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Time to Hire: 5 Ways to Speed Up Your Truck Driver Recruiting Process

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time to hireYou’re a truck driver on the lookout for a new job and want to start earning money as quickly as possible. You’ve narrowed down your choices between Carrier A and Carrier B. Both are similar in pay and home time. The only difference is that Carrier A wants to bring you in for one interview and a road test within the next week, while Carrier B wants to schedule multiple interviews two weeks apart and has their next orientation scheduled five weeks from now.

Which carrier would you sign with? This is why time to hire is such an important metric when recruiting truck drivers.

Simply put, time to hire is how long it takes a company to hire a candidate, from their first contact with them all the way to the candidate accepting the offer of employment.

Among other things, time to hire is indicative of both the efficiency of your recruiting team and the candidate’s experience. That’s why HR and recruiting professionals put such an emphasis on it. 

Everyone knows that having a quick time to hire is good, but how do you achieve that? Here are 5 ways to speed up your hiring process.  

1. Structure Your Hiring Process

Structing your hiring process is the first step in improving your time to hire. Having a disorganized approach to hiring means that things will fall through the cracks, including quality driver candidates.  

As a team, come up with a strict procedure for how to process applications, contact candidates, interview them, keep track of documentation, and eventually onboard drivers.  

Consider utilizing an ATS (Applicant Tracking System) that keeps track of everything related to your job postings and candidates in the hiring funnel. An ATS can also automate certain tasks like posting jobs, texting candidates and scheduling interviews.  

2. Avoid Redundant or Lengthy Applications

Have you ever filled out an application on a job board only to find out that you now needed to go to the company’s website and do it all over again? If so, you probably weren’t too happy. Maybe it stopped you from applying to the job altogether. Truck drivers feel the same way. 

According to data gathered by CareerBuilder,  

“Employees say an application that is difficult or confusing to complete (42%), or one that takes too long to complete (31%), would cause them to give up before submitting.”

If you’re noticing a lot of drivers are abandoning your applications, think about cutting out some of the more in-depth questions so that the application is just the need-to-know information.  

On the flip side, having an application that doesn’t collect enough information from drivers isn’t good either. In that scenario, you’ll keep having to reach out to drivers asking them for information that could have just been in the application. Having multiple touchpoints like these will increase your time to hire and give drivers the impression that your carrier is disorganized.  

3. Have a Better Job Posting

A driver who’s looking for a job sees hundreds of job postings every day. What makes yours special enough for them to stop scrolling and click on it?  

Just like with your applications, job postings should be concise and to the point. You never want a driver to look at your job posting and not find an answer to critical questions like pay, home time, or type of run. Don’t use flowery language or unnecessary jargon to beef up the word count either. That’s a great way to lose a driver’s attention quickly.  

Here’s an example of a free job description template that many Drive My Way clients have found success with. Remember, keep only the necessary, but all of the necessary.  

4. Avoid Excessive Contact with Drivers

Just like with the application process, having excessive interviews is a sure-fire way to lose top driver candidates. It’s probably not necessary for a driver to interview with three people in three separate departments for a traditional OTR position. Instead, have candidates only interview with decision makers in the hiring process, and try to schedule interviews within a week of talking with a driver. 

If you’ve got a candidate with a great attitude and good safety record, it’s best to try and get them into orientation as quickly as possible. Otherwise, another company is sure to do it first.

5. Look at the Right Candidates

There’s nothing that slows down the hiring process more than sifting through hundreds of applications that don’t come close to meeting the minimum criteria for the position. It’s a waste of time that could be better spent interviewing and hiring the right candidates.

Drive My Way’s patented and proprietary software matches drivers to your job based on their professional qualifications and personal lifestyle preferences. This means that you’re only spending time talking to drivers who are both qualified and interested in your jobs.

While it may seem like there’s a lot that goes into improving your time to hire, it all comes down to two important things; organizing your process and cutting anything unnecessary out of it. Do this, and you’ll see an improvement in your time to hire in no time.

Custom Commodities Transport Partners with Drive My Way for Success

Custom Commodities Transport is the nation’s largest transporter of Activated Carbon. See how they worked with Drive My Way to meet their driver needs.

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Why Truck Driver Feedback is the Key to Recruiting

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driver feedbackThe trucking industry is years into the “Driver Shortage”, and carriers are still having a difficult time hiring and retaining top talent. Drivers now have a lot of options for which carrier they work for, and they’re choosing to work for ones that have a proven track record of listening to their drivers.  

That’s why in today’s labor marketplace, any carrier that wants to recruit and retain top talent needs to collect and utilize driver feedback. But how do you collect drive feedback? What are the benefits to collecting it? And, once you do have it, how do you utilize it for your business? 

Why Should You Use Driver Feedback?

Driver feedback can help carriers solve the two biggest problems facing trucking right now: recruiting and retention. 

Nobody enjoys working somewhere where they have no input in what goes on; especially truck drivers. This type of environment can lead drivers to become actively disengaged and eventually start looking for another job. 

On the flip side, when drivers feel their voices are being heard, they’re more likely to stay. In Drive My Way’s Happiness and Retention survey, we found that a strong company culture where drivers feel valued is the second leading reason that drivers are attracted to working for certain carriers.  

We talked with Bryce Kjellander, Recruiter with Stevens Trucking about why collecting driver feedback is important to them.  

“We collect feedback from our drivers because they’re at the front lines and can be a huge asset when it comes to staying on top of maintenance issues. One of the main ways we communicate is by having an open-door policy with our drivers. This includes everyone at the company from the top down. Secondly, as a company we use an anonymous software service that allows drivers  to give input to the owners and upper management. We’ve been using this tool for about a year and a half now with a lot of success. Throughout this process we have received all kinds of feedback, some of which we have been able to implement. One of the ideas we are looking at incorporating is setting up an inbound service lane for all of our trucks and trailers to pull into so they can be checked out before leaving the yard. Our goal is to help catch some of the minor stuff that could have been missed when guys are in a hurry to get back on the road.”

Gathering Driver Feedback

driver feedbackPutting up a suggestion box in the break room probably won’t be enough to get the kind of feedback your carrier needs to really make a difference. You’ll want to create multiple avenues for drivers to share their thoughts.  

A suggestion box is one way. Others could be having an open-door policy with drivers, holding monthly/quarterly meetings, or using anonymous feedback services.  

Anonymity is a huge part of collecting driver feedback. While some drivers may be fine putting their name with their feedback, many won’t be. Having options for both is the key to collecting as much as you can. 

Another reason these anonymous feedback services work well is because drivers can use them to submit feedback from anywhere. This is very important in trucking since drivers will probably be on the road when an issue occurs. 

Exit Interviews are another great way to gather honest driver feedback. These are interviews done with a driver who’s planning on leaving your company. While the drivers may be leaving simply because of a better pay package, there could be other factors that led them to leave that you’re unaware of. Having productive exit interviews with drivers can help you uncover those reasons. 

Utilizing Driver Feedback

This is the biggest part of the equation, and one that many carriers may fall short on. You’ve collected all that driver data, but that’s only half the battle.  

The first step is to analyze the feedback you’ve gotten. Do you see any trends? Are multiple drivers citing the same issues time and time again? You’ll want to gather your results and plan to meet with decision makers in your organization to see what can be done.  

From there, you can begin the process of implementing solutions to the feedback you were given, just like Stevens Trucking did with their inbound service lanes. You may not be able to work on every issue raised by a driver, but just communicating that it was received shows drivers that your carrier is listening.  

As for how to communicate, consider having a monthly or quarterly email that goes out to all drivers containing all the feedback you’ve received and the steps the carrier is taking to address it. You can also hold monthly zoom (or in-person) meetings or call the drivers who gave you feedback directly. 

As the “Driver Shortage” continues to roll on, carriers are finding it necessary to change their operations and policies in order to attract the best drivers. That’s why the carriers that actively seek out driver feedback and implement it into their businesses have a huge edge in the fight to recruit and retain top talent.  To see what other factors drivers consider when looking for a new job, check out our Driver Lifestyle & Job Happiness Survey below. 

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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Home Time vs. Pay: What’s More Important to Truck Drivers?

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home time

Home time vs. pay. For the vast majority of truck drivers, these are the two biggest factors they look at when choosing what carrier to work for. The question is, what do drivers care about more? As you could guess, the answer depends on the individual driver candidate. That being said, there are ways to make your jobs more appealing to drivers, no matter what they find more important. Here’s what to know about home time and pay.  

Pay

home time

 

Before all else, comes pay. A carrier can have the best home time and benefits, but they won’t be attracting many drivers if their pay is far below industry averages. And that average isn’t what it used to be.  

Due to Covid, stretched supply chains and other factors, many carriers have been steadily raising their driver pay over the past two years. Wal-Mart even announced recently that they would be raising driver pay across the board to between $95,000 and $110,000 annually.  

Paying that amount of money may be unrealistic for some carriers, but that doesn’t mean you won’t be able to hire quality drivers anymore. Offering overtime and detention pay are two smaller ways that carriers can show they’re committed to offering fair compensation without stretching the payroll budget. Referral, safe driving, and delayed sign-on bonuses are other ways to do this as well.  

Home Time

 

While money means a lot, it’s not always everything to drivers. It’s of course important to offer competitive pay, but recently truck drivers have been citing home time as a bigger priority for them. The Covid pandemic led many people, truck drivers included, to start valuing their home time and free time more and more.

For carriers who only hire local drivers, this isn’t an issue since drivers are home every night. For carriers looking to fill regional and OTR jobs, this new emphasis on increased home time may seem difficult to navigate.

As a carrier, it’s important to make an effort to understand each driver’s home time needs and make efforts to work with them. Instead of enforcing rigid schedules that can’t be adjusted, be flexible in what you offer drivers. Some drivers may prefer to be home 3 days every week, while others may want to be on the road for a full week, then home for a full week.  

You may not be able to accommodate every home time request, but listening to your drivers and being open to what they want will take you a long way in recruiting and retaining top talent.   

What Can Recruiters Do?

 

Know your driver candidate. In your first call, have a discussion about what their priorities are for their next position. Some family-oriented drivers may be willing to sacrifice a difference in pay if they’re able to be home an extra night every week. A young single driver may just care about getting the biggest pay package possible. As a recruiter, it’s your job to be aware of these priorities so you can see if they’re a fit for what your company can offer. 

Another tip is to never give an answer to a driver when you don’t know the answer yourself. If a driver asks if there’s any wiggle room on the home only two nights a week part of the job, don’t just say “yes” without knowing if that’s true. Inaccurate information from recruiters can lead to frustrated drivers, increased driver turnover, and possibly a poor company reputation.  

For the first time in a long time, truck drivers have real control and a lot of choice for who they drive for. For carriers, this means that offering competitive pay packages and flexible home time options is now a necessity if you’re planning on bringing drivers to your organization. But, home time and pay aren’t the only things drivers are worried about. Building a driver-centric company culture where drivers are valued is another great way for your carrier to attract drivers. 

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 Ways to Use Recruitment Videos in Trucking

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recruitment videos

As a driver recruiter, we know that it’s essential to write a compelling job description for open CDL jobs. However, it’s now becoming essential to bring that job description to life using video. Incorporating video into your driver recruiting strategy allows candidates to hear from your drivers, see the day-to-day of the position, and virtually meet your company. Here are 4 recruitment videos to consider.

1. Driver Testimonial Video

Drivers trust other drivers more than they trust a hiring manager or driver recruiter. When a candidate has the opportunity to hear authentic feedback from another driver about why he or she likes the position, this automatically builds trust with the candidate. Driver testimonial recruitment videos are a great way to help convert more applicants for your open positions.

Drive My Way client, NFI created testimonial videos that share the driver’s favorite components of the position. In this video, a longtime NFI driver talks about how the company supports veterans. Before creating the video, NFI had received questions on this topic. Now the recruiter can share this video when asked questions about it in the future.


If the video seems scripted or vague, the viewer will feel that. However, if the driver testimonial is transparent and addresses common pain points such as home time, pay, or equipment, it will likely help increase driver applicants.

Pro Tip: When creating driver testimonial videos, ask drivers open-ended questions instead of close-ended questions to have the conversation flow organically.

2. Day in the Life Video

It’s one thing to write a great job description to depict the “day in the life” of a position. It’s another thing for a driver to see what he or she would be doing.

Drive My Way client, Kam-Way Transportation created videos that feature drivers on the job. This video shows the driver during an average work day instead of speaking into the camera like the testimonial video. Therefore, the video allows applicants to picture themselves in the role.

These videos are often more effective than a general company video that talks about what makes the organization great. Candidates want to first visualize their role within the company. Then, if there is a mutual fit, the driver recruiter can share a company culture video to dive deeper.

3. Career Projection Video

A career projection video won’t apply to all companies, but is effective to use for roles that allow for growth. If a candidate asks a driver recruiter the growth opportunity for a specific role, having a video to visually answer that question is helpful.

Drive My Way client, Button Transportation created a video that shares an overview of how the company started as well as how a driver advances in the organization. This type of video is helpful for candidates who are looking for a company to grow with and may especially apply to young drivers or drivers who are new to the industry.




Some companies will also incorporate testimonials or information about the culture in a career projection video, although it’s not necessary to produce success.

4. Company Culture Videos

A company culture video is oftentimes used later in the recruiting process. It’s best to lead with driver testimonial or day in the life videos first, because candidates will often relate to these the most. However, also having a more general video that features information about the company, culture, and differentiators will help candidates continue to evaluate if there is a mutual fit.

Drive My Way client, Bender Transportation created a video that explains and depicts their company culture. This video is meant to be more of a general depiction of what differentiates Bender from other companies and why employees enjoy working there.


Having multiple types of recruitment videos to use at different stages in the driver recruiting process is key. This not only keeps candidates engaged, but more importantly, allows them to visualize the position and the company. This will lead to hiring drivers who are better fits for your open CDL positions and increased retention rates for your carrier.

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 Ways to Build a Driver-Centric Company Culture

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You’ve probably heard the phrase “driver-centric” a lot over the past few years. It’s become a popular term in the transportation industry, especially when carriers describe their culture to truck drivers. But what does it mean? Simply put, being driver-centric means putting your drivers at the heart of every decision your company makes. A lot of trucking companies may say they have this kind of culture, but what does it really take to be driver-centric?  

We talked to two Drive My Way clients, Kam-Way Transportation and Danieli Inc. about their driver-centric approach to company culture. They shared insight on how they’ve been able to achieve this culture and how other trucking companies can do the same.   

1. Implement Driver Programs

Driver programs like these have become the norm for a lot of carriers, and it’s easy to see why. These programs lead to healthy competition among drivers, increased happiness, and most importantly, higher retention rates. This last part is especially true in relation to referral programs, as drivers who come from referrals will on average, stay longer than drivers who come from other sources.  

Danieli“We’ve implemented many programs such as V.I.P. bonus programs, driver of the quarter awards, anniversary gifts, and a very generous referral program,” shared the Danieli Recruiting Team.

In addition to performance and recruitment programs, showing appreciation to all your drivers is a great way to show your driver-centric culture. Small gifts for holidays and work anniversaries, free lunches, and giveaways are just some of the ways you can communicate to drivers that your carrier puts them first. 

2. Communicate and Listen to Feedback

This tip may seem like common sense, but there are many carriers who struggle with it. The crux is not just making small talk with drivers and checking in with them once every six months or a year. It’s implementing a plan like Danieli has to constantly communicate and gather feedback from drivers. Keeping an ear to the ground of what’s going on with your drivers, what they’re enjoying, and what they’re not can help you adapt things accordingly and keep them happy.  

“We have a ‘Staying in Touch’ policy where we regularly call every driver on the phone, even just to say ‘Hey, how’s your week going?’ or ‘Any concerns we can address?’. Being personable with our drivers, or ‘business partners’ as we call them is our top priority. Also, hear your drivers out! Some of our best ideas come from drivers on the road. Whether it’s the way you conduct orientation, the bonuses you offer, or the way you approach issues, find out what your drivers are saying and use that to your company’s advantage,” shared the Danieli Recruiting Team. 

There are many ways to communicate with your drivers. You can frequently call like Danieli does, set up an anonymous suggestion box (online or on site), use employee engagement surveys, or just stay in touch via text.  

Also, while it’s never good to hear a driver is leaving, make sure you take that opportunity to perform an exit interview. It’s a great way to get candid insight on how your company is running and what you can do better in the future to avoid doing any more exit interviews.   

3. Show Drivers Respect

Respect goes a very long way in the trucking world. What are some of the ways a carrier can show respect to their drivers? The first is to be upfront and honest about everything relating to the job when talking to candidates. Don’t hide important details just because they’re not the most attractive aspects of it. This will just lead to unhappy drivers after they sign on and may lead to a bad reputation in the industry. Making sure it’s a good fit for both sides is more important for long-term retention than simply getting drivers in seats. It’s also another big part of cultivating a driver-centric company culture.  

“We really take pride in making sure that our drivers don’t feel like they’re just a number. We really focus on solving any issues that might arise quickly to build a fantastic working relationship alongside our driving team. We believe in treating our driving team with respect, which means offering great pay, generous home-time, a great bonus structure, and more,” shared the Kam-Way Recruiting Team.

In the current job marketplace, drivers have more leverage than ever, so lowballing them in terms of pay won’t do your company any favors in the long run. Drivers understand that every company may not be able to offer the absolute best pay package in the world, but your pay should be competitive with industry averages. The same goes for benefits, bonuses, and raises.  

4. Have a Knowledge and Passion for Trucking

When drivers talk to recruiters or other people inside an organization who have little knowledge of the day-to-day responsibilities and lifestyle of a trucker, it doesn’t do much to establish trust. This isn’t to say that everyone in your organization has to be an expert on trucking, just that there should be an enthusiasm and general knowledge about the work drivers do when talking to them.  

This is also why bringing in driver recruiters with CDL experience can be a huge boost for your company’s recruiting efforts. These recruiters have a knack for building relationships with drivers and turning candidates into hires, which is invaluable for any recruiting department.    

“It’s important for us to share our company culture either by conversation or through social media in order to allow potential drivers to see the value in our company. Transportation has a special place in many of our hearts, and our hope is that drivers seeking employment with us feel that fondness towards the industry. Many of our office team members have been in the transportation business for many years. Allowing that expertise to shine through is just one of the many ways our company culture can positively impact anyone looking to join our team,” shared the Kam-Way Recruiting Team. 

5. Broadcast Your Culture

Just like the population at large, most truck drivers, are active on at least one social media platform. These social channels like Facebook, Instagram, and TikTok could very well be the first place where drivers learn about your company. This is why it’s important to broadcast your company culture on these platforms. Aside from having quality pay and benefits, drivers want to work somewhere where they know they’ll be valued and the right messaging can do just that.  

“We believe that sharing the industry with both non-driving individuals along with drivers is so valuable. It shines a light on the transportation industry and allows everyone to see how vital it is to our economy and more. Creating a sense of transparency builds trust, which in turn, provides a strong company culture. We also really love featuring our hard-working men and women on our social media platforms so that they can be recognized by everyone,” shared the Kam-Way Recruiting Team. 

But, as we know, drivers are understandably skeptical of what comes from a company’s recruiting or marketing team. Showcasing the drivers themselves in testimonials is the best way to build trust with potential candidates and show your driver-centric company culture through social media. 

A driver-centric company culture is much more than a popular buzz word. It’s truly putting the needs and priorities of truck drivers at the front of your business. It can seem like a big task, but making small changes and implementing the tips above will make your company a place where drivers will be happy to come aboard.    

Quick Guide to Truck Driver Appreciation

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Quick Guide to Truck Driver Appreciation

Truck driver recognition is a great way to show your drivers they are appreciated. This quick guide helps employers learn about truck driver appreciation and how to make drivers feel valued.

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5 Ways to Recruit Gen Z Truck Drivers

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recruit gen z
Gen Z is described as the generation born between 1997 and 2012. This means that the oldest members of Gen Z are in their mid-twenties right now, the same age when most drivers start their career in trucking. While Gen Z is only 24% of the workforce right now, that number is only going to go up since Gen Z has eclipsed millennials as the largest generation globally. 

While it’s difficult to define a group of people this large, there are some common characteristics most share. These include being independent, communicative, and digital (specifically mobile) focused.  

So, what does this mean for driver recruiters who want to recruit these young Gen Z drivers? Here are five tips to help you when recruiting Gen Z drivers. 

1. Training Opportunities

While experience is one of the biggest things that recruiters look for, these younger drivers coming into trucking right now are the future of the industry. Carriers are seeing the benefits of offering training opportunities to their Gen Z drivers.  

It’s not just Gen Z drivers who are looking for training opportunities, it’s the workforce as a whole. A LinkedIn study found that 94% of employees said they would stay at a company that invested in their career development. 

If your company isn’t already, consider offering and advertising CDL training. Many young people may want to get their CDL but are put off by the high prices of driving schools. Carriers offering a way to do that affordably while guaranteeing them a job once they graduate is one of the biggest ways to recruit Gen Z drivers to your organization.  

2. Set Up Career Paths

Gen Z drivers will no doubt be looking to work somewhere they can advance themselves rather than staying in the same position for years. This could mean anything from going from local driving to regional or OTR work, or it could even mean moving to a different position throughout your company. The important thing is that you have career path options set up for these young drivers. 

Make sure that it’s communicated to them early on in the recruiting process that your company offers these career paths and advancement opportunities. This shows that you have a commitment to not only help the company grow, but help your drivers grow as well.  

3. Use Texting to Communicate

If your recruiting team has only contacted candidates via phone and email, you may be missing out on a number of qualified young drivers. A study done by Yello Recruiting found that “86% of Gen Z and Millennials like SMS text as part of the interview process”. A separate study by LinkedIn found that, “67% of potential candidates respond within minutes to SMS text messages”. 

If you aren’t doing this already, start making mobile communication a priority in your recruitment process. Just make sure that you have their consent to reach out to them via text before you do, as not overstepping boundaries and safeguarding personal information is very important to them.   

4. Mobile-First Presentation

Have you ever gone to a company’s website where you had to pinch and zoom over and over again to find what you needed? That’s because it wasn’t optimized for mobile devices. Odds are, you probably didn’t have a great experience and didn’t go back to that site. The bad news is, if your company site’s not mobile optimized, young candidates could be deciding the same thing about it. 

This is especially when you consider that more people globally use their smartphones to access the internet than computers, laptops, or tablets. While your job postings may be through Indeed and other job sites that are already optimized for mobile, if a candidate needs to return to your company’s site for any reason, including to just do some research on your company, you’ll want to make sure they have a quick and seamless experience. For more information on how your company can make their site mobile-first, check out this blog.

5. Quality Company Culture

Having a quality company culture can’t be overstated when recruiting any drivers into your organization, but especially Gen Z drivers. But, to have a culture that appeals to them, you need to know what they value. 

As a generation, Gen Z is known for questioning everything, especially in the workplace. They don’t take much at face value, and will be quick to let people know (think about online reviews) if they feel a company is doing something wrong.  

Having an internal system for gathering and answering driver comments and complaints will go a long way. This system could be anything from having an anonymous suggestion or comment box (digital may be the better option than on-site) to texting or calling drivers once every week or few weeks to check in on how they’re doing and if they have any concerns. It’s a small thing to do, but can make a big difference in recruiting and supporting Gen Z drivers. 

 

While there are some differences when recruiting Gen Z drivers as opposed to Millennials or Gen X’ers, the core principles remain the same. Have a strong and communicative company culture, make driver training and advancement a priority, and you’ll have no problem recruiting Gen Z driver into your organization. 

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

3 Reasons to Hire Driver Recruiters with CDL Experience

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driver recruiter
When building a driver recruiter team, experience can’t be overstated. But this doesn’t just mean experience in the recruiting world. Some carriers are finding value in bringing recruiters who have CDL experience into their organization. These recruiters have a knack for building relationships with drivers and turning candidates into hires, which is invaluable for any recruiting department.  

driver recruiter

Connie Garner, PWD Transportation Recruiter

We spoke with Connie Garner, Recruiter for Drive My Way client, PWD Transportation Inc. and CDL A holder. Connie shared with us how her experience as a CDL driver helps her to be a better driver recruiter. 

“I believe the fact that I have my CDL A and was a truck driver is how I’ve been able to recruit and retain a number of drivers. I know the life they live and the struggles they go through on a daily basis,” shared Connie.

Here’s why bringing on recruiters with CDL experience may take your recruiting and retention efforts to the next level. 

1. Drivers Trust Recruiters with CDL Experience

This isn’t to say that drivers don’t like or don’t trust recruiters who don’t have CDL experience. Drivers can have great relationships with recruiters of any background. It’s just that drivers will naturally gravitate towards recruiters who have experience as a CDL driver. Trucking is a close-knit community, where you’re more likely to trust people who are in that community than those who aren’t.  

Drive My Way’s President and CEO, Beth Potratz, shared her perspective on the value of recruiters who have CDL experience. 

Beth Potratz

Beth Potratz, CEO of Drive My Way

“At the end of the day, drivers have had so many bad experiences and broken promises that they’re almost at a point where they don’t trust. This leads to them to start looking for actual testimonials from other drivers who have actually lives it, to confirm whether or not this is something they want to move forward with,” shared Beth.

2. Trucking Industry Knowledge Goes a Long Way

There’s a common misconception among drivers that recruiters lie on purpose just to get drivers in seats. While it’s true that sometimes drivers aren’t given the correct information, it’s most likely because the recruiter doesn’t have the right information themselves, not because they’re trying to intentionally mislead drivers.  

The issue is that there’s a lot of vernacular, slang, and just general knowledge in the trucking industry that isn’t easy to learn right off the bat. This can lead to communication issues when a recruiter is trying to talk to drivers about a job opportunity that ultimately results in unhappy drivers and frustrated recruiters.  

For recruiters who have CDL experience, all that industry talk and specific information relating to runs, equipment, and hauls is already second nature to them. Drivers will appreciate speaking with someone knowledgeable of the industry and likely be more comfortable moving forward in the hiring process with your carrier.  

3. Building Long-Term Relationships

As any good recruiter knows, relationship building is key. Aside from just being in contact with a driver during the hiring process and then handing them off, CDL recruiters have that unique sense of camaraderie with hired drivers. These relationships can last well after the initial hire and could even be a factor in retaining talented drivers. 

“I don’t promise them anything I can’t give them. In the beginning, I didn’t want to be a recruiter, because I had only bad experiences with the ones I worked with. But as a driver turned recruiter, you really have a leg up. Drivers will come into conversations with you much more comfortable and open since they’re with ‘one of their own'”, shared Connie. 

Aside from that, recruiters who have CDL experience, will tend to know more people in the industry overall. This can lead to introductions with many great drivers your company wouldn’t have been able to get in front of otherwise. 

Having great recruiters in your organization is step one. Step two is finding the solutions that help your recruiters make the right hires. Drive My Way’s patented matching technology will identify top candidates based on your specific job requirements and match them with you.  

PWD Partners with Drive My Way for Success

PWD is a third–generation trucking company, delivering the best quality working environment to employees and first–class service to customers.

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Why Trucking Companies Offer CDL Tuition Reimbursement

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tuition reimbursement
Demand for labor in the trucking industry has never been higher. As the market for drivers continues to be competitive, coming up with new ways to entice drivers to work for your carrier is becoming more and more important. One added perk for drivers that many trucking companies are adding to their benefits package is tuition reimbursement.  

We spoke with April Smith, Recruiter with Drive My Way client, Lansing Building Products, about their Tuition Reimbursement Program and the results they’ve seen from it.  

tuition reimbursement“We currently offer a Tuition Reimbursement and a CDL Reimbursement Program. Tuition Reimbursement assists associates with tuition, registration, books and required fees, as well as licensing exams,” shared April.

What is Tuition Reimbursement?

Tuition Reimbursement is when a carrier pays the full cost or a portion of cost that the driver paid to attend CDL school. The company could also pay the cost of a current employee to attend CDL school while working for them. Many companies not only in the trucking industry, but also in the greater workforce are finding success with this tactic.

According to a study by EdAssist, “84% of employees cited tuition assistance as an important factor in their decision to join their companies. In fact, 71% of participants rated tuition assistance among the best benefits offered by their employers after healthcare.” 

“Aside from that, we have a CDL Reimbursement Program assists with the fees for current associates desiring to get their CDL license. This helps associates acquire additional skills that can lead to promotion opportunities and growth within the company,” shared April.

How Does it Work?

Most carriers who participate in tuition reimbursement do so in incremental amounts over a set course of time. This can be one month, two months, or whatever increment the carrier sees fit. Doing tuition reimbursement in increments helps with retention efforts, as drivers will be incentivized to stay with your carrier for the long haul in order to receive the full benefits of the program. 

What are the Benefits of Tuition Reimbursement?

It Helps with Retention

According to a study by Bright Horizons, “76% of employees said they are more likely to stay with their employer because of its tuition reimbursement benefit.” This means that aside from the driver staying with your carrier throughout the period of repayment, they’re more likely to stay with your company after as well. 

Tax Breaks

Aside from tuition reimbursement helping recruiting and retention efforts, it’s also good come tax time. Under IRS guidelines, companies that reimburse their employees’ tuition are eligible for a tax break at the federal level. One thing to keep in mind is that this tax break caps out at $5,250 per year per employee.  

Reputation in the Industry

Having a tuition reimbursement program signals not only your employees, but the greater industry, that your carrier is committed to the growth and well-being of your drivers. In an industry like trucking, where word of mouth is how a lot of drivers find new jobs, this can be invaluable.  

“Offering professional development opportunities lets job seekers know that we are invested in their future. We’ve had numerous drivers over the past few years that have taken advantage of the opportunity to increase their skill set and grow within our company,” shared April. 

According to Randall-Reilly’s Trucker News Connectivity Report, 26% of drivers rely on word-of-mouth when looking for a new job.  Starting a Tuition Reimbursement Program can be a great way to build up or build back a positive reputation of your company in the industry.  

Drivers Who Take Advantage of Tuition Reimbursement

These programs tend to appeal to drivers who are new to the industry and are still paying off their trucking school loans. They especially attract drivers who are right out of CDL school, since the sooner they take advantage of a company’s tuition reimbursement program, the less money they’ll be paying in the long run. 

The most important thing about tuition reimbursement is the tangible impact it can make in the lives of drivers. Just like it has for Lansing Building Products driver, Dominic. 

tuition reimbursement

Dominic, Lansing Building Products

“I’ve been an associate with Lansing Building Products for six years in their Tampa location. I have always had an interest in driving and brought that to management’s attention. Since then, Lansing has provided me with the opportunity to earn my CDL while working for them. Right now, I’m utilizing my CDL to cover for other drivers and hope to eventually become a full-time truck driver. Overall, I appreciate the opportunity Lansing has provided me by helping me to get my CDL and completing the program over the last 6 months,”

As recruiters continue to search for new ways to reach drivers, Tuition Reimbursement is proving to be more and more helpful. Having a Tuition Reimbursement program is great for a lot of reasons, but it all comes down to drivers wanting to work for a carrier where they feel valued. Offering to reimburse their CDL school tuition shows that your carrier is committed to their career and invested in them for the long haul. 

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Ultimate Guide to Truck Driver Recruiting

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How to Keep Driver Candidates Engaged

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Whether you believe in the “driver shortage” or not, one thing is certain. Drivers have more leverage than ever before when it comes to job searching. As a recruiter, this can put you in the difficult situation of trying not to lose quality candidates. This can be especially hard if your organization’s hiring process takes a bit longer than others. Luckily, as a driver recruiter, there are things you can do to keep drivers engaged throughout the hiring process. 

Follow-Up Quickly

This has been stressed many times before, but the impact responding quickly has on recruiting can’t be overstated. Besides saving your company time and money, following up quickly with quality drivers is the first and most important way to keep drivers engaged throughout the hiring process. For a candidate who’s talking with multiple recruiters and trying to narrow down who they want to drive for, taking hours or days to respond will put your company at the bottom of that list.  

Also, make sure you’re using multiple channels when communicating with drivers. You never know which could be best for them, whether that’s via phone call, text, or email, so it’s recommended you try each. When you do connect with the driver, ask him or her which channel works best for them!  

Responding quickly is important even when a candidate isn’t what you’re looking for. Besides being unprofessional, not responding could spur them towards letting others know about their experience, which could snowball into an overall poor reputation for your company. 

Be in Constant Communication

If you’re talking to a qualified driver, chances are you’re not the only recruiter doing so. Instead of calling once or sending one text, then giving up if you don’t get a response, set a reminder to contact the driver multiple times. It’s possible that they just lost you in the shuffle with the other recruiters they’re talking to. Remember, you have nothing to lose by reaching out one more time. Worst case scenario, the driver doesn’t respond. Best case scenario, you now have a strong candidate for an open position. 

Schedule Next Steps Quickly

Instead of going back and forth with a candidate to figure out a time, check your calendar first. Then give the driver a list of two or three dates and times for the interview. Or you can use a calendar app to allow the driver to quickly schedule a time that’s best for them. Note: be prepared for a call or interview outside of standard business hours, as that may be the best time for drivers!  

The key here is to do what you can to make it easier for the driver. It may seem like a small change, but for a candidate who’s interviewing with multiple companies, it can be the difference between being ghosted and setting up an interview with a quality driver. 

Give a Realistic Job Preview

Once a driver is firmly along in the interview process, it’s a great time to share with them a realistic preview of what driving for your company looks like. We spoke to Jason Crowell, Director of Recruiting for Drive My Way’s client, Custom Commodities Transport about this realistic job preview.

“We never want a Recruiter to oversell the job to bring a Driver in under false pretenses. As a matter of fact, we share our “realistic job preview” to tell Driver candidates about the good, the bad, and the ugly of the job. “

Every candidate can’t fit into our jobs, and it’s the Recruiters’ job to help with that all-important selection. The Recruiter should really be listening to what the Driver wants and needs to identify if there is a mutual fit,” shared Jason.

This job preview could testimonials from current drivers or an article or video that showcases your company culture. The important thing here is to do what you can to make sure the driver knows what they’re walking into on day one. 

Eliminate Interview Disorganization

Have you ever done multiple rounds of interviews with a company and been asked the same thing by three different people? This probably didn’t give you a great impression of the company you were interviewing with. The same goes for drivers interviewing with your company. Make sure that all team members taking part in the interview process are on the same page about what questions have been asked or should be asked. This shows that your carrier is organized and has a cohesive hiring process. 

While keeping driver candidates engaged can be a difficult task, it’s not a complex one. Being prompt, professional and using common sense where needed will greatly increase your chances of bringing quality drivers into your fleet. 

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The 2 Recruitment Podcasts You Need to Listen to This Year

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recruitment podcasts
If you’ve been in the driver recruiter space long enough, you probably know about Recruit & Retain: Trucking Edition with Chad Hendricks and Taking the Hire Road with Jeremy Reymer. Both podcasts focus on the challenges of recruiting and retention in the trucking industry. The recruitment podcasts also feature a number of industry experts who share their knowledge with listeners.  

We had the chance to talk to both Chad and Jeremy about how they started their podcasts, what their favorite episodes have been so far, and what topics they’re excited to tackle this year. 

How Did You Start Your Podcast?

recruitment podcasts

Jeremy Reymer, host of Taking the Hire Road

Jeremy: “Years ago, I had the thought of doing a podcast on my own. I loved the idea but felt that it wouldn’t be a good fit at the time. I wanted to do it, but just didn’t have the time. 

Fast forward a few years and FreightWaves reached out and pitched the idea of me hosting my own podcast with the help of their audio and content team. It was the perfect situation. I would be able to pick my own guests and host, while the FreightWaves team would handle all the production and promotion. I agreed and now here we are, 44 episodes later.  

As for the name of the podcast, it came from my belief that it’s important to surround yourself with people who do the right thing and who take the higher road. The play on words with higher and hire was the perfect fit.” 

recruitment podcasts

Chad Hendricks, host of Recruit & Retain: Trucking Edition

Chad: “We had a client in the building industry who was looking for ways to be known as an industry leader in his space. He asked us what we recommended, and we pitched him the idea of starting his own podcast. He wasn’t a fan of the idea, but it got us thinking about doing a podcast ourselves.  

Starting out, we thought it might be difficult to get guests on the podcast, but that wasn’t the case at all. It’s really surprising how many people were interested in being on it, especially our clients. That’s the origin of Recruit & Retain, and we’re still here, going on our third year.” 

What Topics are you Excited About Tackling on the Show this Year?

Jeremy: “From a company perspective, recruiting and retention are the two number one issues that they’re facing right now. For drivers, their biggest grievances are things like parking and pay. If a carrier is able to solve those driver problems, they’ll be working towards solving their recruiting and retention problems. My main goal is trying to find more material that addresses those issues. 

I also want to put a focus on more compliance talk to dispel certain misinformation out there. For example, so many times recruiters think, ‘I need to get 10 years of employment verification’ and that’s just not true at all. You may have a company policy that says that, which is different. Dispelling some of those common misconceptions and informing recruiters is a big focus this year.” 

Chad: “The biggest one I’m excited to dive into is helping recruiters find where they can differentiate from competitors. Most are trying to wordsmith their pay package in the job advertisement, but drivers and getting keen to it. You can’t have a job ad that just talks about cents per mile with the picture of the guy with his arms folded. Drivers have seen that 1,000 times. You need something to get their eyeballs to stop for a second on your ad.  

The second piece to differentiation is figuring out how to create a positive driver experience once drivers come on board. It only takes a week for a driver to decide how they feel about working for a certain carrier. You want your new drivers to say, ‘I’ve never been treated this well in my first week at a new job.’ I’m really looking forward to bringing on some guests who can speak on this topic.” 

What has Been Your Favorite Episode of the Show so Far?

Jeremy: “I really enjoy talking with Rebecca Brewster, President & COO of the American Transportation Research Institute. We have a good natural rapport that always leads to a great interview. I would also say any episode that features Leah Shaver is great too. She has such a great personality and is so knowledgeable about our industry. Every time she’s on, I know that listeners are going to come away with something they didn’t know before.” 

Chad: “I don’t know if I have one specific favorite episode, but I’ve really enjoyed when I’ve been able to be very transparent with the audience and talk about our internal processes and how we operationalize our values. What I mean is that if a company says, ‘these are our values,’ then how are they actually living those out? In those episodes, we lay out exactly how to do this at Brand Outcomes, with concrete examples that carriers can implement right now into their own businesses.” 

Jeremy Reymer is the founder and CEO of DriverReach. You can find new episodes of Taking the Hire Road every week on Apple Podcasts, Spotify, Stitcher, and YouTube.

Chad Hendricks is the President of Brand Outcomes, Inc. You can find new episodes of Recruit & Retain: Trucking Edition every week on Apple Podcasts, Spotify, Stitcher, and YouTube. 

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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