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Small businesses are the backbone of America and that goes for small freight carriers too. The trucking industry has become highly competitive, but that doesn’t mean there isn’t room for a small freight carrier to stand out against the big, corporate companies. In fact, smaller carriers have some unique capabilities that actually make them more attractive to handle certain shipping needs over a larger carrier.   

There are thousands of freight carriers throughout the U.S. As of April 2023, the American Trucking Associations (ATA) estimated that there are at least 750,000 active motor carriers that own or lease at least one tractor in the U.S. and 72.6% of the nation’s freight by weight is moved by trucks. With those statistics in mind, there is a lot of business available for both large and small carriers alike, depending on the shipping need.  

Unlike large carriers, small freight carriers offer some unique benefits making them a versatile option for companies looking to diversify their logistics options. Large carriers often boast the most equipment and biggest crew, but this also means their routes are often very tight and they prefer to pick up a new load as soon as one is dropped off. This lack of flexibility may not work for every company, which is where a small freight carrier can become a huge asset.  

To best differentiate yourself as a small freight carrier, it is important to realize that smaller carriers can fulfill key needs including being able to travel to smaller, more niche areas that larger carriers do not service. Small freight carriers can also add more flexibility to dense markets, as well as add support to a shipper’s base, increasing capacity and shortening lead time.  

Small freight carriers can set themselves up for success by ensuring that they have a solid team in place and creating a brand that companies want to hire for their shipping needs. Some ways to do this include:  

Recruiting and Retaining Top Talent: Running a successful freight carrier and standing out against the competition always involves having a solid team of drivers who exceed expectations. These days, carriers must not only hone their recruiting techniques to continually bring in new and experienced talent, but they must have programs and incentives in place to retain drivers and build a solid team.  

Fostering Good Relationships: To stand out against all the many carriers in the industry, you have to create a face for your brand and foster good relationships with your clients and employees alike. Successful brands have a strong social media presence, create mentoring programs for drivers, and stay in constant communication to ensure all client and employee needs are met.  

Refining Marketing and Hiring Practices: Ultimately, the best way to build your brand and differentiate your company from others in the industry is to refine your marketing and hiring practices. By showing consistency in all company messaging, you can build trust, give your company a recognizable face, and foster relationships with clients and employees that will last for years to come.  

At Drive My Way, we are dedicated to keeping carriers of all shapes and sizes informed about the best recruitment, marketing, and employment trends in the trucking industry.  

What would you do to have access to hundreds of drivers, each with over 10 years of experience? 

 

That’s the question Chad Hendricks, President of Experienced Associates and host of the Recruit and Retain podcast, often asks recruiters before sharing with them the benefits of hiring international drivers. 

Programs such as Experienced Associates, which is based in Green Bay, WI, but partners with drivers in South Africa, offers an opportunity for American companies to create a diversified talent pipeline while providing international drivers a path towards U.S. citizenship. Keep reading to find out why international truck drivers could be the solution to your recruiting and retention problems.  

 

“The True OTR Driver That We’re All Looking For” 

In today’s market, it can be difficult to overcome high turnover rates, insurance company requirements, and the growing trend of drivers preferring local jobs. For Hendricks, international drivers bridge these gaps while benefiting everyone involved.  

 

“What we mean by experienced drivers is that these kinds of drivers have diesel in the blood,” says Hendricks. “They’ve been in this industry for a long time. They know what it means to work hard in transportation and that they could be on the road for weeks at a time. The true OTR driver that we’re all looking for.”  

 

Every international driver partnering with Experienced Associates must have at least a decade of trucking experience, a U.S. CDL, and conversational fluency at reading, writing, and speaking English. They also sign on for a minimum of three years of employment, although the position can be terminated at any time by the employer. The incentive of receiving a Visa through sponsorship assures that these drivers are committed, hard working, and vested in seeing the contract completed. 

 

Guaranteed Results 

Initially launched as a pilot program in collaboration with Schneider National, the immediate success of the partnership led to the development of Experienced Associates in 2018.  Co-founder Rob Peacock’s past experience as CEO of a company that assisted non-U.S. citizens with receiving educational training in the U.S. while driving for American companies proved key to Experienced Associate’s commitment to find quality drivers who are a right fit for U.S. carriers.  

 

Based in Johannesburg, South Africa, Peacock is able to administer an extensive vetting process for every driver recruited, which includes criminal background checks, hair follicle drug testing, and English language screening. Peacock’s team even handles compiling driver portfolios, which are presented to U.S. recruiters to make the final selection.  

 

Another component key to the success of programs like these is the varied experience of the drivers.  Being able to select from a large pool of candidates with a wide range of skills ensures that there is always a driver for the job, whether it requires experience hauling flatbed loads, hazardous materials, team driving, or more.  

 

“This is the first time I’ve felt that I could actually guarantee results,” says Hendricks. “I could guarantee experienced drivers, guarantee profitability and return on investment. These drivers weren’t quitting and causing hire turnover, and the hiring process became like a pipeline. It was predictable, and all the costs were known. To me, it felt like a dream come true.” 

 

Although some recruiters in the U.S. might be hesitant to offer positions to international drivers, companies like Experienced Associates design these programs with that in mind. Instead of disrupting the recruiting process, these opportunities fill gaps that could otherwise affect the economy, driver and freight shortages.  

 

Investing in innovation is more necessary than ever in today’s highly competitive market, and hiring experienced, international drivers is a surefire way to meet your recruiting and retention goals while fueling growth in your company.  

 

If you’re looking for more information on Experienced Associates or the work being done by Chad Hendricks and Rob Peacock, be sure to check out Hendricks’ Recruit and Retain podcast episode where the two discuss the benefits of hiring international drivers.  

 

Here at Drive My Way, we love to learn about innovative recruiting strategies and how to stay ahead of the curve. If you have recruiting advice, or you’re looking to learn more about our mission, check out our social media today!  

 

The trucking industry has been essential to the US economy for nearly a century, which means that drivers, recruiters, and industry experts have seen many trends come and go over the years. This is why with advancements in technology, new legislation, and a vacillating economy, it’s more important than ever to stay up to date on modern recruiting tips and tactics 

 

When exploring current industry trends, it’s helpful to understand past practices to gain a better perspective on the future direction of driver recruiting. Here at Drive My Way, we’ve researched how the trucking industry and recruiting strategies have changed over time. Keep reading to find out more about the past, present, and future of recruiting and retaining quality drivers.  

 

The ‘Golden Age of Trucking’ 

Although commercial drivers have been responsible for transporting the majority of US freight since the early 1920s, there have been many changes over the years that have affected the challenges and benefits of working in this industry. These changes have in turn affected recruiters’ ability to attract and retain top talent.  

 

The industry saw a very rapid rise from initial developments in the early twentieth century to wide scale support from national organizations and the US government throughout the 1960s and 70s. Truckers making the journey from New York to LA became commonplace in these decades, especially following the development of organizations like the Federated Trucking Association of America and the American Highway Freight Association. At the same time, new truck stops began to appear across the country, making life easier for OTR drivers.  

 

The 1970s are sometimes referred to as the ‘Golden Age of Trucking’ due to drivers’ successful participation in unions and strikes protesting the rising fuel costs during the energy crises of 1973 and 1979. This decade saw a major increase in truck driver salaries, which led to an influx of new and younger drivers. The unionization of truck drivers resulted in Department of Transportation (DOT) regulations that improved the work life and safety of commercial drivers. And the popularity of  movies like Smokey and the Bandit didn’t hurt truck drivers’ reputation either!  

 

The Roots of Today’s Driver Shortage 

The 1980s, however, saw the trucking workforce to become de-unionized, which resulted in wages being cut nearly in half. These effects are still being felt today, as low salaries and insufficient benefits are often the number one cause for driver turnover. In the decades since, recruiters have had to work harder to come up with creative strategies to find and recruit top talent and incentivize them to stay.  

 

For a long time, recruiters looked mostly to truck driving schools as their sourcing pool for candidates. This often led to companies sponsoring these schools to create a direct pipeline. In recent years, digital recruiting strategies and changing driver preferences have created a unique array of channels for recruiters to utilize. 

 

“The evolution of driver recruiting over the last decade has not been subtle,” said Lance Pshigoda, VP of Sales at Drive My Way. “Organizations who have not embraced technological advancements that address time-to-hire analytics, driver processing speed, and industry specific onboarding platforms are struggling not just to remain competitive, but to survive.”  

 

Recruiting Today 

Nowadays, social media is the fastest growing channel for recruiters. Professional social networks like LinkedIn, digital job board sites like ZipRecruiter and Indeed, and casual networks like Facebook have changed how recruiters reach out to and build relationships with potential drivers. Utilizing social media is especially important to reach younger drivers, as the average age of a professional truck driver in 2023 is over 40 years old, which represents 72% of the professional truck driver population, according to Zippia.  

 

“Driver retention is as important, if not more important, than hiring in today’s environment given the investment costs associated with sourcing applicants.  Targeting a younger generation of the driver population cannot be accomplished by simply upping signing bonuses and offering new equipment to drive,” said Pshigoda.  

 

“Today’s emerging driver population wants to know they have a career trajectory, and an organization that is invested in their individual success.  That they are partners in the company’s success rather than employees easily disposed. A clear, expedited hiring and retention plan outlined for both the driver and the organization employing them ensures longevity and the successful venture of the partnership.” 

 

Recruiters trying to encourage diversity in the drivers they hire and retain are also implementing strategies like referrals, internships, and driver mentor programs. These advancements support drivers who are underrepresented in industry settings, such as women and people of color. Diversifying your recruiting pool and supporting new hires with modern strategies are important steps to stay ahead of the curve in a competitive market.  

 

Over the years, there have been many changes to the trucking industry that have affected how recruiters find and retain top talent. In today’s world, it’s essential to stay up to date on modern strategies and leave room in your recruiting budget to try innovative solutions. Looking at past trends can be helpful in understanding what drivers are looking for now and how they search for jobs in today’s market. 

 

For more tips on recruiting truck drivers, download our Ultimate Guide to Truck Driver Recruiting, or reach out to us on social media 

Recruiting and retaining quality truck drivers is one of the biggest priorities for companies across the country in 2023. As one of the largest occupations in the United States, companies are always looking for new ways to hire. The question is, how do you recruit truck drivers, while simultaneously increasing your retention rate? The answer is to get creative and stand out from your competitors.  

What Are Truck Drivers Looking for in Their Next Job?  

With so many options available, truck drivers are making careful considerations before they accept a job offer. Trucking is one of the toughest jobs out there and drivers want to make sure the company they work for aligns with their career goals and personal needs. Some of the most common benefits that drivers look for include:  

  • Fair Pay 
  • Consistent / predictable home time 
  • Health Insurance 
  • Retirement Options 
  • Versatile Schedule & Paid Time Off 
  • Ongoing Training & Development  

When deciding how to recruit truck drivers to your team, you will want to ensure that you offer a comprehensive benefits package that is appealing to drivers in all stages of life, including those who are single, married, have children, etc. Offering competitive pay, bonuses, and regular raises is also key in attracting and retaining drivers. Ultimately, each driver you hire is going to have unique needs, so working with each person to understand what he/she wants during the recruitment and hiring process is also important.  

Who Are Your Potential Candidates?  

When companies consult with us about how to recruit truck drivers, we always want to make sure we help them identify the type of candidates they are looking for to fill their open positions.  

  • How much experience would you prefer they have? 
  • What are the routes you need filled?  
  • What can a driver expect in terms of pay, perks, and benefits? 
  • Do their values and work ethic match the company’s mission?  
  • Do you need drivers interested in team jobs?  

It is also important to remember that the demographics for truck drivers have evolved in recent years and your top candidates may not be the same as they were ten, or even five, years ago. The United States Census Bureau states that, “Among younger truckers under age 35, more of them are women, Hispanic and more educated than their older counterparts age 55 and older. They are more likely to be high school graduates and have some college education.” With that said, old recruiting tactics may no longer apply in trying to connect with a younger demographic or with women entering the trucking industry.   

Millennials 

A key demographic that is emerging with truck drivers is Millennials. This age group ranges from 27-42 and were born in, or after, 1981. This age group is less than the median age of truck drivers, which sits at 46, but offers potential for companies looking to recruit new talent. Truck drivers in this age range are looking for positions that will fit well with their lifestyle including benefits packages, flexible schedules, opportunities for advancement, positive work culture, and community. Recruiting a younger demographic requires creativity and willingness to foster an online presence on social media.  

Women 

“The percentage of professional drivers who are female has increased to 13.7 percent in 2022, an increase of more than three percent since 2019,” according to the Women in Trucking Association (WIT). With this substantial increase, companies must be more cognizant of the female demographic and what it will take to recruit female drivers to their teams. WIT offers a couple strategies to help recruit and retain drivers including broadening the talent search to include underrepresented demographics, including the female demographic, as well as offering opportunities and benefits that would resonate with female drivers.  

By recognizing the unique capabilities of different demographics, you can diversify your candidate pool and recruit talent from across the board.  

A Few Things to Avoid During Recruitment  

According to the U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics, “between 1995 and 2017, the annual turnover rate at large TL carriers averaged 94.0 percent and that at small TL carriers averaged 79.2 percent.” This alarming statistic shows that recruiting new employees is more than just onboarding; it is an ongoing relationship that must be fostered to be mutually beneficial for company and employee.  

Recruiters can follow all the best tips out there when it comes to finding top truck drivers to join their teams, but certain mistakes can end up costing even the most experienced recruiters a new hire at present, or later down the road, if an employee feels unhappy with his/her position. During the recruitment and onboarding process it is vital to remember: 

  • Communication is Key: From the first interaction to successfully onboarding a new driver, communication is the foundation of a successful relationship. People feel valued when they feel that employers are keeping them updated on where they are at in the hiring process and have a support system once they accept an offer. Even after onboarding, touching base with your recruits and asking for their feedback, goes a long way in establishing loyalty and increasing retention.  
  • Hire More Than the Stereotypical Truck Driver: As discussed earlier, the demographics for new drivers entering the market are very different than they used to be, so it’s important to keep an open mind when it comes to reviewing resumes and interviewing candidates. Don’t rely on referrals alone, consider the benefits of hiring younger drivers, female drivers, and even new drivers, especially for team jobs 
  • Make It Personal: Drivers want to feel that they have a connection to your company, so offering personalized feedback is a nice touch during the recruitment process. Company-wide, it is also important to create a culture that makes each employee feel valued and that there is a community atmosphere.  

For more tips on recruiting truck drivers, download our Ultimate Guide to Truck Driver Recruiting. We look forward to helping you recruit and hire for your team! 

Recruiting truck drivers can be tricky. With the ongoing driver and freight shortages, coupled with evolving hiring practices industry wide, it is important to have clear standards and policies that follow realistic and measurable recruiting goals.  

 

Every company has different hiring practices depending on fleet size and capability, so setting realistic recruiting goals is an important step for your company to find top talent who are the right fit for the job. Keep reading to find out Drive My Way’s 5 tips to set realistic recruiting goals that will take you from hiring to onboarding in no time.  

 

Understand and Define the Need 

How many drivers do you need? Do you know which drivers are necessary for each market? These are important questions to ask yourself when setting foundational goals in recruiting. If you set goals regarding how many drivers you need and the necessary qualifications, you will be able to assess if your sourcing strategy will provide enough candidates that fit the criteria needed for your company. This is why it is essential to know where potential candidates are looking for jobs or industry updates.  

 

It’s also important to understand why the opening exists to be able to create hiring goals. If a driver is retiring, how far in advance should you be looking for a replacement? If you’re anticipating growth within your company, how should this reflect in your hiring practices? Defining your company’s demand is an important step to creating specific and attainable recruiting goals.  

 

Set Goals on a Timeline 

Setting goals is a key part of working ahead of time and being prepared. The hiring process can take a lot longer than you anticipate. Background checks and drug clearing house processing alone can add days or weeks. Allotting extra time and being flexible when creating will help you remain on track and still be able to measure your success.  

 

Even with goals set, you should still start ahead. Strike up connections with potential candidates, even if the time isn’t right yet. You’ll thank yourself later for being proactive now, by networking with drivers who could be a fit down the road.  

 

Establish Clearly Defined Minimum Qualifications  

Save yourself time and money by setting recruiting standards specific to your company. Well defined hiring criteria will ensure that every candidate meets the basic requirements, so you can spend more time with these candidates to eventually find the perfect match. It’s also important to be up front about your minimum qualifications. For example, if your company requires hair-follicle drug testing and you mention this on the job posting, candidates may self-select out and save you both in the long term. 

 

You also can’t have unrealistic expectations for applicants. You might prefer drivers to fill out an extensive application, but in today’s competitive market, drivers tend to not fully complete applications until all their questions have been answered. Be sure to make job listings mobile-friendly, and don’t be afraid to reach out to candidates with partially completed applications or you could lose top talent by setting unattainable goals.  

 

Provide Goals with Incentives for Recruiters 

Providing recruiters with incentives is a smart move to encourage high hiring rates and team morale while achieving your recruitment goals. When doing this, it is also important to make sure to have goals measuring quality metrics and not just hiring volume.  

 

As potential candidates progress through the phases of the hiring process (sourcing, screening, interview and selection, background check, offer and acceptance, orientation and training), it is important to measure your conversion rates through each of these phases to ensure efficient and effective practices. Providing incentives for recruiters successfully bringing candidates through this process will help you achieve your goals while keeping your team invested in the company.  

 

Set Goals From Recruiting to Orientation  

You have to look at the total candidate experience. As a recruiter, the job isn’t finished until the driver has officially started, and retention is a key measurement of recruiter success. To improve retention rates, hold the recruiter accountable for not just hiring the driver, but also for retaining them. By setting goals and providing incentives along each stage of the hiring process, your recruiters will ensure that they will create an open channel of communication with the candidate that should exist even after they’ve been hired. 

 

Metrics like volume of candidates attending an orientation, the speed of the process, and the amount of support they receive along the way are important markers to monitor and adjust when creating recruitment strategies.  

  

Setting goals for driver recruitment can help you achieve the results your company is looking for, but it’s important to keep one more thing in mind. Every step of the recruitment process should be measurable and able to be evaluated at any time. This means that recruiters should do a good job at marking where candidates are in the process, and management should organize and remain up to date on qualitative and quantitative results.  

 

Here at Drive My Way we’re always looking to learn more about the best recruiting processes and hiring strategies. If you have any ideas for us, please reach out on our  social media so we can continue learning!  

If the ongoing  shortage of truck drivers  has made one thing clear, it’s that recruiting and retaining drivers is more important than ever. Hiring, training, and retaining dedicated drivers is crucial to finding success in today’s economy, and it all starts with the recruitment of the right candidates for the job.  

Struggling to attract talent or recruit them into your organization? Wondering how to meet the demands of the market and stay competitive in an ever-changing industry? These 4 tips are sure to help you set your organization up for success when recruiting truck drivers.  

  1. Make Your Marketing Driver-Centric

In today’s world, drivers look to the regular marketing channels to find information about prospective companies and fleets. This means that good recruitment strategies begin with strong marketing and carefully curated content.  

What kinds of content currently exist on the company website and social media pages? Information about how successful a company is won’t be of much interest to a potential employee. It’s important to highlight driver-centric content, or the kinds of benefits a driver can receive from your company.  

Ultimately, a driver wants to know that the company will treat their drivers with care and provide the benefits they are looking for.  

Highlight any wellness programs or culture initiatives that differentiate your company from the competition. Providing information on schedules, work-life balance, and fleet amenities can help drivers see how much you care. Including testimonials from current, satisfied employees builds trust and offers the real insight drivers are looking for.  

Remember, drivers are always wondering “what can they do for me?” Driver-centric marketing will leave no doubt in their mind that you’re the right company for them.  

  1. Target the Right Audience 

Before you start moving prospective drivers through the recruitment pipeline, you have to be sure you’re selecting from the best pool of candidates for the job.  

Many driving fleets have very specific needs and requirements that not all candidates are ideal for. Knowing how to target the right segment of candidates will make the process more efficient and effective.  

Databases allow you to select drivers based on driver type, years of experience, haul experience, geographical location, and other factors. Focusing on any of these segments early in the recruiting process can save you time and energy. It will also increase the overall effectiveness of the company. By not optimizing this stage of recruitment, you could potentially lose hours chasing leads which were never well suited for that particular fleet or job.  

If you don’t have an easy or effective way to browse data on prospective drivers, Drive My Way can help you target the specific segment of drivers needed for your particular situation.  

  1. Use the Latest Digital Recruiting Methods

Driver recruitment methods are constantly changing, so it’s important to stay up to date with the latest and most effective strategies. Social media continues to evolve as a tool, and drivers use these platforms to research companies, read comments, and evaluate employers. Since drivers are often on the road, they’ll use their mobile devices to search for job leads.  

When viewers like, follow, share, or comment on your content, it can increase the audience exponentially. But advertising job postings on social media channels isn’t enough to attract the talent you’re looking for.  

Post engaging content on your platforms which drivers will want to view. In addition, search engine optimization of your content will ensure that your website is receiving as much traffic as possible. Use software like Google Analytics and Google Keyword Planner to optimize your post by including trending phrases and words.  

Applications should be short and mobile-friendly to avoid any bottlenecking in the recruiting process. Drivers often don’t have enough time to fill out a long application, so a shorter version with only basic information required is best initially, with the option to complete the remaining components later.  

It’s helpful to stay on top of the latest digital tools for recruiting and analyze which strategies could be useful for your company.   

  1. Re-engage Old Leads

In the trucking industry, the unusually high turnover rate of drivers poses a unique challenge for recruiters.  

One of the best ways a recruiter can continually bring people into the pipeline is by re-engaging old leads or cold leads.  

Many drivers who could be a perfect fit but were previously unavailable or chose to drive for a different fleet might be available and looking for opportunities again. Leads and prospects that have gone cold or did not convert into driver status should not be forgotten. Instead, keep them in mind for the future and maintain a connection.  

Drip marketing, engaging content on blogs, social media, and newsletters are all great strategies to stay connected to old leads and assure that your fleet remains fresh on their minds when they’re considering a new employer.  

 

 

While driver recruiting in the trucking industry can be daunting, many of the unique challenges you face can be combated by these solutions. Master these four tips to experience recruiting as it should be: easy, effective, and rewarding.  

Truckers Against Trafficking

What is Truckers Against Trafficking?

Founded in 2009, Truckers Against Trafficking (TAT) has quickly become a powerful force in the fight against human trafficking. Collaborating with trucking industry associations, motor carriers, government transportation agencies, law enforcement agencies such as the FBI, and even truck stops and travel plazas, TAT has trained over 730,351 drivers and personnel to identify and report instances of human trafficking. Their efforts have resulted in over 2,250 calls to the national trafficking hotline by truck drivers alone, leading to the identification of 612 human trafficking cases and the rescue of 1,133 victims.

Truckers Against Trafficking knows that trucking and busing professionals play a critical role in the fight against human trafficking. As the guardians of our nation’s highways, you possess a unique vantage point to root out traffickers who exploit our transportation infrastructure for their own selfish purposes. By partnering with TAT, you become an invaluable asset in the fight against this atrocity.

Truckers Against Trafficking has spread its wings and taught members of state trucking associations to be vigilant in identifying and reporting cases of human trafficking. Today, all 50 state associations have received training—up from just eight a few years ago. This powerful network of truckers, bus lines, and major airlines provides a watchful eye, ensuring that human traffickers have nowhere to hide. In addition, some bus lines and airlines now offer travel vouchers to survivors of human trafficking to ensure their safe return home. This growing network of eyes and ears makes our roads safer for everyone.

Truckers Against Trafficking has formed partnerships with numerous companies in the transportation industry to raise awareness about the signs of human trafficking. Bridgestone, for example, is a proud partner of TAT and has integrated anti-trafficking training into regular driver safety meetings. The salesforce has also been educated on what to look out for when on the road. By working together, these companies and TAT are making a tangible difference in the fight against this heinous crime.

There is a Hotline For Reporting Human Trafficking

Before the establishment of Truckers Against Trafficking (TAT), truckers only reported sporadic tips about human trafficking. However, with TAT’s efforts, there has been a significant increase in calls to the National Human Trafficking Hotline at (888) 373-7888, with the option to also text 233733. In 2017, TAT reported that nearly half of the cases generated by truckers’ calls involved minors. TAT’s collaboration with the trucking industry and law enforcement agencies has made a tangible difference in the fight against human trafficking.

Available Resources for Education/Training about Human Trafficking

Truckers Against Trafficking offers free training materials such as a training DVD, wallet cards, and window decals to educate and train individuals and organizations on how to identify and report human trafficking. Show the training DVD to your staff and provide them with wallet cards to spread awareness. You can also give the wallet cards and training DVD to carriers when they come to your office. Once you have trained your staff, you can register as an officially trained organization/department with Truckers Against Trafficking and become an invaluable asset in the fight against human trafficking. Contact truckers@gmail.com to receive your free training materials today. 

Other Ways to Help

Stay vigilant for any suspicious activity and report any potential instances of trafficking. Keep an eye out for young girls or boys loitering around truck stops or entering and exiting trucks. Be attentive to the conversation on the CB radio, and be on the lookout for code words such as “lot lizard” or “Commercial Company,” or any cryptic descriptions of a child, rates, or sex acts. It’s crucial to report any indicators of trafficking, no matter how seemingly insignificant they may appear, to the tip lines. Educate yourself about the issue by ordering Renting Lacy: A Story of America’s Prostituted Children, a gripping account that exposes the dark underworld of the trafficking industry through the stories of those who live there. Available in paperback, e-book, and audio book formats, so you can listen on the road.

Of course, there’s still more work to do. Companies in every industry can join the fight. Police departments don’t have the resources or manpower to end human trafficking on their own. And they shouldn’t have to. We all use our nation’s roadways. Whether we’re individuals, small businesses or large corporations, we have a responsibility to educate ourselves about this national epidemic—and do our part to help end it!

Sources:

“How Truckers Can Stop Human Trafficking”, American Trucker, Nov.1, 2017.

“More States Signing on to Enlist Truckers Against Human Trafficking”, Trucking Truth, June 24, 2019.

 truck driving jobs for veterans

The Benefits of Truck Driving Jobs for Military Veterans

Trucking jobs offer a host of advantages, particularly for military veterans seeking flexibility with their hours. After serving their country, many veteran truck drivers can relish weekends, nights, or days off to spend quality time with their loved ones. What’s more, some drivers can take their family or pets along for the ride, which is especially thrilling for kids.

Apart from spending time with family, trucking jobs for military veterans enable drivers to explore some of the most stunning parts of the country, including snow-capped mountains, major cities, and the iconic Iowa 80 mega truck stop.

CDL jobs are an excellent choice for veterans as they typically offer good salaries, sign-on bonuses, job security, and various other benefits. Moreover, they provide ample opportunities for career advancement. Among the many job options available to veterans after their military service, CDL jobs are one of the best for both them and their families.

In addition to the undeniable benefits of a career in truck driving for veterans, there is another crucial aspect to consider. The transportation of goods across the country is an essential aspect of our economy. Without truck drivers, this would not be possible. Much like our nation depends on the military for security and protection, we also depend on truck drivers to keep our economy thriving. It is gratifying to know that you play a crucial role in the functioning of this entire country.

Why Veterans Should Consider a Truck Driving Career

Military veterans have a natural edge when it comes to truck driving careers. The skills learned in the military, across various branches and roles, can be effortlessly applied to truck driving. With a successful military career, you most likely already have the traits that make for a great commercial truck driver. Don’t be surprised to realize how much potential you have in this line of work.

Work Environment

Truck driving careers offer a unique blend of independence and camaraderie. Drivers enjoy the freedom to choose their own hours and income while also being supported by their carrier and a tight-knit community of fellow drivers. With the potential for high earnings, a career in truck driving is an attractive option for veterans seeking a fulfilling and flexible career path.

Skills and Requirements

Truck driving demands a thorough understanding and adherence to rigid government safety regulations and company policies, which include mandatory rest periods and defensive driving practices. Adhering to these guidelines is essential for truck drivers to enjoy a long, prosperous career. Most veterans already possess the fundamental skills that trucking companies seek during intensive training and field experience, such as situational awareness, dependability, leadership, management, and teamwork. Furthermore, disciplined and committed military veterans won’t have any trouble acquiring specific driving skills through CDL training and driver orientation.

Waive the skills test!

Veterans with significant military driving experience may be eligible for a skills test waiver, and those with a CDL from their time in the military can start their driving career with a higher pay rate.

Job Security

Veterans seeking job security, a steady income, and retirement options should consider a truck driving career. Your talents are in high demand. It’s an excellent career transition option for retired veterans with the added benefit of company benefits.

The trucking industry needs skilled and dedicated drivers. Fortunately, military veterans possess the qualities and capabilities that make them ideal candidates for a successful career in truck driving. With the added benefits and support available to veterans, this path offers a promising and fulfilling option for those seeking a new direction.

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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driver referral program

To hire the best truck drivers, recruiters need to constantly create a good impression of their carriers. However, there’s only so much you can do as a recruiter to control your brand and reputation. Unfortunately, many advertisements lie, and drivers have good reason not to believe everything that a carrier says about itself. That’s why they’re more likely to listen to other drivers instead. People are more likely to listen to those they trust, and they’re more likely to trust those who are similar to them. The power of peers is so great that people are 4 times more likely to buy a product when referred by a friend. You can harness this power in the trucking industry as well. A potential driver for your fleet is more likely to trust a fellow driver than what you have to say about your fleet.

This is the idea behind creating a driver referral program. Since your reputation as a carrier is going to spread anyway, you may as well use that to your advantage to attract the best candidates.

Research shows that “word of mouth” plays a huge factor for drivers looking for trucking jobs.

According to the 2019 Overdrive Connectivity Report, 26% of company drivers use word of mouth when looking for driving jobs, second only to Internet searches. Meanwhile, it’s the strongest factor for owner-operators, who look to it 39% of the time. A driver referral program will help you harness the power of word-of-mouth and use your company reputation to bring the strongest drivers to your fleet. Here are 3 tips to create a strong referral program.

1. Build advocates

As we mentioned, drivers are already speaking to each other about your carrier. Your company already has a reputation, and you can’t override it by a referral program. Either your drivers believe you have a strong company and culture that values them, or they don’t. You can’t magically change their opinion by using incentives, but you can encourage them to share their opinions with other drivers.

Offering incentives nudges your drivers to make referrals they already believe in.

It just adds the extra benefit that it won’t slip their mind between a busy job and personal life. If drivers already believe in the strength of your company, you’re really building them as advocates for your company, and not simply as referrals.

2. Structure incentives

Many companies use incentives to nudge drivers into making referrals. Most of these incentives are monetary rewards, although they don’t have to be. As we learned in high school economics class, incentives matter.

You have to make sure you’re offering the right incentives, and that they are influencing behavior in ways you want them to.

If you’re offering a vinyl record player as an incentive and all your drivers use MP3 files for their music, you aren’t going to get any referrals even if everyone loves your company! Make the referral worth it for your drivers. If you’re offering a monetary reward, there are different ways to distribute it. For example, a $500 referral bonus can be spaced out- $250 when the referred driver gets their first run completed and another $250 when they’ve been with the company for 60 days. Often the incentive doesn’t begin until the new driver has already joined the fleet. Driver benefits like extra paid vacation time are other referral rewards which many drivers will covet. Find the right incentive structure and distribution mechanism that works for your company!

3. Build Your Budget

It’s easy to think of referral programs as a waste of money if you haven’t used them before or measured their impact. Try to think of driver referrals as an investment into your recruiting budget. The hire you make from a referral program will help you gain back the amount you spent on the incentive or reward. In fact, you can measure the impact of your referral program and calculate the return on investment. If you’re doing it well then you make a significant number of hires which more than account for the budget spent on the referral program. Consider these budgetary issues when structuring your referral program.

If your program is losing more money than gaining, you need to seriously re-think your entire driver referral program.

Which incentives aren’t working? Should the monetary reward be greater? Maybe the rewards need to be spread out more or be delivered only after you’ve converted leads to hires. Don’t forget to account for the hundreds of dollars being wasted on trucks sitting idle in your lot. Investing in a driver referral program might a way to end that loss of value.

Comprehensive CDL Recruitment Solutions

Ready to start recruiting the right drivers? Our solutions experts are happy to answer any questions and show you how Drive My Way uniquely approaches CDL driver recruitment.

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recruiting team driversOn average, team drivers are more experienced drivers and seasoned negotiators than most solo drivers, so recruiting them to your organization may take a bit more than what you’re used to as a recruiter. If you’re a recruiter who’s recently been tasked with hiring team drivers, here are 4 tips that can help you along the way.  

1. Up the Pay

Team drivers on average make more than their solo counterparts. If your carrier is serious about hiring qualified team drivers, you’ll most likely have to up their pay from what you’d give a solo driver. Do your research to see what other carriers in your area are offering team drivers in terms of compensation. That will give you a good gauge for what you should be offering. 

2. Offer a Pet/Rider Policy

Many established team drivers are couples. This makes sense, since if you had to choose to live in a confined space with anyone for days, maybe weeks at a time, it would probably be your significant other.  

Many couples who are interested in team driving hold off on doing so because they have a child or even a pet that they couldn’t leave alone for days at a time.  

Your carrier can solve this problem by offering a Rider/Pet program. This is a program carriers offer which allows drivers to bring along an extra rider (usually a child) or their pet with them in the cab.  

For a couple with ties at home to worry about, your carrier offering this type of program could be the thing that convinces them to sign with your carrier as opposed to another. 

3. Appeal to Existing Teams

While there are drivers out there who are “willing to team”, any seasoned recruiter will tell you that it’s much easier to try and recruit existing teams.  

The reason that it’s more difficult to hire drivers “willing to team” is simple. Many drivers say they’re willing to team, but when they actually think about the prospect of spending almost all of their time with someone who’s a complete stranger, they begin to bow out. This is a completely understandable attitude to have, which is why it’s much easier to hire existing teams, like a couple, siblings, or good friends, than it is to hire drivers who are “willing to team.”

4. Offer Fleet Amenities

semi truck amenitiesWe talked to CDL Driver, Angela who hauls with her husband Larry and she told us that the thing he likes the least about team driving is not being able to get a good night’s sleep while the truck is moving. This is a common complaint for a lot of team drivers. In fact, it’s not just issues sleeping, it’s an issue of comfort overall.  

While teams are usually couples, siblings, or friends who know each other well and are fine with spending a lot of time together, it can still become frustrating sharing such a small space with another person after a certain point.  

While you can’t completely eliminate this problem for team drivers, you can offer fleet amenities to make their lives on the road more comfortable. Soundproofing/Insultation, more comfortable seating, and a subscription to Spotify, Apple Music or Sirius XM can make a huge difference for team drivers who are considering which carrier to work for. Check out our blog on fleet amenities for a full list of what you can offer your drivers. 

5. Use Testimonials

We’ve talked before about the power of driver testimonials in the trucking industry. While they’re great for recruiting solo drivers, they’re even better for hiring team drivers.  

The only preface with this tip is that you need to have at least one team working for your carrier already. Once you do get that first team, wait a few months and then see if they’re interested in being featured in a testimonial. Odds are that if they’re happy in their position, they’ll say yes. 

This testimonial doesn’t have to be anything fancy or overly produced. You could do a quick 2-3 minute video where the drivers explain what they like about team driving for your carrier. If the drivers aren’t comfortable with being on camera, you could gather quotes from them via email or text and then use those on your website or recruiting materials.  

Overall, recruiting team drivers does present a bigger challenge than hiring solo drivers. There’s less of them, and they usually have more intensive requirements for the carriers they’ll work for. But, as long as you follow these tips, your carrier will start bringing on team drivers in no time.  

Comprehensive CDL Recruitment Solutions

Ready to start recruiting the right drivers? Our solutions experts are happy to answer any questions and show you how Drive My Way uniquely approaches CDL driver recruitment.

Request a Demo