Recruiting drivers is one of the largest and most important expenses for any carrier. A well-planned budget helps ensure that every dollar is used strategically, supporting both short-term hiring needs and long-term retention.
Careful budgeting allows carriers to evaluate what works, eliminate waste, and make confident decisions about where to invest. An effective recruitment budget provides structure for the year ahead and can connect your company’s financial planning with your recruiting goals so that you can stay organized, measure results, and adapt when needed.
Keep reading to discover how to successfully build a recruitment budget that maximizes ROI and keeps fleets operating efficiently.
1. Analyze Last Year’s Recruiting Spending
Before building this year’s budget, it’s important to take time to evaluate where last year’s recruiting dollars went. Understanding what worked and what didn’t can help you identify areas for improvement and avoid repeating costly mistakes.
When looking at last year’s recruiting budget, consider:
- Advertising spend: Which job boards, social platforms, or referral programs produced the most qualified applicants?
- Cost-per-hire: What was your average spend to bring on one driver? Did that vary by lane, equipment type, or experience level?
- Turnover rate: How long did new hires stay? If retention was low, higher turnover may have hidden the true cost of recruitment.
Pulling these numbers together gives you a baseline to measure progress and helps justify your future investments.
2. Define Your Hiring Goals for the Year
Once you’ve analyzed your past performance, it’s helpful to set clear and measurable hiring goals for the year ahead. These should align with your company’s overall business plan, freight projections, and expected retirements or expansions.
When coming up with goals, consider questions such as:
- How many drivers do we need to hire and by when?
- Are we focusing on company drivers, owner-operators, or both?
- Which positions are hardest to fill, and what resources will they require in advance?
When goals are specific, it’s easier to assign realistic dollar amounts and timeframes to each part of the budget.
3. Allocate Spending Across Channels
Not all recruiting channels deliver equal results, and your budget should reflect that. Be sure to diversify your spending across multiple touchpoints to reach drivers wherever they are looking for jobs.
A balanced budget could include:
- Job boards and aggregators for broad visibility.
- Referrals and word-of-mouth programs to tap into your current drivers’ networks.
- Social media advertising to reach passive candidates scrolling through their feeds.
- Industry events and partnerships with schools or associations to connect with new talent.
Review these channels quarterly. If one source stops performing, it might make sense to shift funds to those showing stronger results. Flexibility keeps your budget responsive to changing trends.
4. Invest in Employer Branding
Your brand identity is key to recruiting. Drivers want to know who they’ll be working for and what kind of experience they can expect on the road and at home. That’s where employer branding plays a critical role.
Investing in your brand can include:
- Creating driver testimonial videos that highlight your company culture.
- Updating your website’s careers page with clear job descriptions and benefit details.
- Improving social media presence by showcasing real drivers, milestones, and community involvement.
These efforts can make your company stand out in a crowded market and build long-term trust that leads to better retention.
5. Leverage Technology to Improve Efficiency
Modern recruitment tools can streamline your hiring process and save both time and money. Whether it’s automating job postings or tracking candidate progress, technology is proven to help you do more with less.
Consider implementing:
- Applicant tracking systems (ATS) to organize and manage candidates efficiently.
- Data integrations that connect applications directly to your internal systems, reducing manual entry.
- Recruitment platforms like Drive My Way that use matching technology to connect you with drivers who meet your exact criteria.
The upfront investment can pay off quickly through faster hiring cycles and improved candidate experiences.
6. Track Key Metrics Throughout the Year
A recruitment budget is not something to set once and forget, it’s an ongoing and ever-evolving process. Regularly tracking performance metrics allows you to make informed adjustments that keep spending aligned with actual results.
Here are a few key metrics to monitor year-round:
- Cost per lead and cost per hire to measure efficiency.
- Application-to-hire ratio to gauge the effectiveness of your screening process.
- Time-to-fill to determine if your hiring process is slowing you down.
- Retention rate of new hires to identify whether recruiting and onboarding investments are paying off.
Monthly or quarterly reviews ensure your budget stays on target and continues to deliver value.
7. Don’t Forget Retention in the Budget
No recruiter needs a reminder that retention matters. A strong budget should always reserve space for keeping experienced drivers satisfied and engaged. Hiring a new driver takes time, effort, and money, while keeping a good driver on board protects that investment and preserves stability across your fleet.
Retention-focused spending can include:
- Driver recognition and milestone programs to celebrate loyalty and performance.
- Wellness and safety initiatives that support drivers’ physical and mental health.
- Career development opportunities such as training or mentorship programs.
By planning for retention upfront, you reduce turnover costs and build a stronger, more stable fleet.
For more ways to stay ahead of the curve in the transportation industry in 2025, be sure to check out the rest of our Employer Blog posts and connect with us on social media.
