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As your recruiting department begins to plan for 2024, there are several different types of candidates to consider ensuring that you not only have a fresh pool of talent, but have positions filled as soon as they become available. One of the most overlooked types of candidates is a student truck driver. There are several reasons to recruit and hire student truck drivers and some of the key benefits are outlined below.  

Student truck drivers are a lucrative option for your recruiting efforts because they offer several key benefits that other truck drivers in the field do not, and the cost to recruit student drivers is comparatively less than it is to hire seasoned ones.  

Available and Need to Be Hired: Student truck drivers want to ideally have a job lined up as soon as they receive their CDL and finish training. With being so readily available, carriers can hire quicker and start lining up candidates as positions open. New and student drivers are eager to begin their careers and establish themselves as professionals in the industry. A student truck driver may be more open to a variety of positions and be willing to learn a new skill versus an experienced driver.  

CDL Training is Fresh: A student truck driver has just received their training and is eager to put their skills to use out on the road. They have spent hours behind the wheel and have been tested in ways that would prove them ready to handle the job ahead of them. They have also been drug tested and have been through several courses on safety.  

Eager and Willing to Learn: Student truck drivers who are about to graduate or have recently graduated, are eager and willing to learn what it takes to succeed in their profession. They are excited about job opportunities and are highly trainable and willing to adapt to carriers’ rules and expectations. Entry-level candidates are also ready to prove themselves to their employers, gain experience, and make important connections with others in the industry.  

Opportunity to Reduce Driver Turnover: The most common reason truckers are leaving the industry is retirement, so recruiting student truck drivers and newer drivers with less experience is actually a great way to build a strong foundation of drivers that will benefit your carrier as more seasoned drivers begin to retire. Working with entry-level candidates right out of school is also a way to build strong relationships and strengthen driver retention from the moment they are brought onboard.  

 

If your strategy includes hiring student drivers or training recent grads you have the opportunity to give and receive feedback on this important topic.  

Fleets like yours are preparing for what their student and trainer programs will look like in 2024, and Drive My Way’s trusted partners at The National Transporation Insititute are conducting the 2023 Student & Trainer Pay Survey. This industry resource is vital to understanding how to structure your compensation model to remain competitive for those invaluable and in demand new entrant drivers and the trainers that teach them their new trade.   

Please fill out this form if you’re interested in participating or seeing the results of that survey once it’s completed: Click here to sign up to participate in this survey. 

 

Hiring a student truck driver could be the best possible option to fill your latest open position. To learn more about recruiting quality candidates for your freight carrier, please follow our blog for regular updates. You can also connect with us on Facebook or LinkedIn to learn more about what it’s like working with Drive My Way.  

 

4 Tips for Recruiting and Hiring Student Truck Drivers

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

1. Expand Your Marketing

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

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

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

2. Implement Mentoring Programs

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

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

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

3. Sell the Entire Job

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

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

4. Have a Driver-Centric Strategy

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

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

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

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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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