not optimizing this stage of recruitment, you could potentially lose hours chasing leads which were never well suited for that particular fleet or job.  

If you don’t have an easy or effective way to browse data on prospective drivers, Drive My Way can help you target the specific segment of drivers needed for your particular situation.  

  1. Use the Latest Digital Recruiting Methods

Driver recruitment methods are constantly changing, so it’s important to stay up to date with the latest and most effective strategies. Social media continues to evolve as a tool, and drivers use these platforms to research companies, read comments, and evaluate employers. Since drivers are often on the road, they’ll use their mobile devices to search for job leads.  

When viewers like, follow, share, or comment on your content, it can increase the audience exponentially. But advertising job postings on social media channels isn’t enough to attract the talent you’re looking for.  

Post engaging content on your platforms which drivers will want to view. In addition, search engine optimization of your content will ensure that your website is receiving as much traffic as possible. Use software like Google Analytics and Google Keyword Planner to optimize your post by including trending phrases and words.  

Applications should be short and mobile-friendly to avoid any bottlenecking in the recruiting process. Drivers often don’t have enough time to fill out a long application, so a shorter version with only basic information required is best initially, with the option to complete the remaining components later.  

It’s helpful to stay on top of the latest digital tools for recruiting and analyze which strategies could be useful for your company.   

  1. Re-engage Old Leads

In the trucking industry, the unusually high turnover rate of drivers poses a unique challenge for recruiters.  

One of the best ways a recruiter can continually bring people into the pipeline is by re-engaging old leads or cold leads.  

Many drivers who could be a perfect fit but were previously unavailable or chose to drive for a different fleet might be available and looking for opportunities again. Leads and prospects that have gone cold or did not convert into driver status should not be forgotten. Instead, keep them in mind for the future and maintain a connection.  

Drip marketing, engaging content on blogs, social media, and newsletters are all great strategies to stay connected to old leads and assure that your fleet remains fresh on their minds when they’re considering a new employer.  

 

 

While driver recruiting in the trucking industry can be daunting, many of the unique challenges you face can be combated by these solutions. Master these four tips to experience recruiting as it should be: easy, effective, and rewarding.  

How to Reduce Driver Application Abandonment

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truck driver application

Trucking recruiters are tasked with finding top candidates, matching them to the right jobs, and converting them into drivers for the fleet. That’s why it can become so frustrating when you notice that the number of drivers who apply for your jobs starts to drop. 

There could be many reasons why this is happening, but if you’ve got a solid reputation, great pay, and nice benefits and home time, the real reason could be right under your nose; application abandonment.  

Your carrier could have the best reputation, pay, benefits, and perks in the industry, but it amounts to little if you have an application process that is so frustrating for a driver to get through that they don’t even bother finishing it.  

A recent survey found that 92% of jobseekers who hit “apply”, never actually get through the entire job application. Just think about the great drivers your carrier could be missing out on because of a bad application process. Here are three things that could be causing truck driver application abandonment and what you can do to fix them.

1. Cut Down on the Length

If you’re dealing with high application abandonment, try putting yourself in a driver’s shoes. Most drivers don’t want to spend their limited free time filling out lengthy and complex applications. In fact, this is usually the top reason job seekers quit in the middle of applications. 

If your applications require drivers to answer multiple long form answers, input the same information multiple times, or they’re being asked tedious questions related to small details of the job, most will decide it’s not worth it and move on. Worst case, you may be losing these candidates to rival carriers who have optimized and shortened their applications. 

Ideally, your carrier’s application should take no longer than 15 minutes to complete. Instead of requiring drivers to provide every bit of information up-front during the application, focus on the basics and stick to questions that require simple answers. You can ask more detailed questions later, during the follow-up or in-person phone call.

2. Make Applications Mobile-Friendly

Since drivers spend most of their time on the road, they mainly search for and apply to jobs using their smartphones. In this mobile-first world, recruiters and fleet managers need to make sure they’re able to communicate and interface with drivers this way. Otherwise, you risk a large number of drivers abandoning your application. 

Optimize your applications for a mobile-first experience by using mobile rendering, saved login information, and other useful features. A lot of web providers will give you the ability to look at what a page will look like on a mobile device before you publish, so you can see if there are any issues.  

3. Collect Feedback

driver recruiterWhile you, as a recruiter can create what you think is the most efficient, painless, and all-around great application experience, you won’t really know how it is until drivers start applying. Even when they do start, it can be hard to gauge what’s working and what’s not since gathering data around job application abandonment can prove to be difficult. 

The solution lies in collecting driver feedback. Reach out to drivers who have completed your application process and see how they felt about it. You could offer an incentive to do so or tack it on as the last question during your initial phone screens with drivers. 

This information is invaluable in helping you and your recruiting team understand what’s working and what’s not in relation to your application.  

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How to Become a Better Driver Recruiter

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How to Become a Better Driver Recruiter

Being a recruiter in any industry is challenging, but recruiting in the trucking industry is an especially difficult task. The jobs that you’re filling are tough, drivers are scarce, and the old ways of recruiting don’t work like they used to. All of this can make being a driver recruiter seem like too big of an uphill challenge, but it’s very possible to find success in this position.  

If you’re a recruiter who’s overwhelmed, and looking for a new approach to driver recruiting, here are 3 tips to becoming a better driver recruiter. 

1. Know the Answers

When speaking with driver candidates, be sure you’re an expert on your company and the particulars of the job. Know what the day-to-day will look like and give honest answers. Don’t sugarcoat things if you know that your company might not have the world’s best benefits or if the pay might not be at the top of the scale.  

If a driver ends up asking you a technical question that you don’t know the answer to, never guess or say something you think might be right. Always tell them something along the lines of, “I’m not sure, but I can get back to you ASAP with an answer.” Drivers understand that not every recruiter will know all the details about a job as complicated as truck driving. especially if they relate to equipment or maintenance. Consulting your team then reaching back out to the driver with the answer that’s 100% correct is always the best policy. 

As the first one to communicate with a driver candidate, you’re in a position to be the best advocate for your carrier. Be knowledgeable, truthful, and you’ll find that drivers who choose your company will stay longer.

2. Have a Plan

This may sound obvious, but you’d be surprised how many recruiting departments lack a cohesive plan for how to bring drivers into their organization. While each hiring plan will vary from carrier to carrier, all of them should have two things in common. They should be measurable and repeatable. 

If you’re just getting started, map out all the actionable steps in the hiring process from start to finish. This should include posting jobs, interviewing candidates, doing background checks and everything else associated with the hiring process.  

Next, decide on a timeframe for each of these steps. Should the interview process take at most two weeks, three weeks, or a month? Each carrier is different, so it’s up for you to decide.  

Throughout the process, you should be measuring key performance Indicators, or KPIs related to your hiring performance. A few common ones in HR and recruiting are Cost Per Hire and Time to Hire. Measuring these KPIs is the only way that you can track your performance as a recruiter and get better. 

3. Leverage Automation

driver recruiterIf one of your biggest issues as a recruiter is that drivers are slipping through the cracks, or you don’t have the time to reach out to all the qualified drivers you can, then automation is the answer.  

Automation tools like applicant tracking systems will help you eliminate time-consuming manual processes like reaching out to a large number of drivers at once, collecting VOEs and performing background checks. This will free up time so you can do what you do best; make connections with driver candidates. Do some research on automation partners that fit your budget and who are devoted to making the life of a driver recruiter easier. 

Bonus Tip – Utilize a Recruiting Partner

Aside from finding a partner for automation, consider working with a company that can help you find the best matches for your open jobs. Drive My Way is a next generation recruiting marketplace that matches truck drivers with jobs based on their qualifications and personal preferences.  

We’re making truck driver recruiting personal again by creating meaningful connections for employers to turn into lasting relationships; just like we did with Argos USA. We’re ready to help you put together a plan that best fits your needs, and help you recruit drivers that are the best fit for your open positions.  

Comprehensive CDL Recruitment Solutions

Ready to start recruiting the right drivers? Our solutions experts are happy to answer any questions and show you how Drive My Way uniquely approaches CDL driver recruitment.

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Why Utilizing Facebook is Important for Trucking Carriers

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Facebook recruitingAlmost every carrier has some sort of Facebook presence by now. Whether that Facebook presence is actively helping you reach drivers is the bigger question.  

With Facebook by far being the most popular social media site with truck drivers, carriers who are looking to recruit quality drivers shouldn’t be overlooking it. Aside from using it to connect with family and friends, truck drivers use Facebook as a tool to connect with other drivers, stay up to date on the industry, and learn about different carriers. Here are 4 ways that your carrier can get the most out of Facebook. 

1. Post Your Open Jobs

For carriers looking to reach more drivers and eventually recruit said drivers, posting their open positions is the obvious thing to do. You’ll want to let your network know when you have an open position on your fleet.  

When posting your open jobs, make sure to include the high-level things that will catch a driver’s attention, like route, pay range, and location. Then you can include a CTA that will direct them to your job posting for more information.  

Of course, if your Facebook audience is very small, you’re not going to reach a lot of drivers. If this is the case, you can read further down for some tips on how to build a Facebook audience. If you’re looking to recruit drivers now and can’t wait that long, consider aligning with a recruiting partner that can help your job ads reach a new audience. 

2. Utilize Facebook Groups

Aside from just posting to their individual Facebook feeds, trucks drivers will often join groups that are specific to truck drivers. In these groups, they share advice with other drivers, tell stories about their time on the road, and post leads about new jobs.  

As a carrier, you can do some digging to find active truck driver groups and post your jobs there. This will help you reach a new drivers without doing all the legwork of building an organic audience.  

Keep in mind that not all Facebook groups will let carriers post in them. Some have privacy settings that only allow active members to post in them. Also, before you post in these groups, make sure that you’re ready to answer any questions that drivers may have and ready to respond to any negative feedback.  

3. Create Fun Content

When it comes to creating a Facebook following, the number one, time-tested way is by creating content that people want to see.  

This doesn’t mean that you’ll have to pull out the video camera and create a daily vlog or do top 10 lists once a week. It just means that you’ll have to use your Facebook for more than just posting your open positions.  

So, what does count as “fun content”? Think about sharing posts about what’s happening at your carrier. Are you holding an event soon for drivers and their families? Snap a few photos and post them to your Facebook page.

Memes are also another great way to get drivers to engage with your carrier. Posting these relatable pictures or videos can show drivers that your carrier has some personality and will make them more likely to engage with your posts, and even consider your carrier the next time they’re on the job hunt. 

 

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A post shared by Drive My Way (@drive_my_way)

You can do a quick Google search for trucking memes, or you can even try your hand at making your own if there’s someone in the office with some extra free time.  

4. Post Why Drivers Should Work for Your Carrier

No matter what a recruiter, HR employee, or other company representative tells a driver about a carrier, they’ll always take it with a grain of salt. This is especially true for drivers who have been around the industry for some time and have been let down by carriers in the past.  

This is where driver testimonials come in. A driver testimonial is a short video or quote from a driver where they talk about what they enjoy about working for your carrier.  

These testimonials could be as simple as gathering quotes from your current drivers about why they like working for your carrier, and creating a graphic around it, or it can be as ambitious as making a short video of your drivers speaking freely on what they enjoy about the job with your carrier.  

Once you’ve made your testimonial, share it on Facebook. This will help grow your audience and show drivers that your carrier can back up what they say.  

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4 Tips for Successful Communication with Drivers

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communication with drivers

Whether you’re recruiting new drivers to your carrier or interacting with those who have been with you for years, communication is important. Successful communication with employees is crucial for any company’s success but comes with unique challenges for trucking carriers. 

The nature of the job is that drivers will be on the road most of the time and communication rarely takes place in-person. To complicate matters, there is often a difference in culture between managers and drivers. That’s not to say that good communication is impossible for carriers, just that it takes a little more work than it would for your average company. Keep these 4 tips in mind if you want your carrier to have strong communication with drivers.  

1. Be Curious and Understanding

The most important part of strong communication with drivers is good listening. This means you actually take time and effort to hear drivers’ concerns and then address them. Good listening isn’t just reactive. Don’t just wait for drivers to come to you with their concerns. Be curious enough to inquire about their needs and questions. 

If you’re recruiting a new driver, you know which factors they are likely considering, so address them proactively. Ask questions centered around their home time, benefits, and compensation needs. If you’re getting feedback from current drivers, be curious about their preferences about type of haul, type of run, work schedule etc.  

Good listening is only the first step. Once you’ve talked to different drivers to see if you can find any patterns in what they’re saying. Are we not keeping our promises around home time? Is there a certain dispatcher that multiple drivers are having an issue with? Once you’ve nailed down the issues, you can make an action plan for how to address them.  

2. Know When to Call or Video Conference…

semi truck amenitiesSometimes, the medium is the message. Choosing the proper communication method can make the difference between having successful conversations with drivers or leaving them frustrated. Some issues are too long or complicated to discuss over text or email. Calling drivers’ cell phones is the most popular way to communicate with drivers for a good reason. 

Most drivers will carry their phones with them 24-7, so if you need to deliver some quick but important and time-sensitive information, this is the way to go. 

You can be brief and to the point, while also delivering the personal touch. Same thing holds for job prospects you’re trying to recruit—you can quickly touch base about some details and leave a strong impression in their minds. 

Speaking of the personal touch, consider requesting video conferences for added face-time. It’s tough to get an in-person meeting with drivers or job candidates if they are on the road. Using videoconferencing is the next best thing. It will also preserve important non-verbal cues like eye contact and body language. Video interviews are also becoming a popular alternative to phone interviews. Save this for important and longer conversations that could use the added human touch of face-to-face interaction.

3. …And Know When to Text or Email Instead

Knowing is half the battle. Sometimes, text or email is a better platform for communication. You don’t want to send a lengthy message over text. It’s best for short and sweet messages which are time-sensitive. Messages over text won’t require much elaboration or the personal touch to smooth things over. 

It is usually best when it’s a follow up to an ongoing conversation rather than springing up something unexpected. Don’t text as the first method of contact to job candidates—it’s just too impersonal! Your job prospects will want to feel like you’re making the effort and that they are worth a phone call. On the other hand, you can text to set up a phone call or ask someone to call back to discuss further details. Texting also gets around network coverage issues or background noise, because the message will go through eventually. 

Reserve email for the most important and lengthy messages. Usually, email is best for sharing critical documents like job applications, contracts, insurance policies etc. Sometimes email can also be better than a phone call if you want to keep record of what was agreed upon. Human memory is fragile, and two people may remember different things from the same phone call. Having the written documentation available makes things less ambiguous.

4. Treat Drivers with Respect and Build Trust

This one cannot be overstated. None of your communication strategies and methods are going to work if drivers don’t feel that you’re treating them with respect. 

It sounds like a no-brainer, yet this is one of the biggest complaints that drivers have—management doesn’t treat them with respect. 

If you’re a recruiter making a first impression, this is even more important. Be careful not to speak too hurriedly, or as if you’ve been stressed or anxious just before the interaction. Friendly and respectful communication is more engaging and will make a better impression. 

Even if you’re interacting with drivers who have been with your fleet for years, you should always speak to them as if it’s that very first time. 

Strong communication with drivers takes time and consistency. A relationship with your drivers is just like a relationship with anyone else- you build more trust if you keep communicating honestly and clearly over a long period of time. Always being respectful, curious, and understanding in your communications with drivers will lead to a better working relationship, which in turn leads to better retention numbers, and an overall better image of your company in the industry. 

Treat drivers with respect, build trust over the years through good communication, and the payoffs for your carrier will be enormous. 

ultimate guide to retaining truck drivers

Ultimate Guide to Retaining Truck Drivers

You work so hard to recruit the best truck drivers for your fleet. The trick is retaining them. This guide is packed with tips for retaining your fleet.

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