{"id":2148,"date":"2019-08-30T01:40:31","date_gmt":"2019-08-30T01:40:31","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/quicktransportsolutions.com\/blog\/?p=2148"},"modified":"2019-08-30T01:40:32","modified_gmt":"2019-08-30T01:40:32","slug":"top-21st-century-trucking-recruiting-tips","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/quicktransportsolutions.com\/blog\/top-21st-century-trucking-recruiting-tips\/","title":{"rendered":"Top 21st Century Trucking Recruiting Tips"},"content":{"rendered":"\n

As trucking continues to evolve, fleet managers look for innovative new ways to attract top talent. While personal referrals from other truck drivers remain the number one source for new talent, we live in the Millennial age. Trucking companies must do more to attract and retain top talent. Millennials make up half of the domestic workforce and by 2030 will make up three-quarters. <\/p>\n\n\n\n

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Recruiting professional, experienced, and motivated truck\ndrivers is a zero-sum game. The pool of potential candidates available is\nlimited and competition is fierce. Every time a competitor lures a truck driver\naway from your fleet, the pool shrinks a little more. Over time, it becomes\nthat much harder to find the truck drivers you need to sustain the fleet.\nFleets that are not investing in new and unique ways of finding talent will\nfind themselves quickly losing market share. <\/p>\n\n\n\n

Obviously, some might say I it is hard to be \u201ccreative\u201d or\n\u201cunique\u201d in trucking recruitment, but we would disagree. Trucking companies\noperating within the old rules might find things like custom content and\ndigital marketing an unproven way to find the right people. Yet, these\nmethodologies represent the future of marketing, advertising, and\ncommunication, whether B2B or B2C. <\/p>\n\n\n\n

Motor carriers and others in the transportation sector need\nto change the way they approach recruiting to compete in a marketplace where it\nisn\u2019t difficult to find the perfect fleet. But what is an enterprising fleet\nmanager to do to ensure they keep recruits coming through the door no matter\nthe time of year?<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Use Social Media<\/strong><\/p>\n\n\n\n

While there are plenty of social media platforms out there,\nthe majority of those in the trucking industry \u2013 and around the world \u2013 use\nFacebook. Yet, far too few trucking recruiters use Facebook as a truck driver\nrecruiting and retention tool. While Facebook must be managed properly, there\nis a lot of potential benefit in its use. <\/p>\n\n\n\n

A full 62% of Millennials turn to social media to find jobs.\nPeople tend to gravitate towards engaging video and static content. Video ads\nand digital blog content outperforms print content by a whopping 118%. Today\u2019s\nsocial media platforms are conduits by which people network, create and find\nopportunities. <\/p>\n\n\n\n

Sure, many people don\u2019t like social media. Facebook has not\nbeen without its share of controversies, but it is worthwhile for trucking\ncompanies to educate he public about your company, employees, customers,\nservices, and more. Facebook and other social media platforms are as much about\nbrand awareness and audience building as they are about recruiting or\ngenerating leads. <\/p>\n\n\n\n

According to one study, up to 76% of truck drivers use\nsocial media, with Facebook leading the way out of all platforms. One quick and\neasy way to see how you are doing on social media is to see if your own people are\nfollowing you. How much of our fleet follows you on Facebook?<\/p>\n\n\n\n

If you find that your efforts on social media platforms are found wanting, you could start by telling stories. Nothing gets someone\u2019s attention better than a good tale. Whether it be through images of your truck drivers or other fleet workers, video of your fleet in action, or even trucking-related news, staying engaged on social media tells the story if your fleet, its people and culture. <\/p>\n\n\n\n

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We have moved beyond the days when it was easy to recruit a\ntruck driver through a mailer or the phone call. Truck drivers who are\ninterested in seeing how a fleet operates will check it out on Facebook or\nother social media platforms. Do you have a social media presence? Do you have\nreviews on your Facebook page or other listings?<\/p>\n\n\n\n

If truck drivers are looking for a good employer, they want\nto see how that company represents itself on social media, one of the great\ndigital connectors of our day. The more engaged followers you have, the better\nyou will look to perspective truck drivers. There is no reason not to engage\nwith people on Facebook and produce as much new content as you can on a regular\nbasis. <\/p>\n\n\n\n

Still, managing a robust social media presence as a\nrecruiting tool does not come without its dangers. Fleets need to be very\ncareful to watch and control negative content. If they do not retain ownership\nover their social media, they need to make sure they work with an agency or\npartner they can rely on. The last thing anyone wants is for a bad post to go \u201cviral.\u201d\nTrucking companies have enough to do to protect their image without unfortunate\nsocial media content hobbling those efforts. <\/p>\n\n\n\n

Also consider that this is about more than the company.\nWhile you should be sharing your truck drivers and trucks and pets and anything\nelse cute at the company, also feature light fare. Humorous, interactive, and\nstatistical or random posts go a long way to creating an endearing image of\nyour trucking company. <\/p>\n\n\n\n

And don\u2019t just look to Facebook. With Twitter, Instagram,\nand LinkedIn, many trucking companies cast a wide net. But none match the\nnumbers that Facebook puts on the board, even if all efforts should not go\nunnoticed. Once you have mastered the art of creating engaging content that\nappeals to truck drivers looking for a job, you\u2019ll find that it becomes a\nrecruiting tool that keeps on giving. <\/p>\n\n\n\n

Other Interesting Recruiting Techniques<\/strong><\/p>\n\n\n\n

Certainly, there are other ways to recruit truck drivers and\nfleet\ntechnicians<\/a> outside of social media. While social media is effective for so\nmuch outside of just recruiting, there are other 21st<\/sup> Century\ntechniques to consider. For example, have you ever considered a white paper?\nWhite papers are not just for B2B marketing techniques.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

If you put a white paper out there entitled \u201cThree Ways to\nImprove Your Safety Skills,\u201d someone may wind up downloading that white paper.\nYou can then reach out to those individuals and have your recruiting team make\na pitch for that individual to join your fleet. \n<\/p>\n\n\n\n

There are even mobile-friendly apps that convert your job\napplications into a digital-friendly format. And considering 85% of Millennials\nuse a smartphone, they are remarkable ways to reach people who could make\nvaluable additions to your fleet. Did you know that Millennials access their\nsmartphones, on average, 45 times per day? What is the best way to tap into\nthat activity?<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Take a close look at how you manage your fleet. Do you offer\nwellness benefits or other perks that your competitors might be offering? There\nmay be times when people may be under the impression that a career in trucking\nis somehow unhealthy. Providing things like gyms or subsidized gym memberships,\nwellness programs, and other health and wellness-related benefits puts a shine\non your image as a responsible employer. <\/p>\n\n\n\n

No one wants to work for a company that makes them feel\nunderappreciated, overworked, and underpaid. This is even more acute for\ncompanies operating in spaces that require long hours and heavy physical\ndemands. <\/p>\n\n\n\n

Here are some important questions for any fleet manager as\nthey attempt to find the best of the best:<\/p>\n\n\n\n