With the truck driver employment squeeze an ongoing issue,\nfleet managers are looking everywhere to figure out how to recruit the best\npeople for the job. At first glance, many assume a resume with the correct work\nexperience might be all that is needed to find the right fit. It is important\nto note, however, that having been a truck driver before or working numerous\njobs, might not mean the operator is right for your position.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
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Hiring competent, experienced truck drivers that fit what you are looking for in an employee does not amount to wishful thinking. There are surefire tactics that fleets can employ to ensure they find diligent, passionate, and most of all, appropriate truck drivers, for the needs of their fleet. First, it is important to look at pay as the only answer. <\/p>\n\n\n\n
Moving Beyond the Ad<\/strong><\/p>\n\n\n\n Most fleets approach advertising for new truck drivers with\nthe idea of a big ad that touts great compensation. In fact, the first order of\nbusiness should not be compensation alone, but candidates who are instead the\nright cultural fit. Fleets must shift into this new way of thinking.<\/p>\n\n\n\n As a fleet goes about sourcing new candidates and evaluating\ntheir experience, driving records, and medical and skills tests, it is just as\nimportant to formulate a series of questions that addresses whether they are a\ncultural fit for the organization. Finding employees who are the right fit for\na company ensures long term success and higher retention rates.<\/p>\n\n\n\n Furthermore, focusing on recruiters is just as important.\nToo many fleets consider\nrecruiting<\/a> a matter of quantity, when in fact it should be a matter of\nquality. Many recruiters are incentivized financially to bring in as many\npotential truck drivers as possible, when instead they should be just as\nincentivized to retain them. Are they bringing in people that are good for the\norganization? Or are they bringing in warm bodies for the sake of bringing in\nwarm bodies?<\/p>\n\n\n\n Recruiters should be provided bonuses based on the retention\nrate of the people they hire. The last thing a fleet needs is for their\nrecruiters to be simply \u201cbringing people through the door.\u201d When they are\nmotivated by how many of the people they bring in actually stick around,\nsuccess rates are higher.<\/p>\n\n\n\n With recruiters tasked with putting a higher value on\nretention rates over recruitment numbers, the task then moves on to the hiring\nmanager, who\u2019s job it is to evaluate the candidate\u2019s resume. Even if a truck\ndriver has worked for many fleets and has a vast resume, culture fit should be\nat the top of the list for a hiring manager. <\/p>\n\n\n\n If you consider the amount of truck drivers who are job\nhoppers, the importance must be placed on longevity, as opposed to years in the\nindustry. Your motor carrier does not want to be just another number on\nsomeone\u2019s resume. But how does a recruiter or hiring manager go about making\nthe right determination?<\/p>\n\n\n\n Starting with the\nInterview<\/strong><\/p>\n\n\n\n When hiring truck drivers<\/a>, hiring manager shouldn\u2019t view the hiring process in isolation. Just because they will be in the cab doesn\u2019t mean they should not go through the same process as, say, a bookkeeper, IT person, or shop technician. The first thing to discuss in an interview setting is what the fleet is looking for in a potential candidate and what the candidate expects to receive once they are on board and working for the fleet. <\/p>\n\n\n\n If the recruiter determines that the goals of the fleet\nmatch up with the potential candidate\u2019s goals, then the process can move on to\ndetermining whether their qualifications are a proper match. Getting past the\ninitial interview is important. <\/p>\n\n\n\n When interviewing a potential candidate, attitude is one of\nthe most important factors. If the individual does not exhibit an attitude that\naligns with the organization\u2019s, it would be best not to waste everyone\u2019s time\nby moving forward. When it comes to attitude, however, recruiters and hiring\nmanagers often must rely on gut instinct to determine if the candidate\u2019s\nattitude is a right fit. <\/p>\n\n\n\n Things to consider include their mannerisms, their facial\nexpressions, how they interact with the staff as they are moving through the\nprocess, and the type of words they use when they answer questions. Do they\nseem combative? Are they smiling or scowling? Does their body language display\nsomeone who is eager and willing to be part of the team? All these are\nappropriate questions that must be considered throughout the interview process.<\/p>\n\n\n\n Gauging Understanding\nof the Industry<\/strong><\/p>\n\n\n\n Candidates may have plenty of experience on the road, but more than that they must be evaluated on their understanding of the job type and industry. If a motor carrier is working in a specific application \u2013 say, driving coaches or running cement hauls \u2013 potential truck drivers must show an aptitude for this type of work. They must understand what it entails and be able to speak to it.<\/p>\n\n\n\n [wp_ad_camp_2] <\/p>\n\n\n\n <\/p>\n\n\n\n Different applications require specific routing, equipment,\nand client needs, so a truck driver\u2019s skillset must match those needs. Even\nmore, if a fleet is running many different types of cargo, and a potential\ntruck driver may want to switch between load types, they must exhibit an\nunderstanding of those load types. <\/p>\n\n\n\n Potential candidates must understand the job type. Some\nmight want a local job that ensure they get some home time every day, while\nothers may want to spend more time on the road. They must understand how the\njob application will impact their personal lives. <\/p>\n\n\n\n Another aspect of the job that new recruits must keep in\nmind is physical appearance. Trucking is not a job that happens in a vacuum.\nTruck drivers are professionals who are proud of their jobs and there is no\nreason why they should not look the part. The first cue for a recruiter or\nhiring manager that a candidate might not be the right fit should be their\nappearance. <\/p>\n\n\n\n Truck driver also interact with others, depending on the\ntype of haul they are running. The truck driver represents the company to the\npublic, whether it be when interacting with other truck drivers at a truck\nstop, or with the shippers or receivers the company is doing business with. Are\nthey properly showcasing what your fleet is made of?<\/p>\n\n\n\n What is your Mission\nStatement?<\/strong><\/p>\n\n\n\n When interviewing specific candidates, a motor carrier must\nbe able to properly articulate the mission of their company to recruits. For\nsmaller carriers working in urban areas, public perception matters. Trucking,\nin a sense, is as much a service industry as it is a transportation industry. <\/p>\n\n\n\n Considering the mission\nof the company<\/a> is important when hiring millennials. Millennial hires tend\nto gravitate towards organizations that they believe are having a positive\nimpact on the community; companies that are doing good. The same goes for\nreaching out to veterans. <\/p>\n\n\n\n For example, a waste management company focused on recycling\ncould use that as a potential hook to attract millennial truck drivers. Or, a\ntrucking company making runs for the defense industry could target veterans.\nTrucking companies doing charity or disaster relief work could reach out to\nboth. <\/p>\n\n\n\n Recruiting the right people is about more than just\nexplaining what the load type is and where it should be delivered. It is also\nabout service. A recruiter or hiring manager must be able to explain the\nmission and how what they do is helping society \u2013 it is about more than just\nmaking money. <\/p>\n\n\n\n Delivery drivers will service hundreds, if not thousands of\npeople on their daily rounds. If the truck drivers are viewing this job as a\nservice industry job, it will give them pride in the work. Delivering supplies\nto a local hospital is important work and if a recruiter can explain that to a\npotential employee, they will likely get greater buy-in and have better success\nin finding the right candidates. <\/p>\n\n\n\n Making Hiring a\nPriority<\/strong><\/p>\n\n\n\n While it may seem well and good to ensure you are bringing\non the right people, a fleet must first learn how to hire before they can\nensure they are hiring the right people. Whether it be through\nsponsoring programs at a local vocational\/technical school or hiring from\nwithin, to bring on the right people, one must first be looking for them.<\/p>\n\n\n\n Encouraging women and minorities to join the fleet\nrepresents a big way of doing this. With fewer than 5% of truck drivers being\nwomen, the female demographic represents a wide-open playing field for trucking\ncompanies to tap into. Minorities represent another untapped market.<\/p>\n\n\n\n If a woman or minorities recruit laments that they do not have any experience, fleets should be willing to tell them that they will be trained and coached effectively. Sometimes new recruits with no experience or preconceived notions of the trucking industry make the most motivated employees. [wp_ad_camp_2] <\/p>\n\n\n\n <\/p>\n\n\n\n Either way, whether through hiring, recruiting, or finding the right fit, the best way for trucking companies<\/a> to succeed in bringing on the right people is for them to have the right focus. Don\u2019t just take a set it and forget it approach to hiring. With the right process in place, recruiting and retention can be a hallmark of your organization.<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"
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