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Why Exit Interviews are a Must for Trucking Companies

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exit interviewAt this point, the trucking shortage has become the normal state of things. It’s widely understood that the demand for truck drivers is much higher than the supply of drivers looking for jobs. Because of this, trucking companies are doing whatever they can to keep current drivers happy and bring new ones onboard. This includes pay increases, newer trucks and equipment, increased home time, and more. 

As great as these advances have been, drivers are still leaving jobs at a high rate. This can be frustrating for carriers, especially when they don’t know why drivers are leaving their company. It’s also why exit interviews can be a very useful tool when recruiting and retaining drivers.  

What is an Exit Interview?

An exit interview is an interview with an employee who is planning on leaving your company. The exit interview is usually done on the employee’s last day or last week but can also happen shortly after the driver leaves the company. 

Why Exit Interviews are Important

Exit interviews are used to understand the reasons that drivers are leaving your company. These reasons may be related to compensation, benefits, home time, schedule, equipment, route, type of haul, company culture, or leadership.  

Exit interviews are also one of the best ways to uncover problems that are going unnoticed in your company. While many times, a driver is simply leaving for better pay, it could be for reasons related to how your company runs or even a problem with a specific co-worker.  

For instance, your drivers could be having issues with a certain dispatcher or supervisor that management or HR isn’t aware of. It’s possible for things to get so bad that drivers start looking for other opportunities because of it. For a company that conducts exit interviews, this problem could be solved after an exit interview with the first driver who left. For a company who doesn’t, they may lose 4 or 5 drivers before they get wind of the real reason they’re leaving.  

How to Conduct an Exit Interview

There are a few different ways companies can conduct exit interviews, some do it on site while the driver is still with their company. Others can be done at a public place shortly after they’ve left, but this is less common.  

As for who should conduct an exit interview, it’s a good idea for it to be someone in HR or another neutral party. Drivers may be more honest with them as opposed to interviewing with someone they directly reported to or higher management. 

Be sure to affirm with the driver that anything they say will remain anonymous. While some drivers may not care whether it is or not, some might, so it’s a good practice to let them know that before the interview starts.  

Also, make sure to keep track of what drivers say in exit interviews. This way, you can start to look for trends across departments and your company as a whole.  

It’s also possible for a driver to say no to doing an exit interview in the first place. But, unless they’re leaving on very bad terms, most times they’ll agree.  

What Next?

After the exit interview is arguably the most important part of the process. Now, you must act on what you’ve learned. Look through your findings to pin down possible trends in why drivers are leaving, especially if you’ve recently had a mass exodus. 

While it’s not always possible to immediately fix every issue mentioned in these interviews, it’s important to do what you can quickly to avoid losing any other drivers. Plan to meet with key decision makers in your company to present what you’ve learned and plan from there. 

While it’s never good news to hear that you’ve has lost a driver, conducting exit interviews is a vital part of the process. It gives your company the valuable information you need so that you won’t have to do as many in the future.  

10 Questions to Ask Drivers During an Exit Interview

Exit interviews can be a very useful tool when recruiting and retaining drivers. Download this free template to learn what questions you should be asking during your next one.

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Pros and Cons of Lowering the CDL Driver Age Requirement

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cdl age requirementFrom shipping delays to empty shelves and rising prices in supermarkets, the effects of the truck driver shortage can be felt all across the country. Carriers and advocates have tried a number of ways to get more drivers into the industry. From raising pay to letting pets ride in the cab, a lot of different perks have been offered to get people interested in a career in trucking. 

Probably the most controversial response to the driver shortage has been to lower the age requirement to cross state lines in a CMV to 18. As of right now, drivers can get their CDL at 18, but can’t go interstate until they turn 21. This leaves most CDL trucking driving jobs to drivers 21 or older. 

Advocates say opening up this new age demographic to trucking will help alleviate effects of the driver shortage and get the industry moving in the right direction again. Opponents say that the safety risks associated with lowering the interstate CDL age requirement aren’t worth the potential benefits. Here’s everything you need to know about the age requirement debate for interstate truckers. 

What’s the Latest News?

Back in September of 2020, the Federal Motor Carrier Safety Administration (FMCSA) proposed a program that would allow 18–20-year old’s to operate a CMV across state lines. Nothing happened at the time, but the program was eventually picked up as part of the Bipartisan Infrastructure Bill that was passed in November of 2021.  

This program is officially called the Safe Driver Apprenticeship Pilot Program (SDAP). The program will be in place for 3 years, almost as a test run. After that, the FMCSA will publish their findings and let congress know whether they endorse it becoming law. As of right now, there’s no information on when carriers can start applying to be a part of the SDAP, but the FMCSA said they’ll post an announcement on their website when that happens. 

Cons to Lowering the Interstate CDL Age

The biggest and most obvious criticism of lowering the CDL age are the safety concerns associated with letting teenagers get behind the wheel of a 15-ton semi-truck. Teenagers are 3 times more likely to get into a crash than drivers over the age of 20. When you combine that statistic with the increased difficulty of driving a CMV, it’s easy to see why some are skeptical of lowering the CDL age. Also, some feel that lowering the CDL age requirement is just a way to avoid the bigger problems facing the trucking industry right now, such as low driver pay. 

Another issue that’s not considered a lot of the time with lowering the interstate CDL age is insurance. We spoke with Jeff Ice, Retired Managing Director with Risk Strategies Transportation about what this change will mean for the insurance industry and carrier’s policies.

“I don’t see the insurance industry modifying the underwriting requirement of a 21 year old minimum age for CDL or even non-CDL drivers. Actually, most insurance carriers have a 23-25 year old requirement and I don’t see them backing off that. So yes it’s a conundrum. Driver shortage vs. insurance experience/requirements. With the expanding use of real time fleet telematics, maybe this change will make a positive impact on the industry years down the road, but in the near term, I just don’t see the insurance industry backing down,” shared Jeff. 

Also, some drivers fear that if the CDL age gets lowered, so will their wages. 18–20-year-old drivers earn much less on average than older workers and are more likely to take lower offers from trucking companies. This will put older drivers who have made considerable gains in pay over the last few years in a tough spot. 

Pros to Lowering the Interstate CDL Age?

When we think of lowering the CDL age, we might think of freshly 18 year old drivers who have never been in a truck before, hopping on the highway. In the majority of instances, this won’t be the case. To address safety concerns, the pilot program institutes a mandatory 400 probationary period where any driver 18-20 must have an experienced driver in the passenger seat at all times. An experienced driver is defined as any driver who is 26 or over, has at least 5 years of CMV driving experience, been driving for the last two years, and has had no preventable accidents or pointed moving violations. 

Lindsey Trent, President and Co-Founder of the Next Generation in Trucking Association had this to say on the topic of training young drivers and the associated insurance issues.

“It’s going to be a process. There are companies that will allow a carrier to insure an 18-20 year old driver, but they’ll obviously have to pay more for that policy. If we can train a young person to be an exceptional driver and put them through a longer training process, we’ll eventually get those statistics in with the Safe Driver Apprenticeship Program. We’ll get answers to questions like, “Are these 18-20 year old drivers just as safe as a 26 year old who has their CDL,” shared Lindsey. 

Also, there’s already a number of young drivers out there who are already driving CMVs. In all 50 states, any person 18 or over can get their CDL A or B; they just can’t travel across state lines. Couple that with the SDAP only allowing 3,000 apprentices in the program at one time and you can see that many of the safety concerns have been addressed. 

18-20 is a very important age range, when many people choose the careers that they’ll be in for the rest of their lives. This is one benefit to lowering the interstate CDL age. The industry will be reaching young people at that critical time in their lives. For an industry that needs to get younger, lowering the CDL age seems like a no brainer. 

Whether you’re for or against lowering the CDL age requirement, as of right now, it’s happening. Even if it’s just on a small-scale test basis, we’ll soon see 18-year old’s out on the highway delivering freight. Only time will tell whether or not the concerns will outweigh the positive effect this change may have on the industry. 

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Ultimate Guide to Retaining Truck Drivers

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

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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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What to Know About Hiring Yard Jockeys

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What to Know About Hiring Yard Jockeys

As any driver recruiter knows, each position they hire for brings in a unique set of people. The same is true when hiring yard jockeys. Yard jockeys have a much different set of priorities, skills and motivations than traditional OTR, regional, or even local drivers, and it’s important to be aware of those differences if your company is hiring yard jockeys.  

We spoke with Corbin Brown, Driver Recruiter with Drive My Way client, NFI. He talked to us about his approach when hiring yard jockeys, the skills he looks for, and what they’re usually looking for in their next opportunity. 

Corbin Brown, Recruiter with NFI

“When recruiting jockeys, you’re dealing with a much different skill set than your average driver. Jockeys are expected to be very skillful with backing and fitting equipment into small spaces that a normal driver may not have as much experience in. Every job you have to offer a driver is unique, but it seems with jockeys, you need to be sure of a lot more of the finer details to successfully recruit a good candidate,” shared Corbin.

What is a Yard Jockey?

A Yard Jockey is a driver who uses terminal tractors to move trailers within a cargo yard, terminal or warehouse. Aside from that, jockeys are tasked with pre and post trip inspection of trailers, cleaning them, and other duties as they’re assigned. Yard jockeys will traditionally only drive within a company’s property, so a CDL isn’t federally required to do the job, but most carriers will prefer or even require that jockeys have their CDL.  

What Do Yard Jockeys Look for?

Home Time, Schedule, and Hours

As with local drivers and non-CDL drivers, yard jockeys are most likely looking for more home time. Having a guarantee that they’ll be home daily is a big reason they’re choosing that line of work.

Just take it from Willy, a CDL Yard Jockey for Drive My Way client, NFI. 

“I was a driver initially, but due to my need to be home at a specific time each day, I decided to jockey. Since the hours I work are fixed, I knew I would be home at the same time every day,” shared Willy.

When recruiting yard jockeys, make a point to go over the details of time off, how many hours per week, and scheduling. There’s a very good chance that this is their top priority, so making it yours will give you an edge over other companies while recruiting.  

“I see a lot of drivers who are moving around due to inconsistent work/schedule or just not enough hours to make it all work. I also see a trend in jockeys feeling like they, and their skills are not valued as much as they should. Because of this, they’re on the move to find more consistency and a workplace that values their unique skillset,” shared Corbin. 

Pay

In general, yard jockey positions tend to pay less than OTR or regional work. But, just like all other driver positions in the industry, yard jockey pay is going up as well. Over the past 9 years, average yard jockey pay has jumped over 26%. As with all driving positions, keeping an above average pay scale while providing performance-based bonuses is the best way to get the attention of experienced and talented yard jockeys. 

Advancement Opportunities

While some yard jockeys, like Willy may have been drivers initially and chosen jockeying to have a more consistent schedule, this isn’t always the case. Many jockeys come into the position to either earn their CDL while working or are using the position to get their start in the trucking industry and gain valuable experience for when they decide to start driving. A great way to bring candidates like this on board is by offering CDL tuition reimbursement and training opportunities for yard jockeys.  

“When recruiting jockeys, I personally look for longevity in employment. Jockeys who stick around on one job longer tend to have more well-rounded qualities. Those who jump from job to job too often seem to have a more basic skillset. My goal is to find the jockeys another company has undervalued or mistreated, and show them they can have a long and prosperous career with NFI,” shared Corbin.

If your company is looking to hire qualified yard jockeys or any other drivers, consider partnering with Drive My Way. Our patented matching technology will identify top candidates based on your specific job requirements and match them with you.  

NFINFI Partners with Drive My Way for Success

NFI is one of the largest dedicated transportation companies, with a private fleet of over 3,000 drivers. NFI partnered with Drive My Way to recruit for retention.

View the Case Study

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

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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Trucking Truth with Jeremy Reymer from DriverReach

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Jeremy ReymerYou probably know Jeremy Reymer as the host of Taking the Hire Road, his weekly podcast done in collaboration with FreightWaves. But Jeremy isn’t just a podcast host. He has nearly 20 years of experience in the trucking industry, working as both a carrier and a vendor. 

In 2016, Jeremy founded DriverReach, a driver recruiting and compliance management solution, to help address the ongoing challenges with recruiting, qualifying, and hiring CDL drivers. 

Jeremy recently took the time to talk with Drive My Way’s President and CEO, Beth Potratz, about what he feels will impact the trucking industry this year, the new administration’s commitment to trucking and the labor shortage in general across the country.  

What do you think 2022 holds for the trucking industry?

The pendulum swings wide. When you have a supply chain that’s focused on just-in-time freight and you throw a global pandemic on top of that, it throws things way to one side. To overcorrect, we in the industry try to move things way far in the other direction, and that’s what we’ve been doing these past two years. I think this year, we’ll start to see things normalize a bit more in terms of driver supply and demand. 

What are some other changes you think will affect the trucking industry this year?

We’ve already begun to see a significant increase in new entrants into this industry. That includes both new CDL holders and new registered companies (owner-operators) as well. This new supply will help to meet some of that demand, but I think demand will continue to outstrip supply, especially when you factor in drivers being eliminated from the workforce due to the

Drug & Alcohol Clearinghouse. Inflationary pressures, specifically wage inflation, will continue to rear their head as well. 

Another interesting thing is that the industry has drawn a lot of attention from investors over the past few years.  Trucking as an industry proved that it’s quasi-recession proof and certainly global pandemic proof.

At the end of the day, it’s an industry that everybody needs. It has fundamental stability in turbulent times. So I think that attracted money and interest. Also just recognizing that in general, trucking is behind more innovative or progressive industries, and you can see that there’s a lot of opportunities to excel.

What are your thoughts on driver recruiter burnout and the labor shortage in general?

Hopefully, we don’t see that as much in 2022 as we did last year. I was listening to a demographer who was talking about the notion we’ve heard again and again over the past two years that “Nobody wants to work anymore.” It seems that way because you can’t find people. His point is that there are literally not enough eligible workers to meet demands for labor. When you’re just talking about the number of people; Generation X is much smaller compared to Baby Boomers and Millennials.  

By now, the Baby Boomers are leaving or have already left the workforce, but they still need services. Instead of being consumers and workers, now they’re just consumers. We’re asking a much smaller generation, (Gen X) and millennials to carry the burden of servicing themselves and the Baby Boomers.  

The new administration has put a spotlight put on the trucking industry. What are your views on their plans, and how much do you think will get accomplished?

This administration embraces trucking much like the previous administration. I’m encouraged by elements of the DRIVE Safe Act, including putting a pilot program to allow 18–20-year olds to drive trucks. That’s in the works and going to happen. Action exists. Nobody can say that this administration isn’t taking action. It’s going to take time to get it rolled out, but the path is paved. 

You can find new episodes of Jeremy’s podcast, Taking the Hire Road, every week on Apple Podcasts, Spotify, Stitcher, and YouTube.

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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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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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4 Steps to Reverse Your Bad Company Reputation

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bad company reputation

There are many reasons a carrier could be suffering from a bad company reputation. It could stem from issues years ago when the company was a different place, run by different people. A few poor experiences could have gained traction online, or there could even be criticisms against your company that have no basis in fact.  

Whatever the reason, a bad reputation can lead to a lot of headaches for your company. Most importantly, it can lead to recruiters having a much harder time filling seats. Businesses often don’t take the necessary steps to reverse these negative perceptions and instead choose to live with them.  This is a mistake no matter what industry you’re in, but especially trucking, where word of mouth is king. If you believe your company is suffering from a bad reputation, here are 4 tips to reverse it. 

1. Understand Why

Before you can solve a problem, you need to understand what caused it in the first place. There’s several reasons that your company could be suffering from a bad reputation. Whether it’s warranted or not, you need to understand what the complaints are before you can address them.  

Have open and honest conversations with people in your company and your industry about what they’ve heard. You can also track how people are talking about your company online. Higher end social listening tools like MeltWater are out there, but doing a simple search of your company on Google and the major social media platforms works as well. This might not be fun to hear, but it’s integral to the process of building your company’s reputation back up.  

2. Have a Plan

Now that you understand the problem, it’s time to find the best way to handle it. There’s a number of ways build your reputation back up. It all depends on what the problem was in the first place.  

Poor support network for drivers? Consider adding more resources to your operations department to address this, like bringing on a driver liaison. Recruiters not being upfront with drivers about job details? Make continuous transparency a priority throughout the hiring process. Low pay or old equipment? Think through how to improve this to be competitive in the market.   

3. Try Something New

Even if you’ve done everything you can to fix the problem and keep it from happening again, that negative reputation could still linger if people aren’t aware of your changes. Your first step is to address the issues. This can be a statement from a PR representative or high-ranking official with your carrier. 

 One thing to avoid is publishing a statement committing to change, but not giving any concrete details on how this will be done. The important thing here is to not only address the issues and take responsibility, but also to speak on what steps the company is taking to do better going forward.   

A great next step is adding testimonials from current drivers to your online presence. It’s not a secret that drivers are much more likely to trust what other drivers say about a company over what a recruiter says. Show them firsthand how your current drivers feel about working for your carrier and how things have changed. Have drivers address some of the negatives your company was previously known for. If you were known in the industry as having low pay, have a driver talk about how pay is increased and competitive with other carriers.  

4. Continuously Monitor

If you don’t already have an internal complaint system or engagement survey in place, now is the time to do it. This gives employees and customers somewhere to vent any frustration they have in a place that isn’t visible to everyone on the internet. Make sure your carrier is following up with complaints and issues in a timely manner. Otherwise, you’ll be falling into the same hole again. 

Reputations are everything, especially in the trucking industry. It may take time to see a bad company reputation be reversed, but it’s worth the effort if your company wants to bring in talented and experienced drivers.  

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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Trucking Truth with Aphrodite from ThompsonGas

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ThompsonGas

We had the chance to talk with Aphrodite Reifsnyder, Driver Recruiter with Drive My Way client, ThompsonGas. She shared what she’s learned from her time in recruiting, how a centralized recruiting process can benefit hiring efforts, and how she stays motivated as a recruiter.  

How did you get started in the trucking industry? 

I actually never pictured myself working in trucking. After 5 years of working at a bank, I was displaced during a merger. Because of my financial background, a trucking company offered me a position as an inventory coordinator.  

In 2011, after a year of digging my heels in and making waves, another department director recognized my skill set and took me under his wing as a driver recruiter. I was in this role until 2014, when I took a pricing analyst position for a few months. I soon found that I missed interacting with the drivers and serving as a bridge between drivers and empty trucks. Apparently, I had found my niche. I decided to move back into recruiting, and I’ve been loving it ever since. 

When you arrived at ThompsonGas, what were your main goals for the recruiting department? 

As the first dedicated driver recruiter for the company, I wanted to establish the basics and build from there. I first had to meet with area directors to see what they wanted from prospective drivers. Next, I had to evaluate the individual 140+ markets we operate in, to see what advertising would make the biggest impact.  

From there, my top 3 goals were to bring in new vendor relationships, integrate a new ATS known as Tenstreet, and focus on military recruiting efforts. 

What are the benefits to a centralized recruiting process? 

Having our recruiting centralized allows for us to focus on big picture concepts. You have a budget, which can help us to negotiate better contracts when covering multiple areas. You seek connections and business relationships that are productive on a big scale but can also provide that local feel to connect with the drivers.  

Most importantly, you have a much better opportunity to share ideas that work in some areas and mirror them in areas that are struggling to fill roles. Being able to have a go-to point of contact for sharing tips on what works in different areas really helps the organization as a whole to collaborate and work together.  

There is no cookie-cutter way to recruiter drivers. Just because you have a centralized focus or department shouldn’t mean that it has to produce a generic blanket of ads. Just like the diversity of people is important in the workplace, so is the “diversity” of an advertising and marketing strategy for driver recruitment.  

What have you learned from working with hiring managers across the country? 

slip seating

Not only is local insight crucial, but keeping up to date with a market and industry in a state of constant flux is vital. You have to be flexible in transportation and willing to take risks. Bottom line, when I’ve collaborated with local hiring managers, I’ve found that I don’t have to re-invent the wheel. 

Taking the time to talk with the hiring managers  gives me the unique opportunity to find out what has and hasn’t worked in the past. If a hiring manager tells me, for example, that they’ve tried a certain advertising campaign in the past that didn’t produced results, why would I run the same ad and waste valuable time and money? It is far more beneficial to start with something they know has worked and integrate my ideas later.  

As a driver recruiter, what are some of the ways you keep yourself motivated? 

It’s very easy to get bogged down with the constant demand that operations and managers place on recruiters. It is often a thankless job in good times, and the first to blame in bad times.  

That being said, I believe it takes a strong individual to do this job and stay refreshed and motivated.  Things that have helped me are finding my work-life balance, flexibility in my daily routine, and recognizing when it’s time to make a change to avoid burnout.  

I have been very selective with the types of driver recruiting opportunities and the companies I’ve chosen to work with. It’s crucial to not just find a job for a paycheck but one where you can grow.  

What has made you successful as a driver recruiter? 

I think success comes from the team a recruiter works with as much as it does the individual. I’ve learned a lot over the past decade. I attribute that to the leaders, coworkers, and drivers I’ve worked with. I think any successful driver recruiter needs to be well-rounded in communication, creativity, innovation and perseverance. You can’t give up when the going gets tough. You have to keep rolling on. 

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