There’s been a lot of hand-wringing in the trucking industry about how to recruit new drivers. Ideas have gone from recruiting laid off oil workers to increasing pay. Perhaps the best way to ensure long-term trucking health, however, is by recruiting more young people who can grow with the business.
With the current generation of truck drivers rapidly closing in on retirement age, carriers must place an emphasis on hiring a new, younger pool of employees to fill the vacancies. Up to now, many of efforts made to get younger hires in the door have been met with varying levels of success.
According to a recent report, the median age for truck drivers still hovers around 45 years old, which is well above comparable industries like construction and manufacturing. What carriers needs to start doing is asking themselves why those in their 20’s, who have a much higher rate of unemployment than the national average, still aren’t interested in driving a truck.
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Help Wanted: Younger Drivers
We’re just going to come out and say it: The millennial generation doesn’t view trucking as a “successful occupation,” which ties in to recent reporting we’ve done on trucking in popular culture. Earlier generations were treated to scenes of truckers as knights of the road. As newer generations have grown up, however, the image of the trucker in popular culture hasn’t always been kind.
Carriers need to do a better job at advertising just what a successful, stable, and fulfilling career truck driving can be. When addressing their recruiting strategies, carriers need to be willing to address the misperceived notions that plague trucking jobs.
When developing advertising and recruiting strategies, companies looking to recruit younger drivers should consider the following:
- Job competition: Carriers aren’t just competing with other trucking companies for employees; they’re recruiting with retail, hospitality, office and manufacturing jobs. Carriers should focus on explaining why driving a truck provides better pay, benefits, job security, and a sense of adventure.
- Better advertising: Today’s younger generations don’t know what “dedicated miles” and “home time” means. In many cases, carriers are crafting marketing messages that appear to cater only to other truck drivers. Carriers need to start advertising where the kids are, such as stadiums, malls, sports and entertainment venues. Finally, advertisements should be composed of colorful graphics and easy to understand language.
- Recruiting strategies: While carriers are spending a lot of time talking about the need to recruit younger drivers, there are few signs that they are going to where the youth are. Carriers need to make sure they are better represented on college campuses, school job fairs, and other venues where young people are likely to be present and paying attention.
- Technological awareness: Trucking is moving into the future at a rapid clip. Every new generation is more technically savvy than the last. The advanced mechanization, automation, and integrated technologies that make up today’s trucking industry can be used as carrots to lure in young people who understand and embrace technological innovation.
- Licensing awareness: Considering it’s not hard to see trade school advertisements for nursing, auto repair, and technician work, one must wonder where trucking is. Trucking needs to do a better job in explaining to young people how they can go about getting their CDL license and acquire the skills and training to get a trucking job.
- Benefits awareness: Being a truck driver comes with a lot of benefits. Unfortunately, the industry is not always good at making sure the word gets out. Carriers should be shouting from the rooftops about the job security, health insurance, travel, bonus, and pay benefits that come with being a truck driver. Failing to do so means losing qualified recruits to industries that may not have as good benefits.
In the end, how carriers and the industry as a whole approaches recruiting efforts could directly impact the employment crunch. As more drivers retire, new, younger drivers will need to fill in the void.
Without effective strategies that speak to newer generations, will trucking be able to stem the employment exodus and relieve the squeeze? Only time will tell!