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Top Tools For Digital Driver Recruitment

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Digital driver recruitment campaigns have four main disciplines that need to be satisfied in order to have positive results. There is data analytics, paid media, interaction with drivers, and content creation. Here is a list of tools to help you in each category.

Data Analytics to Provide Key Insights

Capturing data and using a platform to visualize the data will help keep the campaign efficient. These tools will enable you to make the smartest decisions.

Google Analytics

Adding Google Analytics’ tracking code to your site will provide endless insites. You can see things like how people arrived at your site, what demographic visits your site the most, what people do once they get to your site, and much more. 

All of this data will show you what type of content you need to be producing, where you need to publish it, and what areas you need to ignore. For example, if Analytics shows that LinkedIn ads are driving little site traffic then it would be wise to stop paying for the ads. 

If you have never used Google Analytics before, read this article from Hubspot. 

MOZ 

Search engine optimization is one of the least understood forms of marketing. MOZ’ goal is to simplify SEO through their software, education, and community.

Without MOZ, or any tool like it, SEO would be nearly impossible. MOZ’ tools will provide data on how many times a keyphrase is looked up, who links back to you, and your competition’s SEO statistics.

Using MOZ will allow you to rank for highly searched keywords and develop organic traffic to your site. 

Paid Media For High Exposure 

Digital campaigns are not free. You are going to need to pay to get your advertisement in front of the eyes of potential drivers. Here are the best platforms to do so.                                                                                                       

Google Ads

Google Ads will place your site at the top of the page when people search specific phrases. You pay based on how many people click on the ad. 

Another great thing with Google Ads is that you can set a budget. Once the total cost nears the budget limit you set, Google will take down your ad to avoid over charging you.

Through Google Ads you will also be able to set up display remarketing campaigns. Any driver who visits your site will automatically see your display ads on other sites. 

Facebook Ads

Facebook is by far the most popular social media platform amongst drivers. You can reach the drivers by interacting in groups, but Facebook Ads exposes your company even more.

Paying for Facebook Ads will display your job advertisement on the driver’s screen when there is no other competition. 

Also, through Facebook Ads you can advertise on Instagram (a Facebook owned company). 

Job Store

Managing postings and job board purchases across multiple sites is a difficult task. That is where Job Store from Tenstreet comes into play. 

The Tenstreet Job Store aggregates all of their job board partners into one place for easy access. This makes it much easier to keep track of all your job board purchases and find which boards are the most effective. 

Using the Job Store is free!

Interact With Drivers and Sell Them on Your Company

Interacting with drivers online is a great way to share your company’s voice with potential hires. Show your personality through social media and direct messaging.

Job Board Scrubber

Tenstreet provides a virtual recruiter that nurtures every application when they are hot. Right after a driver submits an application they receive a personalized email.

After the driver receives the initial email, they will receive a series of timed messages over the next few days. The best part is that the messages are sent automatically. 

Drip Marketing

Drip Marketing is a great tool for email campaigns. You get to design your emails with your branding. 

This tool is different from the Job Board Scrubber because it sends emails to a list that you built, not just drivers who recently applied. With this tool you can stay in touch with drivers that showed interest a while ago, former drivers, and anyone else who gave their email. 

Hootsuite

Without a tool like Hootsuite, regularly posting on social media is challenging. Hootsuite allows you to plan posts out in advance, and then the app automatically posts for you. 

Take two hours of your day and you can have social media posts lined up for an entire campaign.

Drivers will look over your social media accounts when they consider working for you. It is important to post regularly to show off how great the company is. 

Professional Content Makes a Lasting Impression 

Canva

Creating content is time consuming and a challenge, especially if you are not a trained designer. Luckily, there is Canva.

Canva comes with thousands of templates to choose from. You can make anything from flyers, to business cards, to social media posts, etc. in minutes. They all look professional too!

In addition to making design easy, the site provides an abundance of learning resources. Use the site to take your design skills to the next level. 

Data analytics, paid media, driver interaction, and content creation are all necessary for a successful recruitment campaign. Without the right tools it is much harder to thrive in each of those areas. Use the tools above to succeed at digital driver recruitment.

How to Stay Productive Recruiting From Home

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The Coronavirus is forcing millions of people to work from home who previously had never done so. This sudden transition has caught many people off guard. If you have not adapted to recruiting from home, then you are missing out on hiring the drivers that are in need of work. Here is how to stay productive when recruiting from home.

Designate Certain Times of The Day For Certain Tasks

As a recruiter you have so many different responsibilities that it can be difficult to choose where to start. The beginning of each day can be overwhelming when you look at all the outreach, orientation tasks, and retention efforts that need to be done.

Recruiters need to be focused on one of the three areas mentioned above. Before you start each day allocate specific times to focus on one area at a time.

For example, your daily schedule could look like this:

  • 9:00am – 11:00am focus on retaining drivers
  • 11:00am – Noon social media outreach
  • Noon – 1:00pm lunch
  • 1:00pm – 3:00pm focus on orientation
  • 3:00pm – 4:30pm calling/reaching out to potential hires
  • 4:30pm – 5:00pm answering emails and wrapping the day up

Each day will be different as your top priority will change. Make sure to be building your schedule so that you are allocating the most time to your most important projects.

Take Advantage of Technology 

Now is the time to experiment with new technology in your recruiting process. There will not be any in-person-job-fairs or hiring events happening any time soon.

It is up to you to get creative with the tools you have.

Maybe instead of calling all of your potential drivers, you ask them if they want to do a Zoom meeting.

Universities around the country are offering online courses for free. Try taking a digital marketing course and using those strategies.

Technology will enable you to reach drivers and build relationships as effectively as in person recruiting before the pandemic. Recruiters that do not take advantage of technology will struggle.

Find a Specific Work Area, and Close it Off 

Working from home comes with a set of challenges and distractions that are not issues in the office. Kids, pets, chores, etc. all weigh on you while working from home.

Man working at home, quarantined from the corona virus

The best way to escape those distractions is to find a specific work area and close it off from the rest of your home.

If you have a home office keep the door closed during work hours. Having the door open invites distractions into your office and invites you to get up and leave the office.

Don’t have a home office? Set up a makeshift office in a room that does not get used often. The guest bedroom is a great option.

Noise cancelling headphones are the best option if you cannot physically close yourself off from distractions.

Shut Off The Computer at The End of The Day

Teleworking from home makes it easier to convince yourself to work late. Your computer is right next to you all the time and it is tempting to work extra hours.

Now that we do not have to physically leave the office, work and home lives blend easier.

Working too much will end up being counterproductive. Long work hours lead to poor sleep and eventually burnout.

Dress For The Door

One of the biggest perks of working from home is that there is no dress code! You get to dress however you please.

Online you will see a lot of people recommending that you still get up and get ready for the day as normal. However, if you are used to dressing in business attire everyday then that advice probably makes you cringe.

It is great advice to stick to your morning routine. That will get your mind ready for the day. Instead of dressing professionally, dress in a way that you would feel comfortable answering the door for a stranger. Comfortable, yet not too unprofessional.

For the next few months, working from home is our reality. Each of us is impacted in our own way by the pandemic. Following the steps above will help you overcome these new challenges to stay productive while recruiting from home.

5 Biggest Mistakes First Time Digital Recruiters Make

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Digital driver recruitment is becoming more common in the transportation industry every year. Carriers that do it properly are keeping their trucks on the road and thriving. When one succeeds, others follow close behind. However, not every company succeeds at digital recruitment right away. Here are the 5 biggest mistakes from first time digital recruiters.

Not Designing for Mobile Users

It is easy to get lost in the design process and design for only desktops. You are designing on a desktop so it makes sense to think people will view it on a desktop. That is not the case.

Drivers do not have access to desktops while on the road so they do their web surfing from mobile devices. 61% of drivers would choose to own a smartphone if they were forced to pick between their phone and their computer.

Not designing for mobile users makes it incredibly difficult for drivers to interact with your content. Drivers will quickly move on from your company and interact with the carrier’s content that is easily accessible.

Relying Too Much on Social Media

Recruiting on social media can have huge ROIs for digital campaigns. Recruiting within the groups is free and advertisements are cheap.

The biggest problem with focusing on social media is that it is extraordinarily competitive. Carriers nationwide think they are being smart and saving money by doing all of their online recruitment in Facebook groups.

Placing all of your eggs into one basket is never a good strategy. Companies that focus on social media set themselves up to fail when social media is producing low results.

Insufficient Funding

Many companies are hesitant to jump right into digital recruitment. They often test the waters first by running a low budget campaign.

Low budget campaigns have little money for ad-spend and the carrier did not hire a professional to run the campaign.

Not spending the needed amount

of money on a digital leads companies to draw false conclusions about the effectiveness of digital recruiting.

Giving Up Too Soon

Companies embarking on their first digital recruitment campaign can have too high of expectations.

Carriers will stop their digital campaigns if all of their empty trucks are not filled after the first month or two.

Even working with professionals, the first campaign takes some time to get rolling. Digital Professionals will collect data on which platforms are producing the best results and modify the campaign to be as efficient as possible. However, they need time to collect enough data to make the best decisions.

Not Hiring a Professional to Run the Campaign

The biggest mistake carriers make is assuming that their recruiters can also digitally recruit. Carriers will force their recruiters to try and find drivers online. This does not produce results.

Recruiters are meant to be on the phones talking to potential drivers, running orientation, or working on retention efforts. Their plates are already full.

People standing at target where they missed the bulls-eye. Represents missing the mark on a digital campaign.

They do not have the time to learn how to digitally recruit and then implement a comprehensive digital campaign.

Digital recruitment agencies will be able to use the best strategies that fill your seats fast. They also know what it takes to work with a transportation company. Digital recruitment agencies are familiar with your pains and how to relieve them.

 

Do not make the same mistakes as other carriers. Learn from their errors. Avoid these five common mistakes and digital recruitment campaigns will be one of your company’s most valuable assets.

Essential Elements of a Digital Driver Recruitment Campaign

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Word visual of all elements involved with digital recruitment. Words are sprawled out over work desk.Thanks to COVID-19 a large portion of the globe is working from home. Traditional driver recruitment methods, like job fairs, have been cancelled. However, the need for quality drivers has never been higher. Digital driver recruitment is your best option. Here are the essential elements of a digital driver recruitment campaign. Implement these into your digital campaigns for maximum results.

Interacting and Building a Presence on Social Media

Truckers are very active on all social media platforms, especially Facebook. Facebook’s group features enable drivers from across the country to connect with each other. Groups also enable recruiters to connect with drivers. Meet customers (in this case potential drivers) where they are. Be active in these groups and sell potential drivers on working for your company.

Social media is used by drivers to research potential employers. Drivers will look up your company on all social media platforms if they are considering working with you. This is an excellent opportunity to showcase how great your company is. Post photos of your company picnic, positive driver testimonials, and content from regular day-to-day interactions. These posts will make potential drivers want to work for you.

Make Your Content Driver Friendly With Mobile First Design

Every piece of content released by your company must be easily accessed on a mobile device. Drivers are not in front of a computer often. They do their web surfing from their smartphones or tablets.

Content that must be designed for mobile devices include: company website, landing pages, any ads your company runs, and all emails sent to drivers.

Pay-Per-Click Advertisements to Generate Awareness

For a fee, platforms like Google, Facebook, and Indeed will place your job advertisements right in front of the people you want to see them. Your company is only charged the fee every time a driver clicks on your ad.

Paid search ads have a click through rate of roughly 3.75% and display ads are around 0.77%. PPC advertising will not generate huge numbers of applicants. But, it is an excellent tool for generating awareness for your company.

Search Engine Optimization Generates Applicants

PPC advertising may have a low click through rate, Search engine optimization is the opposite. Ranking number one for a Google search result has an average click through rate of 31.7%. If your company ranks high for common trucker searches then you will generate a large number of site visits. Site visits turn into applicants.

Focus on the SEO Three and you will increase your ranking over time. The SEO Three consists of: content, technical, and links. Your company needs to create engaging content, have a technically sound site, and find ways to get other sites to link back to your site.

Website Design is Your Company’s First Impression

Drivers are going to research your company if they are considering applying for one of your available positions. They will visit your site. A poor quality site will give the first impression that your company is not professional. Professional quality sites will create a first impression that sells drivers on working for your company.

Landing pages are a critical part of your website. The page that drivers land on when they click on one of your ads or emails is the landing page. A well designed landing page will excite the driver and have a strong call to action. A call to action is going to be what gets drivers to apply.

Technical Strategies Provide Key Insights and Hyper-Focus

Digital driver recruitment campaigns need a technical strategy. Tools like Google Analytics will show you where your site traffic is coming from. Use this data to gain key insights that guide your digital recruitment strategy.

In addition to providing data driven insights, there are technical marketing strategies you need to be using. These strategies enable your campaigns to hyper focus on your desired niche market. Geofencing, for example, will allow you to only show your job advertisements to drivers in a specific area. Retargeting is another technical strategy that will show your ads to anyone who has visited your website.

Email Lists Connect Your Company to Interested Drivers

Starting building an email list of every driver that is ever shown any interest in your job postings. Include former drivers that you would like to rejoin your company. Platforms like MailChimp will help you organize your email list, design emails, and send them out to everyone.

Emails need to be eye catching and informative. Do not overwhelm the reader with too much text. Some great things to include in an email campaign are: pictures of happy employees, testimonials, company achievements, profiles on high performing drivers, and messages from upper management.

For the near future, in-person driver recruitment is not possible. However, drivers are in higher demand because of the pandemic. Take advantage of this unique opportunity to begin digital driver recruitment, and make sure to use the essential elements.

How to Lead Your Truck Company in a Volatile Market

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"Turmoil" runs across a stock ticker. All stocks are down.

The first quarter of 2020 has been filled with ups and downs. January started with the DJIA reaching all time highs, followed by a crash. The Coronavirus has hurt carriers that focus on transporting goods shipped in from China, but it has helped carriers that supply grocery stores. Russia and Saudi Arabia embarked on an oil war which will lower fuel prices for carriers but potentially harm the industry in the long run. Throw in an upcoming presidential election and the future will be filled with ups and downs. Here is how to successfully lead your truck company in a volatile market.

Plan for Contingencies by Playing ‘Kill the Company”

Volatile markets crush companies by following record highs with crippling lows. Companies that are not prepared for the lows crumble.

Start making a contingency plan by analyzing your company’s weak points. ‘Kill the Company’ is a great exercise that highlights your company’s weak points. Gather the leaders of your company and tell them to pretend to be the company’s number one competition for the next three minutes. Their goal is to come up with a plan to put your company out of business.

Knowing your weaknesses will shine a light on the factors that could be catastrophic. Build a plan that will get your company through the worst of times.

Build up Your Capital Reserves During the High Points

Capital reserves are like a savings account for your company. Use the upswings in a volatile market as an opportunity to build up your company’s capital reserves. Building up capital reserves will enable you to fund contingency plans or pay for essential costs, like salaries, when the company stumbles in a market crash.

Be Aggressive With Payment Collections

Volatile markets are not the time to be relaxed with payment collections. Money will be tight for everyone. Companies that owe you money will try to hold on to their cash during the downswings and wait for the upswings to pay you.

The best way to improve cash collections is to communicate with your clients frequently and to make it as easy as possible for them to pay. Starting five days before the bill is due you need to be on the phone with clients reminding them to pay you. Call them on the due date and then every day after that until they pay. An online system is the easiest way to accept payment. Enable clients to pay you from their computer by using tools such as Quickbooks

Setup Alternative Sources of Income

It is good business practice to set up as many revenue streams as possible. Doing so will mitigate risks. Having multiple sources of income will help the company survive while its main revenue source is struggling.

One common way for a trucking company to earn extra revenue is to sublease a portion of its warehouse. Subleasing to another company will generate a monthly income that helps cover your fixed costs.

Do Not Layoff Drivers to Save Money

Companies will turn to layoffs in order to save money in a struggling market. However, this leads to the quality of service you offer to suffer.

Building up your capital reserves and establishing multiple revenue streams will provide your company the money it needs to keep its staff. Ideally, it would also provide the funds to hire the top drivers that other companies laid off.

Keeping your staff intact will ensure you continue to provide great service through tough times. This will earn the loyalty of your current clients and help you gain even more business from companies that are disgruntled by their current carrier.

Take Advantage of Competition Slowdown and Continue to Market

According to the Small Business Administration,

“Savvy marketers can boost sales and market share, even if the industry in which they compete is in a slump.”

The competition that is not prepared for a volatile market will be forced to slash their marketing budget. Using your capital reserves, your company can fund marketing campaigns that capture more of the market.

Include Employees in Implementing Policy Changes 

Volatile markets will force your company to implement policy changes. You must involve your employees in these changes. Doing so will generate a sense of team and ownership in the changes.

Trying to force policy changes on employees will create a sense of rebellion. Turbulent times require your team to come together and overcome adversity. Employees turning on the company will magnify every issue the company faces.

Volatile markets separate the great companies from the not so great companies. If you do not know how to lead your truck company in a volatile market, your company will struggle mightily. However, choose your next steps wisely and you will come out of these difficult times on top.

7 Strategies to Improve Driver Recruiting

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Driver recruiting to fill your trucks

A carrier’s most valuable assets are their drivers. Companies that successfully recruit quality drivers in high quantities outperform the competition. Utilize these 7 strategies and your company will improve its driver recruiting.

1) Remove Tasks That Keep Recruiters From Recruiting

Driver recruitment is a demanding job. Assigning recruiters tasks outside of recruiting will keep them from devoting the necessary time needed to recruit.

Time spent planning orientation, running digital marketing campaigns, qualifying applicants, etc. is time away from recruiting. In order to maximize efficiency, recruiters need to focus all of their energy in three areas:

  • Calling fresh, pre-qualified, leads
  • Referral programs
  • Rehire programs

Recruiters wearing too many hats will produce sub-par results. Remove distractions so recruiters will focus solely on recruiting

2) Hire a Trucking Digital Agency

Digital recruitment generates a constant stream of fresh leads for your recruiters to contact. However, it has to be done properly. Your recruiters do not know how to run effective digital campaigns.

Also, a digital ad agency unfamiliar with the trucking industry will not succeed. Hire a digital ad agency that specializes in truck company marketing and driver recruitment. Specialty agencies will speak your language, have your interests at heart, and will know how to navigate recruitment road bumps.

Digital campaigns are more effective than outdated methods. The first place drivers go to find a new job is the internet. Run a digital campaign and drivers will see your posting when they look for a new job.

Another benefit to digital campaigns is everything is tracked. Agencies will use tools like Google Analytics and Search Console to see how each marketing platform (social media, ppc, remarketing,etc.) is performing. Tracking data also allows them to use A/B testing. They experiment with different images/messaging and see what variations produce the best results. Data driven decisions will generate campaigns focused on the most effective platforms using the most effective messaging.

Skilled agencies will be able to promote your job postings specifically to people who you want to see it. You will not waste a single cent on ads being placed in front of uninterested people. Digital campaigns are hyper focused.

3) Assign Primary Recruiting Responsibilities 

Assign your recruiters to recruit specific kinds of drivers. One recruiter needs to focus on drivers, one on owner operators, one on CDL students, etc.

Recruiters will take pride/ownership in the type of driver they are assigned.  Also, assigning drivers will assure your company has different drivers with diverse skill sets.

Instead of having a team of drivers with the same qualifications, your company will have a collection of different endorsements, O/Os, and rookie drivers.

In addition to assigning recruiters specific drivers to recruit, make sure recruiters are assigned specific channels. Driver applicants that slip through the cracks because a recruiter forgot to reach out to them is frustrating and costs the company money.

4) Train Recruiters to be Salespeople

Truck driver recruiting is a sales job. Recruiters are selling the idea of working for your company to driver applicants. If your recruiters are not properly trained in sales then they will struggle to recruit.

Recruiters need to be trained to utilize conversation techniques that discover why a driver would want to change jobs. After figuring out the “why” the recruiter can use that to sell the driver that working for your company will fix that why.

5) Shorten the Recruiting Cycle

The longer it takes from “hello” to contingent offer, the least qualified drivers you hire. Enable your recruiters to offer drivers a contingent offer on the first call. It is unnecessary for and inefficient to have a recruiter get clearance from a manager before making contingent offers.

Another way to shorten the recruiting cycle is to use a landing page that drivers can apply on. Drivers should click on your ads and be able to apply for the position without having to search through any tabs.

6) Inspire Drivers to Refer Your Company 

Getting drivers to refer your company to other drivers is a great way to bring on new talent. However, it can be difficult to get drivers to actually refer your company to their peers.

Oftentimes recruiters will implement an impersonal referral program. Recruiters will send out an email blast, or in a large meeting, ask all of the drivers at once to refer the company to their friends.

Ask drivers personally and privately for help. Doing so will lead the driver feeling like you are asking them for help, not asking the whole company at once. People are committed to people, not the company.

One strategy that produces results is pulling your top drivers into your office, asking them for help, and then giving the driver their own business cards. The driver will hand out their cards to people they meet on the road.

Do not forget to compensate drivers that refer qualified drivers.

7) Actively Recruit Potential Rehires

When a driver leaves your company for another, that does not mean they should never work for you again.

At the time the driver resigns have a company vote if they should be welcomed back. 30 days after the driver resignation, start sending them recruitment content. It is common for a driver to start a new position only to realize their former employer was a better situation.

Make sure to send out messaging to former drivers on December 1st. December 1st is the end of the busy season and drivers are starting to think about where they are going to work the following year.

Finally, announce company changes to former employees. Former drivers may have left because your company was not paying them enough, but they enjoyed everything else about your company. Letting former drivers know about the pay increase may motivate them to return to your company.

Improving the quality and quantity of drivers recruited will improve your company’s bottom line. Despite the driver shortage, your company should not settle for a lack of quality drivers. Follow these 7 strategies and bring in more qualified drivers.

This article based on Kelly Anderson’s webinar 10 Things to Improve Quality and Quantity of Drivers Recruited

6 Tips For a Successful Digital Driver Recruitment Campaign

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Digital recruitment campaign graphic

57% of the world’s population are active internet users. The internet has changed nearly every aspect of our lives. Because of this, it makes sense that recruitment campaigns are becoming more web based. Companies are shifting from print media and career fairs to digital driver recruitment campaigns. Digital driver recruitment campaigns are more efficient than the old methods and they provide a higher ROI. Here are 6 tips for a successful digital driver recruitment campaign.

1) Create Relevant and Engaging Content

Prior to publishing any recruitment content you need to decide who your ideal candidates are. Are you hiring for diversity? Are you in need of a driver with specific endorsements? Do you want to hire team drivers? Use these answers to guide what type of content you create. For example, if you are wanting to hire team drivers you must use images of team drivers in your ads.

2) Be Active in Trucking Social Media Groups

Facebook and Linkedin have hundreds of groups dedicated to connecting drivers with recruiters. Being active and establishing a presence within these groups is an excellent way to find new drivers. However, it is important to note that there is a lot of competition in these groups. Drivers are bombarded with job opportunities from recruiters. Standing out from all the other job postings in these groups can be a challenge. It is important to be active in these groups but do not put all of your eggs in this basket.

3) Build Your Reputation as a Company That Prioritizes Drivers

Drivers talk with each other constantly about the companies they work for. Your company will be discussed online between drivers. If your company prioritizes its drivers, word will spread. On the flip side, drivers will know if your company does not prioritize its drivers. By building a reputation as a company that prioritizes drivers, applicants will keep an eye out for your job postings. Build a reputation as a company that prioritizes its drivers by incorporating trust into the hiring process and using effective retention strategies.

4) Use Tools That Screen Out Unqualified Applicants

Implementing a digital recruitment campaign allows you to use digital tools that streamline the process. Programs like Zapier or ZipRecruiter filters make it so that you never have to see any applicants that do not meet your requirements. Recruiters do not need to waste their time with unqualified driver applicants when digital recruitment campaigns are used.

5) Geo-Target Drivers in Your Hiring Region

Geo-targeting  enables you to send ads to drivers in specific regions. Do not waste your time sorting through applicants from outside your hiring region. Digital recruitment campaigns will only be seen by potential drivers within your hiring region. Another advantage to geo-targeting is that you can send ads to areas that you know drivers will be. You can target truck stops, driver conventions, CDL schools, etc.

6) Design a Landing Page That Encourages Drivers to Apply

A well designed landing page is essential for any digital recruitment campaign. Even well crafted and placed ads will not generate applicants if the ad is not linked to a landing page. Drivers do not want to click on an ad that takes them to the homepage of your company’s website. An ad should link to a landing page that sells the driver on working for your company and allows the driver to apply on the page. According to Kelly Anderson, shortening the recruiting cycle will lead to more quality drivers applying for your positions.

Digital driver recruitment campaigns can be a daunting task. If you do not know what you are doing then you will see poor results and feel as if you wasted time and money. However, follow these tips to start seeing positive results. Digital driver recruitment campaigns will become your go to recruitment strategy.

Building a High Performance Team of Drivers

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The difference between success and failure is teamwork. The strongest teams will consistently outperform expectations and overcome adversity. Weak teams will trip over the smallest of hurdles and cost the company money. Recruiters are responsible for putting together a high performing team of drivers. Keep reading to learn how to build a high performance team.

Don’t Hire Good Drivers, Hire Great Drivers

High performance team celebrates together.The 2019 ATA Driver Shortage Report predicts that the shortage could reach 160,000 drivers by 2028. However, the Bureau of Labor Statistics claims that there is no shortage, but instead high turnover creates a perceived shortage. Either way, both studies pressure recruiters to hire any qualified driver that applies.

That is not what you should do to build a high performance team. Yes qualifications are important, but they are only part of hiring the right driver for your company. Ideal candidates will show a commitment to their career.

Hire applicants that stay with companies for long periods of time. Avoid applicants that have a history of changing companies like they change clothes. Drivers that have a track record of switching companies frequently will not hesitate to leave your team for a higher paying job elsewhere.

Hire drivers that fit well within your company’s culture. Ask the applicant how they deal with their current co-workers/managers. Avoid drivers that speak poorly on their current colleagues, they will do the same to your team.

One negative team member can ruin the entire team’s morale. Recruiters that take the time to hire drivers that are qualified, committed, culture fits, and have a positive attitude will have the right pieces in place to form a high performance team.

Unite the Team by Focusing on Goals

Gather the team together and brainstorm a list of goals that you want to achieve together. Involving the drivers in this process will develop a sense of ownership. Reaching the goals will become a point of pride for the drivers. Drivers that want to reach their goals will be inspired and motivated. Opposed to drivers that feel forced will perform reluctantly. A team that comes up with the goals together will work as a team to achieve the goals.

Offer Advancement Opportunities

Drivers may not perform at a high level if they believe they are in a dead-end job. Most drivers want to advance in their career and improve their craft. Sites like CDL Training Spot are dedicated to teaching drivers strategies that make them better drivers. If the drivers you hire can see a career path ahead of them, they will be more motivated team members. Obtaining more endorsements or moving up to management will motivate some drivers. Others may find it appealing to move laterally into a position where they do something different. Keep an eye on your team and provide the resources they need to make the career moves they desire.

Individual Motivation Strategies

A one-size-fits-all approach to motivation does not work. Some drivers want to be checked in on constantly and reminded of the goals. Others want more autonomy in their work and relent the idea of having their hand held by the boss. In times of stress, certain team members respond strongly to a kick in the pants while others will crumble from the pressure. Think of the best sports coaches throughout history, they do not treat every player on the team the same way. Effective team leaders are aware of how different team members respond to different motivators. As you lead your team of drivers, do your best to inspire each of them in a way they will respond positively to.

A high performance team of drivers is the best asset a trucking company can have. High performance teams will improve your company’s retention rate and help avoid having to deal with idle trucks. A recruiter that hires great drivers, unites through goals, offers advancements, and motivates individuals will succeed at building a high performance driving team.

How to Use the Driver Shortage as an Advantage

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The driver shortage is the largest issue facing the transportation industry today. According to the ATA in 2018 the trucking industry was short 60,800 drivers. If the current trends hold, the shortage may rise to over 160,000 by 2028. From a bird’s eye view, the driver shortage is a major issue that needs to be addressed. However on a local level, carriers can use the shortage as a tool to beat out competition. Implementing top notch recruiting strategies will enable your company to hire quality drivers instead of your competition.

Getting Ahead of the Competition

The best way to illustrate how a company can benefit from the driver shortage is through a hypothetical situation. In this hypothetical situation let’s say that there is a city with 3 trucking companies and 20 qualified drivers.

Each company has 10 trucks to fill, but obviously there are not enough drivers for each company to fill their trucks. Companies 1 & 3 have been around for decades and decide to use the same recruiting strategies that have always worked for them. They post help wanted ads around town, attend job fairs, and implement a referral program. These efforts produce some results and Companies 1 & 3 are able to successfully hire 5 drivers each. Company 2 on the other hand, is a relatively new company and they decide that old recruiting strategies were not effective enough. Company 2 decides to implement digital based recruiting strategies, offer a higher pay for drivers, and reorganizes the company structure to maximize efficiency. These changes in the recruiting process are highly effective and Company 2 successfully recruits the remaining 10 drivers.

Now that Company 2 has enough qualified drivers to fill all of their trucks, they are avoiding all the necessary costs that come along with idle trucks. Also, Company 2 is doubling the revenue that Companies 1 & 3 are earning. While Companies 1 & 3 are struggling, Company 2 is thriving which leads to them earning more business from local brokers. Eventually, if the trend continues, Company 2 will be able to buy out Companies 1 & 3.

Company 2 adapted to the times and used strategies that their competition were not using. The combination of effective recruiting and the driver shortage lead to Company 2 doubling in size and eliminating its hypothetical competition.

Becoming Company 2

It is safe to say that everyone wants to be Company 2 in the above hypothetical. That is a lot easier said than done. In order to be Company 2 you need to be better at recruiting and retention than your competition. Digital marketing recruitment strategies, such as geofencing, are far more effective than traditional recruiting strategies. If your company is not maximizing digital strategies then you need to bring in an agency that is highly skilled in this area. Dedicate one team to using digital strategies that fill your applicant pool and a separate team that focuses on recruiting.

The driver shortage is the number one threat facing the transportation industry as a whole. However, that is not the case on the local level. A company that recruits better than its competition will benefit from the shortage. That company will employ the majority of qualified drivers and outperform competing companies. Implementing digital strategies and reorganizing the recruiting structure will set your company up to use the Driver Shortage to your advantage.

How to Avoid Idle Trucks

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Idle trucks kill trucking companies. Opportunity costs and actual costs occur from empty trucks. An idle truck misses out on the opportunity to earn $650 in revenue every day it is not on the road. Not only that, but it costs about $170 a day in fixed cost for a truck to sit and rust. Your company loses $820 per truck for every day the truck is not on the road. Considering that on average it takes 20 days for a company to hire a new driver, a sitting truck will cost your company $16,400. Being able to keep all your trucks on the road is critical to your company’s success. Here is how to avoid idle trucks.

Keep Your Driver Pool Full

According to the ATA’s Truck Driver Shortage Analysis 2019, driver churn was 89% for large for-hire carriers and 73% for small for-hire carriers. Your drivers are going to leave your company. Some sooner than others. You must be constantly using digital marketing strategies that find qualified drivers online and encourage them to apply for your company. As your current drivers leave for other positions, the recruiters will be able to pull from this pool and hire them quicker. Drivers from the driver pool are able to be hired faster because your company will have already done the due diligence of screening the applicants to see who is qualified for your positions. Recruiters need to be either filling up the applicant pool or hiring from the applicant pool at all times.

Fleet of idle trucks

Slip Seating

This is a controversial method. If you look at any trucking forum that discusses slip seating you will see that the majority of truckers are not fans of this practice. However, Duff Swain, founder of the Trincon Group, argues that slip seating is necessary for maximizing the value of your trucks.

Duff says that today’s trucks are designed to be operated 24/7, only requiring idle time of two to four hours every 25,000 miles for an oil change.

Operating your trucks 24/7 will produce the maximum value instead of idle trucks costing your company thousands of dollars.

Drivers will say that they do not like slip seating because often times when they receive the truck from another driver, the inside will be dirty and smell gross. Issues like this can be easily avoided.

To avoid messy trucks your company must hire drivers that take pride in their work. Also, you must establish a system where before the drivers are allowed to end their shift, they must have their truck checked out by a third party. Hold the drivers accountable.

Finally, if your company implements a slip seating system properly then your drivers will have the opportunity for more home time. Schedule the drivers based on their preferences to fill the trucks you have. Share with your drivers that slip seating is going to allow them to spend more time with their loved ones and they will be more likely to cooperate.

Cut the Dead Weight

Any truck that your company is unable to fill must be sold. Keeping trucks in your fleet that have been idle for over a month are costing your company tens of thousands of dollars. Using the numbers above, a truck that is idle for one month (30 days) will cost your company $24,600. Add to that the cost of hiring a driver ($8,000 on average), a truck idle for one month costs your company $32,600 before it starts earning revenue again. If the truck earns $650 a day in revenue, then it will take 51 days before your company regains the opportunity costs, hiring costs and rust costs from the idle truck. Your company needs to sell any truck it owns that will not be filled for months. Selling the truck will increase your cash flow and cut your costs.

Avoid idle trucks as much as possible. Owning a truck that does not have someone to drive it costs your company thousands of dollars. Idle trucks kill trucking companies. In order to keep your trucks on the road and have zero idle trucks in your fleet your company must keep your applicant pool full, slip seat, and sell any idle trucks that can not be filled.