What Do CDL Truck Drivers Want? Here Are 7 Top Factors

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Given the continual driver shortage, truck drivers have many options in deciding which companies and fleets to work for. Recruiters need to constantly differentiate themselves from other firms when interacting with job prospects. Recruiters are constantly guessing about how much drivers will care about different factors when weighing job options. Data from Drive My Way’s database revealed some interesting factors which CDL truck drivers care about when looking for a CDL trucking job.

Drive My Way’s unique service matches drivers with companies based on professional qualifications and lifestyle choices. We asked our drivers which factors are most important to them when they are deciding where to work. We were overwhelmed by the sheer number of responses and slightly surprised by the results. According to our Drive My Way drivers, here are the top seven factors CDL truck drivers consider when deciding where to work.

1. Pay

Okay, this one is not a big surprise, but it’s good to have some hard data behind recruiters’ instincts. Type and amount of pay is the number one reason drivers said they consider when looking for jobs. In fact, over 15,000 Drive My Way drivers cited this as the top reason.

Truckers know a shoddy deal when they see one, so they’ll be skeptical if your company is offering them pay less than the industry average.

In addition to salary, drivers also look for opportunities for raises, bonuses, and overtime rates. If they are driving specialty or unusual hauls which are more dangerous, they will expect those to pay better. Bottom line, if drivers aren’t paid competitively at your company, they’ll shop around for a company where they are.

2. Health Insurance

Salary isn’t the only important factor when it comes to compensation. Drivers care about a full benefits package, including health insurance. Over 12,000 Drive My Way drivers cited this as a factor they consider when applying for a new CDL job.

The costs of health insurance have risen over the last 10 years, and drivers look for the best packages that covers their health needs. Drivers with families especially look to cover as many family members as possible. Many families will need special coverage for very particular health needs, and if their employers only offer very basic packages they will look elsewhere for a better deal. Try to balance out factors like the deductibles, co-pays, and co-insurance costs and have a portfolio of different insurance options for drivers to choose from.

3. Retirement Plans

When deciding where to work, CDL truck drivers consider retirement options. The average truck driver age is 49. Many drivers are only about two decades away from retirement, so if they haven’t started saving yet they will want to now. Even younger drivers are likely to be proactive and start thinking about retirement sooner rather than later. Overall, nearly 12,000 Drive My Way drivers cited retirement plans as a top factor they consider in a new CDL job.

Many employers offer retirement plans but don’t automatically enroll their staff into a default plan. The result is that drivers and other staff are overwhelmed with having to make those decisions and put it off indefinitely. Make the process easier for your drivers by having an automatic opt-in policy. Then, they have the choice to opt-out or choose a different plan. Saving for retirement is hard, but drivers know the importance. Let your job prospects know you can make the process easier for them, and they’ll remember your company as one that cares.

4. Type of Run/Range

Truck driving jobs have a great deal of variety. One of the most critical attributes that make them different is the type of run and range that exists. Not all drivers want jobs that take them coast-to-coast across the country. Over 11,000 drivers named the type of run as an essential factor when deciding where to work.

Some drivers will prefer over-the-road (OTR) work. However, since OTR drivers spend less time at home and live out of their truck, they expect to be compensated better. Other drivers prefer local runs or regional runs. Make sure you get to know your driver candidate’s preferences in what types of runs and range they’d like to cover.

5. Type of Schedule and Paid Time-Off

Home time is one of the most important factors drivers consider when looking for work. Over 11,000 Drive My Way drivers cited both of these—type of schedule and PTO —as top job factors they consider when applying to a new CDL trucking job.

The average driver works 70 hours a week and goes 8 days before taking a day off. That’s a rough schedule for anyone, but especially for drivers who may have families and children. Truck drivers know that the job entails sacrificing home time, but they hope the sacrifices aren’t unbearable. Drivers won’t hesitate to pursue another job if that schedule and PTO package suits their needs better.

6. Training and Development

Truck drivers may have some experience behind the wheel already, but it won’t compare to getting some actual training. Nearly 8,000 Drive My Way drivers cited training and development as a top factor they consider when looking for a new CDL job.

Any company training or orientation that your company provides will make them feel comfortable in the position and foster a sense of belonging with the company. Research shows that employees who feel they’ve been trained and groomed by the company will feel a greater sense of loyalty to that company. More and more drivers are now interested in professional development opportunities. Making training and development a core part of HR operations is something recruiters can do to make a strong case for drivers to work there and remain there for many years.

7. Type of Haul

Over 4,000 Drive My Way drivers expressed that the type of haul is an important factor for them in choosing a CDL jobs. If you aren’t taking into account driver preferences and specializations in hauls, you’re under-utilizing them! Some types of hauls will require special CDL endorsements or special permits, so make sure to equip your drivers with those. If they are already certified, it makes a placement choice all the more easier. Figuring out which hauls should be covered by which drivers can be a tricky business given other constraints, but make sure you ask your drivers about their skill and interest level in them.

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Top 7 Reasons Truck Drivers Decline Jobs

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Just like any other employees, truck drivers consider a variety of factors when deciding which company to work for. Some factors are obvious, such as compensation and benefits. Some other factors may surprise you. As a recruiter, you may think that you’ve all but sealed the deal on a new candidate but then they end up declining the job. Drivers may not be open with you about why they declined the job, but it is useful for recruiters to have this information.

Drive My Way’s unique service matches drivers with companies based on professional qualifications and lifestyle choices. Sometimes our drivers turn down these offers by employers. We’ve asked our drivers why they turn down the jobs, and the results may be eye-opening. According to our Drive My Way drivers, here are the top seven reasons truck drivers decline jobs.

1. Another Job

The number one reason why drivers decline jobs is because they got scooped up by someone else. They were offered another job by a competitor and they thought the offer was too good to pass up.

As a recruiter, you know this is always a possibility you should try to avoid. Always be in touch with top prospects and know when is a good time to offer the position and sign them on. If you wait too long, you’re more than likely to lose the candidate to a recruiter from another company who was just quicker. In the Drive My Way database, over 3,200 drivers cited this as the reason they decline other jobs.

2. Salary

Okay, this one shouldn’t come as a major shock—drivers care about compensation. Considering the reality of the driver shortage, drivers have considerable bargaining power to be able to look for a better deal elsewhere. In the Drive My Way database, a whopping 1,500 drivers declined jobs because of the compensation.

The average yearly salary for truck drivers is around $41,000. But industry average doesn’t paint the whole picture. Driver pay should be dependent on a number of factors including years of experience, type of haul, and the overall benefit package. Offering packages above the industry average is the best practice, but make sure to take into account other factors when crafting a compensation package.

Bottom line, if drivers aren’t being payed as much as they think they deserve, they will not think twice about declining your job offer and looking elsewhere.

3. Hours, Schedule & Home Time

The third most cited reason truck drivers decline jobs is work schedule and home time. The average driver works 70 hours a week and goes 8 days before taking a day off.

That’s a tough schedule, especially for those with families. Finding time to spend with family can be difficult enough, but is especially rough for OTR truck drivers. In the Drive My Way database, over 1400 candidates cited schedule as a reason they declined job offers.

When recruiting candidates, take care to offer packages that will suit their schedule preferences. Drivers aren’t looking to slack off half the week—they’d just like to keep some time for home time. Get to know their family situations, lifestyle, work habits, and keep these in mind while offering packages. Keeping home-time a consideration not only shows drivers that you care about them as employees but builds a more productive and motivated workforce. Drivers are more likely to be retained long-term if they are happy with their work schedules.

But wait, I thought there were 7 driver decline reasons?

These are just the top three reasons truck drivers decline jobs offered by recruiters. But, this is just the tip of the iceberg. For the complete list of reasons that truck drivers decline jobs, download the complete ebook below.

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4 Tips for Recruiting Truck Drivers

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Given the shortage of drivers currently facing the truck industry, there’s a constant need to keep recruiting truck drivers. Hiring, training, and retaining drivers over the long-term is crucially important. At the end of the day, it all begins with recruitment of the right candidates.

If you can’t attract talent and recruit them into the organization, you won’t be able to even think about retaining them to meet the demands of the market. These four tips will help you improve truck driver recruiting.

1. Make your Marketing Driver-centric

Remember that drivers are going to find information about prospective companies and fleets on the regular marketing channels. So, good recruitment actually begins with good marketing presence and carefully curated content.

What kinds of content currently exists on the company website and Facebook page? If it is only information about how successful the company is, it won’t be of much use to a prospective employee. Ideally, much of your content is also driver-centric—that is, it details what kinds of benefits the drivers can get from that 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 and culture initiatives that differentiate your company from the rest of the competition. Clearly provide information on schedules, work-life balance, fleet amenities and the rest.

The best marketing also includes testimonials from current drivers who have been satisfied with the experience so far. When designing the content, remember the drivers will always ask, “what can they do for me?” Making your marketing driver-centric will ensure that you provide an excellent answer to that question and will form a strong impression in their minds

2. Target the Right Audience

Before you start moving prospective drivers through the recruiting pipeline, you must make sure you’ve selected the right pool of candidates for the job.

Many driving fleets will have very specific needs and requirements that not all candidates would be ideal for. Targeting the precise segment of candidates can make the process more efficient and effective.

With the aid of databases, you can select drivers based on driver type, years of experience, haul experience, geographical location, or other factors. Focusing on any one of these particular segments ahead of time will save you time and energy as a recruiter. It also increases overall effectiveness of converted drivers. Not optimizing this part of the process means you’ll spend potentially hours chasing leads which were never well-suited for that particular fleet or job.

If you don’t have data on prospective drivers, Drive My Way can help you target the specific segment of drivers needed for your particular situation.

3. Use the Latest Digital Recruiting Methods

Use the latest and smartest, strategies to attract and recruit the talent you’re looking for. Social media is growing as a tool and drivers use these platforms to research companies, read comments, and evaluate employers. When viewers like, follow, share, or comment on your content, it can increase the audience exponentially.

Making sure you’re advertising job postings on social media isn’t enough. 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 such as Google Analytics or Google Keyword Planner to optimize your posts for trending phrases and words. Since drivers are on the road often, they’ll use their mobile devices instead of laptops to search for job leads.

Making the application process simple and easy will go a long way toward removing recruiting bottlenecks. Make sure that the applications are short and mobile-friendly.

Drivers will usually not have enough time to fill out long applications in one sitting. So make a shorter version with only basic information required, with the option to complete the remaining later.

Digital tools for recruitment and advertising are constantly improving, so keep and eye out for the latest and use your judgment on whether it would be useful.

4. Re-engage Old Leads

One unique challenge in the trucking industry is the unusually high turnover rate for drivers. This presents a difficulty for recruiters which isn’t faced in most other industries or sectors of the economy.

By re-engaging old leads and cold leads, recruiters can continually bring people into the pipeline even if they had dropped out before.

Many prospective drivers who were previously unavailable or chose to drive for a different fleet may be available soon. 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.

While you don’t want to constantly pester them as to their status, you do want to make sure you follow up from time to time. Use drip marketing or engaging content on blogs, social media, or newsletters to stay connected with them and keep them in your radar. This leads to your fleet being fresh in their mind, and on their radar, when they’re considering a new employer.

While recruitment and HR management in the trucking industry presents unique difficulties, it also provides some opportunities through these tools and tricks. Master these four tips and recruiting truck drivers for your company will become less daunting.

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4 Mistakes to Avoid For Your Next Truck Driver Hire

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Recruiting drivers in the trucking industry can present unique difficulties, and we’ve previously covered some helpful tips to improve recruitment. Here are some common mistakes to avoid for your next truck driver hire.

1. Not Following Up in a Timely Fashion

Recruiters can feel the pressure to stay in contact with dozens of prospects at any given time. While targeting a particular segment can help ease the burden, recruiters must follow up with the strong prospects in the right time frame.

If a candidate has expressed interest or even completed an application, keeping them in the pipeline is crucial towards eventually converting them.

If it’s been too many days since drivers hear back from recruiters, they are going to lose interest or perhaps form a poor impression of the company. Worst-case scenario is that a another company or fleet picks up the prospect when you might have converted the driver. Remain engaged with your leads every few days and make sure they don’t turn into cold leads.

2. Not Differentiating the Application and Interview Process

Drivers apply to dozens of jobs. That means dozens of long and boring job applications, and dozens of similarly canned interview questions. Differentiate your company and culture by making the application process easier and more intuitive for drivers. Making sure job applications are short and mobile-friendly ensures that drivers can complete them while on rest brakes during work.

While all the information can eventually be obtained in a long-form application, make shorter ones at first to get basic information, and then follow up later for more details.

Don’t ask for social security numbers or income information immediately—build up to it in the later stages. Drivers don’t have much time, so just try to get them in the pipeline first, and then fill in the blanks later. During the interviews, inquire about the candidate’s feelings about sensitive issues like real-time monitoring. Invite the driver’s spouse or partner to the interview, and welcome questions about work-life balance and scheduling.

3. Not Personalizing Every Interaction with Prospects

Every candidate is different. They have different work experiences, different goals from the job, and different needs as a driver. If recruiters don’t personalize interactions with specific prospects, they’ll feel left like they’re just a cog in the wheel and the organization won’t care about their particular concerns.

Make sure you familiarize yourself with each candidate and their particular work situation. Know what they want out of driving and which benefits and values are important to them.

Ideally, closely familiarize yourself with the details of the job. Know the terms of compensation, amenities, benefits and work schedule. Then, you’ll be able to speak to how that job is a perfect match for this particular candidate. Make every interaction driver-centric to each individual driver and they’ll feel like the organization is always thinking about them.

4. Not Following Through the Process to the End

You successfully interview, hire, and sign a contract with a strong candidate. That means you’re done here, right? Think again.

Another common mistake is that recruiters drop the ball too soon and don’t nurture the driver through the final stages.

Most concerningly, many leads are never scheduled to attend an orientation session to properly usher them into the new role. Until the driver is on the road and has an established relationship with supervisors, the recruiter remains their first point of contact they can trust in the organization. Make sure you steward the candidate through orientation, onboarding, and eventual status to active driver.

Overall, avoid these four mistakes for your next truck driver hire, and you’ll go a long way toward retaining them in the company for longer.

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Truck Driver Leads: The Importance of Quality Over Quantity

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With the driver shortage lurking over recruiters every day, it’s easy for them to fall into the trap of wanting to generate as many truck driver leads as possible. However, a “quality over quantity” strategy should apply now more than ever.

The last thing a recruiter needs is to take the wrong driver through their selection process. And, the last thing a driver needs is a company that can’t match their professional qualifications or personal lifestyle preferences.

When recruiters waste time with the wrong driver, they not only spend empty dollars, but they also potentially miss out on attracting qualified drivers. So how do recruiters generate more qualified truck driver leads?

BANT Strategy

The first step is to make sure that the forms used to collect driver leads follow a strategy called BANT. BANT stands for Budget, Authority, Need, and Timing.

Form field examples could include:

  • Budget: if the driver application costs money, indicate it on the page. Then, you’ll know drivers who fill out the form can afford the application fee
  • Authority: consider collecting drivers’ CDL license, special endorsements, years of experience, age, or driving record
  • Need: consider collecting the driver’s salary, benefit, home time, or location preferences
  • Timing: consider collecting the driver’s potential start date

It’s one thing to collect a driver’s general information. It’s entirely different to collect information that will instantly qualify or disqualify the driver for the position.

The position’s requirements should dictate which fields appear on the form, as including all of the options above on every form isn’t realistic.

When creating a form, consider what is a “must-have.” Make sure those questions appear on the form to attract the right drivers.

Targeted Advertising

Avoid producing generic landing pages or advertising. It’s important that the marketing clearly depicts the trucking job, haul type, etc. to attract the right driver.

For example, if you are marketing a job directly to women drivers, be sure to use imagery and language that is specific to that audience.

In addition, when marketing the job on social media or through another channel, it’s important to target specific audiences that find interest in the trucking job. Suppression lists are also beneficial to make sure the wrong people aren’t included in the audience.

Overall, following these tips will help ensure recruiters spend less time sorting through unqualified truck driver leads and more time focused on hiring and retaining qualified drivers.

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Avoid These 4 Mistakes to Retain Women Truck Drivers

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The amount of organizations across the nation that are striving to attract and retain women truck drivers will only continue to increase. However, in order to achieve this, employers must make a few changes to how they are approaching recruiting women truckers. Implement these 4 ideas to attract and retain women truck drivers.

1. Offer Flexible Work Options

Employers are able to get their drivers home more often by offering more local opportunities or implementing software that enables smart route scheduling. This is especially attractive to women drivers who are seeking a position that offers more work-life balance.

2. Showcase Women in Recruiting Language and Imagery

In order to hire more women truck drivers, employers need to communicate this mission. When advertising trucking jobs, it’s important to remember to also feature women drivers in imagery. In addition, evolving the voice used for recruiting messaging will allow organizations to appeal to more women as well.

3. Offer Advancement Options for Women

Companies that have women in leadership roles will oftentimes attract more women truck drivers as they see firsthand that women are welcome and capable of advancing in the organization. In addition, organizations that implement programs that specifically focus on engaging and advancing women will see a better response in driver retention than organizations that do not.

4. Ask for Feedback From Women Drivers

Like all drivers, women truckers enjoy sharing their opinion about their level of job satisfaction and future outlook on their position. Therefore, companies that fall victim to not asking for feedback from their women drivers will miss the opportunity to know what’s working well and what needs to be improved.

Avoiding these 4 mistakes will help ensure that employers are evolving their company culture to embrace and support women truckers.

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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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