3 Tips for Recruiting a Hazmat Driver

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hazmat driverRecruiting drivers to fill your fleet is often a never-ending task. Recruiting a Hazmat driver can help focus your efforts, but it also narrows the candidate pool. Before you launch your next recruitment campaign, make sure you know exactly which drivers you’re trying to reach. Then, implement some fresh recruiting tactics along with your tried and true strategies to attract drivers and retain them as valuable additions to your fleet.

1. Know What Makes Hazmat Drivers Different

When recruiting a Hazmat driver, it’s important to identify characteristics that differentiate these drivers from other drivers. This is part of building a driver persona. One obvious distinction of Hazmat drivers? These drivers were willing to put in the extra effort for their endorsement. There are many reasons why a driver might have decided that the endorsement was worth the time and money, and not all drivers will have the same reason. However, as an employer, you can confidently say that these drivers were willing to work hard for a goal and that they accomplished that goal. When you have a clear understanding of the driver personas you are recruiting, use your value proposition to tailor a recruitment message to their priorities. 

When you have a clear understanding of the driver personas you are recruiting, use your value proposition to write an appealing job description.

In addition to their endorsement, Hazmat drivers typically have several years of prior driving experience. This can be a tremendous asset when you hire because you can be more confident in their skills. It also means you can rely on behavioral interviewing and past experiences to select the best driver. That said, for many drivers, with more experience comes the expectation of higher pay. Drivers who have some experience typically expect respect and a quality position from their employer. To get quality drivers, jobs should be advertised at or above industry average pay for that type of position. Experienced drivers are also looking for comprehensive benefits and career growth opportunities. At the end of the day, a good job offer helps attract top drivers. 

2. Refresh Your Recruiting Techniques

Identifying your Hazmat driver personas is an important first step, but getting those drivers in the door is often much more challenging. Driver referrals are a good place to start. Hazmat drivers on your team are likely to know other candidates who are qualified and would be a good fit for your job. By relying on the networks that drivers naturally develop, employers can incentivize referrals for candidates who come with a good peer recommendation. 

truck driver

To help encourage drivers who are undecided about a job change, make sure your job is compelling. Good benefits, regular home time, newer equipment, and competitive pay are essential.

Recruit from a wide demographic base in your recruitment efforts. This allows you to tap into untapped markets and strengthen your fleet. Especially for endorsement-based positions like Hazmat, quality is more important than quantity. Work to establish a sustainable long term strategy for keeping turnover low and driver satisfaction high.

3. Implement a Retention as Recruitment Strategy

Once drivers are successfully onboarding, retention is one of the most time-saving and cost-efficient ways to keep your fleet full. While retention is not the same as recruitment, these aspects work in parallel to keep your trucks full. Financially, most drivers reported in the Drive My Way Driver Happiness Survey that they would rather earn incrementally higher pay and a smaller sign-on bonus than have a larger sign-on bonus but lower pay. Incentives like a performance bonus or small pay increase may feel costly, but over time, they may be comparable or less expensive than regularly recruiting and training new drivers.

Retention is not the same as recruitment, but they work in parallel to keep your trucks full and your drivers happy.

Ultimately, driver satisfaction is key to a successful “retention as recruitment” strategy. Driver satisfaction starts with a clear, appealing job and position description. That includes competitive pay, reliable home time, full benefits, and clear route expectations at a minimum. Once these essentials are met, focus on building a strong company culture. Each of these aspects of hiring plays a key role in successfully recruiting your next Hazmat driver. 

ultimate guide to truck driver recruiting

Ultimate Guide to Truck Driver Recruiting

Current ways of recruiting truck drivers just don’t work anymore. That’s because recruiting isn’t a transaction. This ultimate guide helps carriers recruit for retention.

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5 Tips for Recruiting a CDL Class B Driver

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CDL Class B Driver

When it comes to recruiting a CDL Class B driver, knowing what and how to communicate regarding job details is key. As an employer, you have the natural advantage of being able to hire CDL A or CDL B licensed drivers for your position. That said, there are still some distinct differences when you are recruiting a Class B driver. 

Drivers with a CDL B chose different training and may have different expectations than CDL A drivers. If you’re having trouble recruiting a Class B driver, consider soliciting feedback on why drivers are declining your job or working with us to boost your recruiting efforts. Here are a few key components to include in your job description and how to tailor your recruiting to a Class B driver. 

1. Nature of the Job

Class B drivers know they will typically be driving a straight truck, box truck, large passenger bus, or dump truck. That said, there is a tremendous amount of variation within those jobs. A good job description is specific about the type of job available. In recruiting conversations, be clear, and state exactly what you are looking for. 

It’s better to be candid from the start than to have high turnover because of unmet expectations.

Another way to communicate job details is with a more personal approach. Consider sharing a “Day in the Life” of a typical driver at your company. When possible, connect serious candidates with current drivers at your company for a first-hand perspective. It shows prospective drivers that you value the perspective of your drivers and that the company has nothing to hide. If you are concerned about failing to bring candidates in if you are too open, bear in mind that turnover and empty trucks come at a high cost. It’s better to be candid and hire the drivers who will stay.

2. Home Time and Job Flexibility

Many CDL B drivers expect to stay closer to home. Geography can be a big factor in why drivers chose a CDL B over an A. With that in mind, make clarity in your home time policy a company priority. Prospective drivers should know exactly what they can count on. An unambiguous home time policy and succinct communication of that policy eliminates any accusations of favoritism and helps drivers plan ahead. 

3. Schedule, Hours, and Route

Hiring a Class B driver often means hiring a driver for city routes. The faster-paced environment isn’t for everyone, but a lot of drivers will thrive in a busier atmosphere. The best way to find out if a driver is a good fit is to ask about their past experience. Use behavioral interviewing and ask what they have done in similar situations in the past. How they talk about their past experience is one of the best barometers to gauge how they will handle the same kind of situation in the future.

truck driver checking his routeA Class B driver joining your company will want to know the details of their route. Tell drivers whether they frequently drive the same route or if they go to a lot of new places. Include any customer service expectations or delivery components. For some drivers, customer interaction will be a huge perk! If drivers like to meet new people and engage with others throughout the day, deliveries will make the job more interesting.

Family time is also a big part of the schedule. Many CDL B drivers expect to be home regularly. Share the schedule and let them decide if the hours are a good fit for their lifestyle.

4. Pay

When you are recruiting, keep in mind that a Class B driver may have different priorities than drivers who went straight to a CDL A. Many Class B drivers chose a CDL B license because it’s more affordable and much faster to earn. It’s true, local jobs tend to earn less than regional or OTR jobs, but the upfront cost for a Class B driver is also much lower. With that in mind, it’s safe to conclude that pay is very important to CDL B drivers. Be upfront about what compensation you can offer. Then, explore ways to incentivize strong driver performance with bonuses or other perks.

5. Company Culture

A Class B driver typically won’t be out on the roads solo for long periods of time like an OTR driver. This makes company culture even more important.

Identify your values as a company and think about how you can create a good work environment for yourself and others.

Because drivers and other employees interact regularly throughout the week, building a company culture of respect and camaraderie could not be more essential. Identify your values as a company and think about what type of setting you prefer to work in. Then, strive to create a team environment that reflects your values and keeps employees happy and engaged.

ultimate guide to truck driver recruiting

Ultimate Guide to Truck Driver Recruiting

Current ways of recruiting truck drivers just don’t work anymore. That’s because recruiting isn’t a transaction. This ultimate guide helps carriers recruit for retention.

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5 Tips to Focus Your Driver Recruitment Efforts

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5 Tips to Focus Your Driver Recruitment Efforts

Trucking recruiters are remarkably busy people. There is always a lot to do, many competing priorities, and a million moving pieces to keep track of in the hiring process. Add into that mix, a global pandemic that’s causing chaos throughout the U.S. economy, and you’ve got a recipe for trouble maintaining focus on what’s important. So, what can help a busy driver recruiter add focus to their recruitment efforts? Here are 5 tips to get you started.

1. Know What Driver Recruitment Efforts Are Working

It’s always a good idea to take time and review your recruiting strategy. How are things going? How is your budget looking? What is your ROI on your efforts? These are all important to know and track. And tracking and measuring your results are the only way to determine if your efforts are working. When you get a good picture of what’s working well and what’s not, it makes it easy to decide which tasks to continue and which ones to stop.

2. Plan for Future Needs

It’s easy to get caught only focusing your efforts on your immediate hiring needs, but a great hiring strategy helps you plan for now and plan for the future. Ensure your current driver recruitment plans will dovetail into your future driver needs as well.

Are you planning to add new regional locations? Are you researching getting into new industries? Those plans on the horizon indicate needing more drivers to support it. Plan accordingly! One of the best ways to do this is to look at your carrier’s long-term strategy overall, and it will help you know where you’re headed. Once you have a clear vision of where you’re headed, you can plan your driver needs for now and for the future.

3. Use What the Survey Says

You probably already have something in place to poll your drivers to help you gauge your driver community’s overall workplace satisfaction, and that certainly is an important thing to know. But are you conducting any pre-recruitment surveys of your drivers, Especially drivers who have turned you down? This is a fantastic way to understand and help you focus on where your efforts might have fallen short or cease those tactics that didn’t help you find or land the truckers for your open positions. There are several survey options available, many of them free. A quick online search should help you find one that meets your budget and specific needs.

4. Narrow Down Your Sources

We already talked about measuring your efforts. Here’s a tip to take action after you look at your metrics. Take a look at the sources you’re using for driver recruitment and determine which ones are working best. Select the ones that are providing high quality candidates vs simply a high quantity of candidates. Then narrow down the list of sources and focus on the ones that are working best. Using less sources should enable you to improve your recruiting efficiency with less budget.

5. Let Drive My Way Help

Here at Drive My Way, we’re here to help you with your recruiting plans and execution. We have a variety of options available to help you find the drivers that will best fit your company and trucking needs. And don’t just take our word for it. We can show you how we’ve helped carriers like yours succeed.

ultimate guide to truck driver recruiting

Ultimate Guide to Truck Driver Recruiting

Current ways of recruiting truck drivers just don’t work anymore. That’s because recruiting isn’t a transaction. This ultimate guide helps carriers recruit for retention.

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4 Tips for Recruiting and Hiring Student Truck Drivers

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4 Tips for Recruiting and Hiring Student Truck Drivers

Truck driver recruiting can be a tough business, especially when it comes to targeting the most experienced drivers with the best driving records. Carriers can wind up counter-offering driver after driver, or losing them in a few months to another carrier making a sweeter offer to lure them away from you. There’s a reason those drivers are in such high demand. So maybe there’s a different hiring path to take into consideration. With a little bit of creativity and changes to your recruitment strategy, putting a focus on recruiting and hiring student truck drivers can be a great opportunity to plan and build your driver pool for the future. Here are 4 tips to help you find your next group of long-term and loyal drivers.

1. Expand Your Marketing

Look at your recruiting marketing collateral, especially the images and headlines. Do they feel inclusive to student truck drivers? Or are they clearly speaking to an audience of long-term road warriors? It’s easy to miss on this important step in the process if you don’t stop and take stock of what messages and images you’re using.

Your marketing materials, especially your website, can be the first impression you make on potential new hires. Be sure that the drivers you intend to recruit are seeing and hearing messages tailored to them in your marketing pieces.

Another marketing tip is to be sure the channels you’re using to recruit are reaching the right targets. Though print and referrals have a place in your strategy, are those the best channels to use when recruiting student truck drivers, who are likely younger than your average driver? Probably not, so make adjustments to your tactics based on your target. Social media and an easy online process will help when recruiting younger drivers.

2. Implement Mentoring Programs

Mentoring programs can be attractive to student drivers. Inexperienced drivers need help learning the ropes and many times, a mentor can be a tremendous help. These drivers are not coming to you with years of experience and all the answers, they are looking for their first job to get them started in a new career. They’re excited to get started and need some extra help to get moving down the road.

Connecting student truck drivers with a mentor can be a mutually beneficial relationship between your drivers.

The student has a designated “go to” person to ask questions and bounce around ideas, and your seasoned driver has an opportunity to share what they know from years over the road. Each of them will benefit from a mentoring opportunity and will appreciate your team’s willingness to foster these relationships.

3. Sell the Entire Job

When seeking to recruit student drivers, you need to not only sell your open positions, but you also need to sell the career, the lifestyle, and everything that comes with the job. People looking to get into a career as a professional truck driver can be coming into the industry for a number of reasons. But one thing is clear, they’ve decided a truck driving gig is the right fit for them. So help them understand how you and your team can help them make their dreams a reality. Reinforce their decision at every point in the hiring process and be there for them every step of the way while they’re on your team.

Act as a great resource for new drivers, by being transparent on what the job entails and being ready to answer a lot of questions. Selling your candidates on the whole job will help your relationship with these drivers start off great!

4. Have a Driver-Centric Strategy

A driver-centric recruitment and retention strategy is a great way to build a strong driver team. Putting practices and processes in place to ensure you’re targeting the right candidates is very important. If your plan includes recruiting student truck drivers, be sure that you take into consideration the tips here.

You want to ensure that new drivers know that they’re welcome, wanted, and included in your company’s long-term future.

For more ideas on how to recruit and hire the best drivers, let us help! At Drive My Way we have the tools and expertise to match you with your next best-fit drivers.

ultimate guide to truck driver recruiting

The Ultimate Guide to Truck Driver Recruiting

Current ways of recruiting truck drivers just don’t work anymore. That’s because recruiting isn’t a transaction. This ultimate guide helps carriers recruit for retention.

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3 Reasons Your LinkedIn Posts Aren’t Reaching Truck Drivers

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Man look at LinkedIn Posts

LinkedIn is one of the most popular and powerful social media sites for B2B marketing. While it might seem out of place for the freight industry, LinkedIn can be a great place to generate interest and connect with current and potential new customers. Like all social media, LinkedIn uses proprietary algorithms to determine what content to feature. Each year, digital advertising trends change, and rules get updated, so it’s important to stay up to date! If your LinkedIn posts aren’t generating audience engagement, you may be missing one of these fundamental rules. 

1. Original Content Is King

Many companies try to boost engagement with a steady stream of sharing content. Unfortunately, if that content isn’t original, it will be very difficult to get prioritized by the LinkedIn algorithm. Even if you are sharing original articles or job listings from your own website regularly, this will be a low priority if it’s not originally published on LinkedIn.

To boost visibility, focus on quality, original content that connects with your audience. 

First, decide whether you want to create an article or a post. Articles are ranked in Google’s SEO, but they are a lower priority for the LinkedIn feed. In contrast, posts are internal and exclusive to LinkedIn. Unsurprisingly, LinkedIn posts are prioritized, though you are making small sacrifices on SEO. 

Best Practice:

Share an image or a video directly within LinkedIn as part of a post. Then, link to your job or article in a comment section rather than in the main post.

2. Instant Engagement Is A Must

LinkedIn wants to see that you can generate interest immediately. In brief, if your content isn’t interesting or engaging, LinkedIn won’t keep it visible. The first hour after you post content is the most important time to push post engagement. That hour determines what happens next with your content. Will it be pushed to the top of your audience’s news feeds? Or will it disappear into social media obsoletion? 

Man engaging with Linkedin posts

Instant engagement may feel like a big ask, especially if you run a small marketing operation. Luckily, this side of digital marketing doesn’t have to be complicated. LinkedIn post engagement can include adding a reaction, commenting (three words or more!), or sharing.

Each of these actions is weighted a little differently in the content scoring phase. For example, liking a post may only give one point. A thoughtful comment earns two points. Sharing demonstrates that the post is popular, so three points. Every engagement helps position your post for increased visibility going forward. 

Best Practice:

Alert your team when you or your company page shares a post and encourage genuine company-wide engagement. If you share from a company page, engage with the post from your personal profile and vice versa.

3. The Right Hashtags Make All the Difference

On social media, hashtags serve two primary purposes. The first is to bring all of the posts on a single topic to one place. This can be used at a large scale for general topics such as #trucking. These hashtags are helpful to follow to stay in touch with current events in your industry. Post consolidation via hashtags is also a common tactic for event marketing. In short, the intent is to generate interest by bringing together the people talking about the same event. 

Linkedin HashtagsInclude 3-5 of the top hashtags for your industry in each post.

The second purpose of hashtags is to increase audience engagement organically. If your goal is to increase post reach and expand your audience, start by doing some research. Identify the top-performing hashtags in your industry. Pay attention to spelling and stay professional in your language. In general, you should avoid punctuation and symbols in your hashtag. If you are using a multi-word tag, don’t include spaces, but do capitalize the first letter of each word. It won’t impact your post’s ability to be found, but it does make it a little easier to read.

Best Practice:

Choose hashtags that are relevant to the topic of your post and are also top performers in your industry. Include 3-5 of these top hashtags in each post to maximize impressions.

ultimate guide to truck driver recruiting

Ultimate Guide to Truck Driver Recruiting

Current ways of recruiting truck drivers just don’t work anymore. That’s because recruiting isn’t a transaction. This ultimate guide helps carriers recruit for retention.

Get the Ebook

4 Ways to Expand Your Recruiting and Attract Minority Truckers

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4 Ways to Expand Your Recruiting and Attract Minority Truckers

Taking score of your overall recruitment efforts is important. Who are you reaching? What candidates are you obtaining? When you ask those questions, you need to measure the overall demographics of who you’re attracting to your open jobs vs. your goals. Setting out to expand your recruiting reach and get the attention of new prospects should be a measurable goal. When you seek to increase your reach to diversify your pool of drivers, you sometimes need to include new tactics. Here are 4 ways to expand your recruiting and attract minority truckers.

1. Create a Culture of Diversity

Your hiring plan should reflect the applicants you’re seeking. Therefore, it’s important to have a hiring plan that helps you broaden your reach and mix of candidates. Creating a culture of diversity is something that can help you attract a broad range of minority truckers’ applications.

Does the workplace reflect a welcoming atmosphere for everyone? Is your environment welcoming to everyone?

Setting up a culture of inclusivity in your workplace can be a great advantage in bringing in more minority truckers.

2. Use Marketing to Your Advantage

minority truck driverDoes your marketing work for attracting minority truckers? That can mean everything from featuring women and people of color in your images on your website, to showcasing that your benefits package is inclusive across all applicants. Marketing to minority truckers is advantageous and can just take a little bit of adjustments to your current plans.

Take stock of the images and the language you’re putting out in your communications. Is it inclusive to all? If the answer is no, it’s time to adjust!

Don’t forget to include your benefits packages and other HR policies to be inclusive of these objectives. After that, you might find that you’re getting the maximum pool of candidates that you’re trying to reach.

3. Implement Referral Programs

Use your current driver pool to expand your recruiting efforts. This should be an effort to have all your drivers refer a candidate, but it is an opportunity to be overt to your current minority drivers to refer qualified friends and family to your open positions.

If you don’t ask your current drivers to send driver opportunities your way, they will never find you. Research shows that “word of mouth” plays a huge factor for drivers looking for trucking jobs. When looking for minority truckers, referrals can be great.

4. Align with Minority Truckers’ Organizations

There are several trucking organizations geared towards women, or minority truckers. Find ways to get in touch and align your efforts in conjunction with those organizations. Can you find opportunities to sponsor an event or activity? Or simply promote their organization’s badges or messages on your website? Regardless, there are plenty of ways to get engaged.

ultimate guide to truck driver recruiting

Ultimate Guide to Truck Driver Recruiting

Current ways of recruiting truck drivers just don’t work anymore. That’s because recruiting isn’t a transaction. This ultimate guide helps carriers recruit for retention.

Get the Ebook

5 Digital Advertising Trends Not to Miss in Trucking

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digital advertising for truck drivers

Digital advertising is a core part of your company brand. Equally important is the way that your employees and customers talk about your company. The way you represent yourself online is like the store window to your company. Most people will decide whether to engage with your company based on what they see in that small preview and other people’s reviews. Optimize your digital advertising and hit your annual goals with these 5 digital advertising trends for the trucking industry!

1. Build your Trustworthy Reputation

One of your biggest assets is your company reputation. No amount of marketing or advertising can change driver or customer perception if they are not happy working for or with you. At the end of the day, people trust people. That’s why negative driver or customer reviews are so lethal. Don’t believe us? A recent Nielson report shared that 92% of consumer trust reviews from friends and family more than advertising. Even more importantly, a BrightLocal study found that 88% of people trust online reviews as much as personal recommendations. 88%! Strive to build a reputation so strong that your employees and customers can’t help but share their good experience.   

92% of consumer trust reviews from friends and family more than advertising, and 88% of people trust online reviews as much as personal recommendations. 

It’s important to support your reputation with nuanced content. Digital advertising campaigns are tactful and positive in their tone. Your content should ultimately be uplifting. That does not mean you should avoid crucial conversations. Doing so may be perceived as sacrificing authenticity. Instead, acknowledge hardship, and commit in words and actions to prioritizing the wellbeing of your employees and customers. If you are able to demonstrate that you care when times are tough, you will build a strong reputation that will serve you for years to come. 

2. Consistency is Critical

Once you’ve identified a target area for improvement or strategic growth, it is tempting to immediately dedicate resources to developing that channel. Before you launch into your next campaign, clearly identify how that campaign fits into your larger strategic goals. Then, articulate each step you need to take to get there. Consider how you can meet your goals while maintaining a consistent representation of your company and your brand through the process. 

If you are like many trucking companies, you may not be allocating a large budget to marketing or recruitment. We understand. Especially in years like 2020 that feel economically unstable, digital advertising is not likely to be at the top of your financial priority list.

When budgets are tight, be strategic and realistic, but don’t stop advertising. Get creative and take advantage of free marketing channels. Continuing to market your brand will keep your name fresh and top of mind for drivers and potential customers.

3. Go Where the Drivers Are

It may sound obvious, but the best digital advertising in the world won’t help you if you don’t get in front of the right eyes. It’s important that, as the employer, you deeply understand your target market and advertise where they are. Luckily, you don’t have to guess where to find truck drivers. The 2019 Overdrive Connectivity Report found that 39% of drivers rely on word of mouth to find a driving job. An additional 29% start with internet searches. The same year, the Trucker’s News Connectivity Report found that 56% of drivers used internet searches and 26% count on word of mouth. Social media is one of the natural intersections of internet searches and live feedback from drivers. Drive My Way’s Driver Happiness and Retention Survey found that 71% of drivers reported using Facebook. Youtube and Instagram were the next most popular platforms. 

You don’t have to guess where to find truck drivers. Internet searches and Word of Mouth are consistently top channels. Focus social media efforts on Facebook, Youtube, and Instagram.

In both studies, word of mouth and internet searches were clearly the top two resources for job searching. Word of mouth relies heavily on building a positive brand reputation and keeping your company top of mind with consistent marketing. On the other hand, social media, content marketing, and partnership-based brand outreach are great places to start for drivers who utilize internet searches. 

4. Make it Mobile

Quite simply, if you’re not prioritizing mobile digital advertising, you are missing a big opportunity. Recent data from our Drive My Way Driver Happiness and Retention Survey demonstrates that more and more drivers are relying on their phones for communication and their technological interactions. Knowing this, plan on your digital advertising being viewed on anything from a desktop computer to a tablet to a smartphone. The good news is, there are numerous ways to get tech-savvy without reinventing your advertising campaigns or your budget. 

The best way to start improving your mobile interface is to invest time in understanding digital channels. Evaluate the channels you are currently using, and create a vision for how users will optimally interact with those channels on desktop and mobile. Many digital advertising channels, including social media, search engine ads, and even your company website, may allow companies to preview ads in a variety of formats before publishing. Carefully review both mobile and desktop views for content and format to ensure that drivers get the best possible experience regardless of their viewing device.

5. Don’t Neglect the Essentials

As you look forward to digital marketing optimization, don’t miss this key trend! Get back to basics. The same fundamentals that you started with are the foundation of a strong digital advertising strategy. Have a clean, concise website. Make sure the content is up to date, clearly presented, and search engine optimized. Once you have communicated all of the essential information, complete a secondary test. Ask yourself, “Is there any other information or design elements that could be removed while still communicating clearly?” If yes, take it out! Clarity is key.

After your website is ready, strategically choose where else you want to have a digital presence, and conduct a similar review of those sites. 

  • Are you active on social media? 
  • Do you host or participate in a podcast? 
  • Is content marketing your main distribution channel? 

Carefully audit each distribution channel and decide whether it is still benefiting your company. Don’t keep a channel active unless you are willing to maintain it, AND it is still delivering value. Focus your time, attention, and budget on the channels that are performing best.

driver happiness and retention survey

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Driver Lifestyle & Job Happiness Survey

We surveyed over 400 CDL truck drivers nationwide to discover what makes them happy in their career and life. Access the survey report to see the results.

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5 Advantages of Truck Driving Jobs for Veterans

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truck driving jobs for veterans

Even amid the roller coaster of supply and demand for many trucking companies in 2020, the truck driver shortage remains a constant. The factors underlying the shortage—experienced drivers retiring and insufficient new drivers entering the candidate pool—are unlikely to change in Q4 of 2020 and into the new year. If the driver shortage is affecting your company, continue to reach out to untapped candidate demographics. Supporting efforts to promote truck driving jobs for veterans in your company can introduce a tremendous, underrecruited group of drivers. If veterans seem like an unlikely candidate pool, consider these five advantages of hiring veterans to your fleet. 

1. Hire for Experience

Many military personnel have credentials or experience that are directly applicable to CDL driving. Some servicemen and women drove large trucks as part of their regular duties. These drivers are essentially coming to your fleet with several years of experience already! In addition, military troops are frequently hauling hazardous materials. While these drivers will still need to earn their official HazMat endorsement, they are already familiar with many of the safety and skill requirements. Similarly, all truck driving jobs for veterans still require a CDL license, but for many service members, their experience will make the professional transition easy. 

2. Recognize the Value of Soft Skills

Veterans bring grit, self-discipline, dependability, and leadership to their jobs. Military personnel are specifically trained to be mission-focused and have a high level of situational awareness. As an employer, that means you can count on them to prioritize the success of the job and find a way to accomplish their route and overcome any obstacles. In addition, veterans tend to be highly attuned to their environment. 

Situational awareness can help drivers assess challenging situations quickly and efficiently while under pressure.

Similarly, veterans bring valuable mental stamina to their jobs. They specifically receive training to manage high levels of stress. As a result, many are able to perform well in chaotic or confusing situations that might leave others overwhelmed or indecisive. 

3. Fill Demand with Supply

Despite their wealth of skills, military veterans are not heavily represented in truck driving jobs. A few companies are industry leaders and specifically work to increase their number of available truck driving jobs for veterans. Perhaps more importantly, veterans are a largely unexplored candidate pool. Some veterans may already have their CDL, but others may not realize that they already have the skill set to earn their CDL license. Consider forming partnerships or direct recruitment channels with veterans with trucking experience.  It is a great way to recruit quality drivers who other companies may shortsightedly overlook.

4. Fit your Company

One of the big reasons for driver turnover is a low satisfaction rate with home time. For many drivers, especially those in OTR positions, long nights or weeks away from family may be a deal-breaker. In contrast, most veterans are used to time away from home while on deployments.

That said, it’s not just an easier adjustment for drivers. Families also have experience with limited home time and remote communication. 

The lifestyle fit between the military and trucking goes beyond home time. The structure of military life can lend itself to the hierarchical nature of many trucking positions. Also, just as many veterans got to travel through new parts of our country or other countries, truck drivers are also on the move. For many with a wandering soul, truck driving is a way to keep seeing new places as part of civilian life.

5. Veterans are Trained for Teamwork

Teamwork is essential for military operations. In truck driving, collaboration also plays a central role. Whether it’s communicating with other members of the fleet, management, dispatchers, or external contacts such as shippers or customers, teamwork is necessary for building strong relationships on the job.

PTS Worldwide knows exactly how to highlight that strength when recruiting for truck driving jobs for veterans. In their job descriptions, they specifically look for teamwork.

“Are you a safe and professional driver looking for a company that understands that their success is dependent on your success? PTS Worldwide is a company founded by drivers that know we need your skills, enthusiasm, and commitment to achieve our goals together.”

PTS goes on to specifically highlight collaboration in their call to action by inviting drivers to “partner” with them and “join our team.” This demonstrates a deep understanding of military values as well as a company culture that recognizes the importance of teamwork.

Follow by Example

There are several companies that are already well known in the trucking industry for their strong veteran recruitment programs. In addition to PTS Worldwide, CRST Trucking, Averitt, Schneider National, and JB Hunt are just a few of the companies that are known for their strong veteran recruiting program and culture.

There are a few key ways in which these companies help themselves stand out as military-friendly workplaces. Implementing even one or two of these strategies can make your company more attractive to veterans.

Active Recruiting

Companies who successfully recruit veterans don’t just rely on inbound marketing for hiring. They are proactive in reaching out to potential drivers early and often. For some companies, the recruiting process starts even before personnel have fully completed their duties. 

Align Language 

Language is powerful. In recruiting, it can be the difference between someone seeing themselves in your post and applying verses simply skimming through and ignoring.  Just as PTS Worldwide consciously recruits for teamwork, there are other ways to consciously align your marketing language with military vernacular. Schneider is a great example. When marketing to veterans, they include phrases such as “next mission,” “integrity,” “pride in your work,” and “core values” — all words that directly relate or appeal to people with military experience.

Value Military Experience

As you work to recruit more veterans, spend time creating a company culture and policies that support those future drivers. When applicable, consider counting military service as job experience. If that’s not feasible for your company, show your support through words and actions. Publicly and privately thank veterans for their service. Additionally, support programs for veterans such as Wreaths Across America or the Run for the Fallen. 

Ease the Transition

All new employees will go through a job transition period. For drivers making the transition from active duty to truck driving, there will be added changes. As an employer, consider promoting mental health support services, training your staff on working with veterans, or building a mentorship program to help ease the transition. Some companies, like JB Hunt, also make a Statement of Support to actively showcase their commitment to employing veterans. This is a great way to support truck driving jobs for veterans. 

ultimate guide to truck driver recruiting

Ultimate Guide to Truck Driver Recruiting

Current ways of recruiting truck drivers just don’t work anymore. That’s because recruiting isn’t a transaction. This ultimate guide helps carriers recruit for retention.

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Are You Making the Most of Training CDL Drivers?

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Are You Making the Most of Training CDL Drivers?

Ongoing training is essential in any workplace. The trucking industry is no exception. You work hard to recruit and hire the best team of professional truck drivers you can find. So it’s very important to keep their skills sharp and keep them up-to-date on training requirements. You can offer many types of training, and various methods to conduct the training sessions. The key is to make sure the training sticks and is sustainable. So here are a few ways to be sure you’re making the most of training CDL drivers.

Purpose of the Training

Workplace training isn’t always every employee’s favorite thing to do on the job. Some employees see it as a chore, and some see it as an important benefit of the job. So you want to ensure that you’re providing training for the right reasons. And at the right time. What is the purpose of the training? Why are you offering it now? You need these answers before you start any planning. If you go into planning before you have your needs and goals clearly defined, you might wind up creating confusion in the workplace. If you’ve got these things well thought out, your training will be much more impactful and more well-received.

Types of Training

The Quick Guide to Remote OnboardingThere are several diverse ways you can execute training. You can bring in a trainer and conduct training live and in-person with a large group. In addition, you can offer opportunities for group training online or individualized online training. You want to make sure the delivery matches up well with your driver’s needs and workplace conditions. Find ways to best leverage your current resources to offer training. Training CDL drivers in a group setting might not be very feasible at this time, but online options might be a better fit right now.

Stay Ahead of Needs

Anticipating your long-term training needs and planning accordingly can go a long way to stretch your training budgets and positively impact your business. Pricing for training planned well in advance is usually at a cost savings vs. needing to get a trainer lined-up at the last minute for an emergency session. Your best strategy is to document upcoming needs and plan training out at least a few months in advance. This will help ensure best pricing and no schedule surprises to your team.

Training For the Long Term

When investing in training, it’s important to make sure that you’re setting up a plan for the long term. If you need to bring in resources from the outside to train your team, ensure that you’re appointing team members to become leads for the new training to keep the new learnings alive and well. Be prepared to have these team leads help with training new employees on these topics or reinforcing the training to keep the learning fresh and evergreen within your team.

When you’re working to plan your training for your employees, think about how this will help your overall recruitment and retention plans. Find ways to include topics in training that you can use to clearly showcase why working for your company is a good choice for any candidate to come onboard.

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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How to Increase Your Driver Recruitment Efficiency on a Budget

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How to Increase your Recruitment Efficiency on a Budget

The process of recruiting truck drivers can be as simple or as complicated as you want to make it. Now more than ever, the name of the game is efficiency. Getting fast results with as little impact to the budget as possible is key. But how do you improve your overall recruitment efficiency, especially during these uncertain times? Here are 5 ideas to get you started.

1. Work Smarter, Not Harder

One of the best pieces of advice for anyone in business is to always find ways to work smarter, not harder. Look at your overall processes and find the trouble spots and the jams. Once you have those identified, think about what you might be able to change. What pieces of your recruitment process can you streamline, or better yet, eliminate? If there’s a certain process that’s always taking more time than you can afford or using up more resources than planned, create a better plan.

2. Don’t Lose Any Driver Leads

One great way to increase recruitment efficiency is to make the most of the leads you already have. Going back to your hiring funnel, when potential drivers fall out, what is your process to re-engage them when new openings arise? Drivers who were found to be good matches but didn’t sign-on might be the best place to start. Recruitment efficiency is the combination of process improvement and leveraging all of the assets at your disposal.

3. Look to Rehire Former Drivers

If drivers left for another job, it’s worth keeping track of details that let you know why. If they left to chase a higher paycheck that’s one thing, but if they left due to a poor culture or other internal issues you have since improved, it might be time to reintroduce yourself to former drivers.

Bringing back former drivers can be the fastest way to fill an empty truck. Having a pool of qualified and experienced employees to call on for rehire can be a valuable resource. Make sure the people you want to come back to work for you know they are welcome back in the future.

4. Maximize Your Existing Technology

Ensure all of your technology is working for you. From your chosen applicant tracking system (ATS) to your website, make sure that you know how to measure success.

If there are features and functions available that you’re not using, find out what it takes to implement those to your advantage. There may be steps in the process that you can automate. Do it! Using your technology to its fullest advantage is a clear advantage in hiring.

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5. Lower Your Cost Per Hire

Lastly improve recruitment efficiency by focusing on saving money for each new driver onboarded. Finding ways to save money or otherwise stretch your recruiting budget is one way to positively impact your company’s bottom line. In addition, working to reduce your cost per hire is a critical step. And freeing up funds that can be then reinvested or reallocated to drive other improvements. Take a look at all of the tactics you’re using for driver recruitment and then remove the least effective pieces. The goal is to have faster hires, at a lower cost overall.

ultimate guide to truck driver recruiting

Ultimate Guide to Truck Driver Recruiting

Current ways of recruiting truck drivers just don’t work anymore. That’s because recruiting isn’t a transaction. This ultimate guide helps carriers recruit for retention.

Get the Ebook