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How Much is your Truck Driver Hiring Bonus?

Posted on by Jake Peters

It is more competitive than ever to hire truck drivers. Supply is decreasing and demand is increasing. One of the outcomes of this reality is that carriers are in an arms-race to offer the largest hiring bonus.

Is your company apart of this arms-race?

If so, how much is your truck driver hiring bonus?

Bonus word written on wood block. Bonus word is made of wooden building blocks lying on the yellow table. Bonus, business concept, yellow background

$10,000 sign-on bonus is now normal

In June 2021, the driver candidate pool of available CDL drivers is small and the competition for these drivers is fierce. The need for qualified drivers has never been higher. Freight rates are high and demand is high.

Carriers however, are having to pass on freight loads because they do not have the drivers to meet the demand. The old way of attracting drivers does not work. A new approach is definitely needed. Still, the number one way to attract drivers to your company is to have a competitive “offer”.

The best way to hook drivers on your job offer is by providing a large sign-on bonus. Currently in the industry, $10,000 is what it takes for a carrier to offer a competitive bonus.

Hiring Costs are Skyrocketing  

In 2021, according to our conversations with carriers, the cost of hiring drivers has doubled and the time it takes to attract and onboard new ones has tripled in some areas.

Since the old ways are not working, carriers are realizing they must increase their budgets to be competitive.

Having a $10,000 sign on bonus is not new. According to the American Trucker, some companies have been offering high value sign on bonuses since 2017.

But now, to stay competitive, many more carriers are jumping to the high value bonus.

Both your advertising and hiring budgets must increase along with you driver compensation budget. The old way of budget-minded, low cost driver recruiting does not work right now. 

When we talk to carriers, we are finding that many carriers are spending thousands of dollars on the old methods and get nothing in return.

How Much can you Afford in 2021? 

Do you offer a sign-on bonus? Was $2500 a lot of money last year? Did $5,000 seem like a lot? Right now, the old sign-on bonuses do not work.

If you look at job ads, job boards and company websites, the current bonus is $10,000 for experienced CDL drivers. There are even ads are offering a $30,000 sign-on bonus for team drivers.

Show off Your Hiring Bonus.

Truck driver recruiting advertisement showing off its sign on bonus

One thing is certain, there is no one way to attract drivers.

But, being boring is a good way to drive them away. Money is the best way to avoid boring.

Once you have determined your hiring bonus, you need to be loud and proud with that information. It needs to be at the forefront of your driver recruiting campaign.

A large hiring bonus in the title of the job ad will immediately hook potential drivers. Once they click on your ad, you are one step closer to hiring them.

Plus, your driver sign on bonus may be the determining factor between you and the competition. Go out of your way to make sure drivers know what you are offering so there is no confusion.

2021 so far is the toughest year ever to hire truck drivers. Carriers everywhere are scrambling to keep their trucks on the road. The hiring bonus is now an essential part of your job offer and needs to be used as a key recruitment strategy.

How much is your truck driver hiring bonus?

How to Get Your Drivers to Submit Video Testimonials

Posted on by Jake Peters

 

Video testimonials from your truck drivers can be one of the most valuable assets your company has. These testimonials are excellent sources for recruitment content and company promotions. However, they are hard to obtain. Here is how to get your drivers to submit video testimonials.

What are Video Testimonials?

Video testimonials are simply the act of sitting down with your drivers and interviewing them what it is like to work for your company. These are not scripted actors, but instead the real people who drive your trucks.

Why do you Need Video Testimonials From Your Drivers? 

Video testimonials are beneficial because they provide the most realistic view of what it is like to work for your fleet.

Sharing these testimonials will show a level of authenticity to your company that is not possible with other forms of driver recruitment advertising.

Authenticity creates a layer of trust between your company and potential drivers. This trust will help your recruiters immensely when they reach out to drivers for the first time, helping your hiring efforts.

People creating and reacting to a driver video testimonial

6 Steps to Get Your Drivers to Submit Video Testimonials 

  1. Personal Your Request

  2. Emphasize the “W.I.I.F.M” for the Driver 

  3. Provide Easy to Answer Prompts 

  4. Make the Submission as Easy as Possible 

  5. Encourage Drivers to Show off Their Personality 

  6. Utilize a Creative Agency

Personalize Your Request

Do not send an impersonal survey request… nobody likes nor responds to those. Here is an example of a bad request:

A bad example of a request for drivers to submit a video testimonial.

You’ve hand-picked the drivers you’re requesting feedback from, so treat them that way and make them feel special! 

One of the easiest ways you can personalize your request is by using the driver’s first name in the subject line. Doing this will grab their attention while looking at their email inbox and let them know this email is specifically for them.

Another thing you should do is send out the emails individually to the drivers, no email blasts. Nobody likes long email chains.

Keep in mind that if it looks like an automated message – it will get treated like on. Your drivers will either ignore it or immediately delete it.

Biggest Personalization mistake to Avoid:

Using requests or subject lines that make an employee feel like a number, not a person like,
“Driver Feedback needed”, or, “We value your feedback”

Emphasize the “W.I.I.F.M” for the Driver

Human beings are naturally selfish – and it’s no different when it comes to feedback requests. When you’re asking for a testimonial, you’re essentially saying, we want more drivers like you.

It’s a huge compliment to the drivers’ character and shows that you’re trying to better the company by hiring more drivers like them – so say that!!

In addition to flattering the driver, your company may consider including a small incentive for the feedback like a $10 gift card. If you are including an incentive you need to make that abundantly clear to the drivers.

Biggest “W.I.I.F.M” Mistake to Avoid:

Requesting a testimonial without expressing how much you value the service the driver is providing

Provide Easy to Answer Prompts 

Drivers do not want to spend hours answering long-winded questions. The longer the driver thinks it will take for them to complete the testimonial, the less likely they are to complete it.

However, do not make the prompts too simple.

The biggest mistake first-time interviewers make is asking yes or no questions, it’s important to make the questions open-ended. By asking open-ended questions you are leaving room for the drivers to be themselves and provide honest feedback. 

It’s also important to ask drivers to rephrase the questions into their answers. If you ask “what’s it like to drive for XYZ Co…” ask them to include the phase “driving for XYZ Co is dot dot dot” not just – “they give good pay and benefits”

Biggest Prompts Mistake to Avoid:

Asking close-ended, yes/no questions – they don’t make for good videos

Make the Submission as Easy as Possible

Again, thinking about W.I.I.F.M. – just like with a job application, if it’s difficult to do or takes more than 15 minutes, you can kiss your opportunity goodbye. 

Make use of video survey services, like Trade Response – this lets you send personalized questions at scale to your drivers.

Biggest Submission Mistake to Avoid:

Trying to coordinate schedules with a driver endlessly

Encourage Drivers to Show off Their Personality

At the end of the day you always have to remember that drivers are human beings, if they don’t say the answer in the most articulate way, it’s okay. It may even make your video more persuasive. 

In today’s recruiting landscape, drivers are looking for authenticity and there is nothing authentic about a perfectly scripted testimonial. So let your drivers be themselves and do not stress about perfection!

Plus, if drivers are encouraged to show off their personality, they will have more fun with the project and be more likely to submit their video.

Biggest Encouragement Mistake to Avoid

Discouraging personalized stories – or just not asking the right questions to evoke those answers

Utilize a Creative Agency

Creative agencies can turn your drivers into company spokespeople, even if they record the video from their phone. Agencies are pros – they know what questions to ask, how to ask them and how to deliver the best results.

Biggest Mistake to Avoid:

Trying to DIY the project – it wastes everyone’s time, yielding results that either aren’t good or all sound the same

In today’s age, major advertisers are running commercials using “user generated content”, meaning there was no crew, no large budget, and no hassle. The same can be done with drivers. Video testimonials can add fuel to your driver recruiting fire, igniting the hiring spree your company needs. 

It is Time to be Intentional With Your Driver Recruiting

Posted on by Jake Peters

Are you intentional with your truck driver recruiting? Or are you reactive?

Intentional driver recruiting campaigns seek out drivers and interact with them at every channel possible. Reactive recruiting waits for drivers to find the job posting and respond. If you are reactive recruiting it is time that you become intentional.

Intentional recruiting is going to get drivers interacting with you more often and increase the amount of applicants you receive. Here is why you need to be intentional:

  • Reach 100% of Professional Truck Drivers
  • Market Your Company to Passive Job Seekers
  • Build Your Employer Brand
  • Focus on a Specific Demographic or Advertise to Everyone

be intentional phrase combined on vintage varnished wooden surface

Reach 100% of Professional Truck Drivers

What is the biggest problem with job posting websites? It’s that only a small percentage of drivers are on each of the websites.

In order for you to be seen on job boards, you have to pay to be at the top. But you are paying to only be seen by a very small portion of the truck drivers.

Imagine if there was a platform where you could pay to be seen by 96% of truck drivers.

That platform exists. It is called Facebook.

Not only are 96% of truck drivers on Facebook, but on average truck drivers spend 2 hours a day on the platform.

Taking an intentional approach to Facebook alone will enable you to speak directly to 96% of drivers for 2 hours every day.

Advertising on Facebook is just one platform. If you are intentional at advertising across the entire internet you will be able to reach 100% of truck drivers.

Being intentional includes social media marketing, geofencing, retargeting, content creation, and much more.

Market Your Company to Passive Job Seekers

Passive job seekers are truckers who are currently employed and not pursuing a new position, however they are open to changing companies if a good opportunity comes along.

These job seekers are far more valuable than active job seekers. Active job seekers are going to be applying to multiple companies and speaking with many recruiters at one time. They know that they want to work for a new company and are playing the field.

Passive job seekers will only apply to work for your company.

Because passive seekers were not looking for a new job, the psychology behind the application completely changes. The driver goes from thinking “I need to find the best offer I can” to “I like, what this company has to say, it would be great to work for them.”

If you are focusing all of your efforts on job boards, then you are focusing entirely on active job seekers. This means that you are missing out entirely on the passive market.

Be intentional and get passive drivers to want to work for you.

Passive and Active. Text from letters of the wooden alphabet

Build Your Employer Brand

Another great thing about intentional driver recruiting is that your employer brand will grow when you are intentional.

Simply put, an employer brand is your reputation as a place to work.

How do drivers outside your company view what it is like to work for you?

If you are taking a reactive recruiting approach then your employer brand is reliant on word-of-mouth. However, taking an intentional approach means you are taking an active role in shaping how drivers view you.

The content you create and send out to truck drivers is going to mold how they view your company. This lets you control the narrative around your company instead of hoping your current drivers say positive things about their experience.

Recruit a Specific Niche or Advertise to the Masses

Is your company looking to hire from a very small niche? Or are all of your trucks full and you just want to run ads to keep your company on the mind of drivers for the future?

Intentional driver recruiting allows you to easily switch between the two. You can even target specific niches and advertise to the masses at the same time when you are intentional.

During a reactive recruitment campaign you can put the position requirements in the job description and only call qualified candidates. But, this strategy is not nearly as effective as using digital tools to advertise directly to drivers who meet your needs.

There is no way to generate widespread interest in your company with a reactive campaign. Sure, many drivers may see your job posting on a board somewhere, but that post is surrounded by other job openings.

Even if you do not have any current vacancies, generating widespread interest in your company is a good idea. Doing this will help you fill your trucks faster, earning higher profits for your company.

Driver recruiting needs to focus on both niche and mass audiences. Mass or niche market symbol. Businessman flips wooden cubes and changes words 'mass market' to 'niche market'. Beautiful white background, copy space. Business and mass or niche market concept.

Intentional driver recruiting tactics like social media marketing, geofencing, retargeting, and content creation all take time and money. It may seem like a reactive approach is the smart move. However, intentional campaigns far outperform reactive campaigns and help your company earn higher profits.

Interested in learning how your company can become intentional? Call us at (801)419-0164 or you can fill out the form on our homepage.

5 Tips to Get Truck Drivers to Engage With Your Content

Posted on by Jake Peters

Content creation has always been an essential element of recruiting truck drivers. In the past trucking companies would create newspaper ads and radio advertisements. Today, recruiters need to be creating content that engages truck drivers online.

This is the question:

How can you get prospective drivers to interact with the content you work hard to create?

Here are the 5 tips to get truck drivers to engage with your content:

  1. Create Different Kinds of Content
  2. Create Content That Interests Drivers
  3. Post Content Where the Drivers Already Are
  4. Invite Drivers to Follow You
  5. Pay to Play

Create Different Kinds of Content

Everyone on the planet enjoys consuming content differently. Some people like to read, some enjoy infographics, and others love videos. Depending on the scenario an individual is in, their preferences may be completely different than what is normal.

Truck drivers are the same way. Each of them enjoys uniquely consuming content.

To get drivers to engage with your content, you need to cover all of your bases. You need to be creating content that drivers can read, view, watch, and listen to.

cartoon person creating different kinds of content

Create Content That Interests Drivers

It is tempting to focus solely on creating content that persuades drivers to work for your company. However, this is not a good strategy if you want drivers to engage with your content.

If all you are posting is content that tries to recruit drivers they will quickly begin to ignore your posts. You need to create content that will provide value to drivers other than introducing them to your company.

An example of a trucking company creating content that interests drivers is Driveteks’ client, Wave Express. They frequently post about things like driving safe in the winter, avoiding tired driving, and best road trip snacks.

Effective backlinking strategies will encourage drivers to click from your non-recruiting content to your recruiting content. Think of the non-recruiting content as a lure that brings drivers to your site. Once on your site, they are more perceptive to your recruiting content.

Post Content Where the Drivers Already Are

If you have not posted much content online in the past then chances are your company has a very small following, if at all. Growing an online following takes a lot of time and diligence.

Fortunately, there are already groups built for you filled with your target demographic. Find as many as you can and join them.

Posting interesting content to social media groups filled with truck drivers will immediately kick start your company’s web presence.

Invite Drivers to Follow You 

Once you begin posting in trucking groups and are getting truck drivers to engage with your content you need to invite them to follow you.

This can mean asking them to follow your social media, subscribe to YouTube, signup for emails, etc.

Nearly every piece of content you publish should have some reminder (that is not annoying) to follow your company.

The larger your following is, the more prospective drivers you will be able to reach for free. Plus, if people go out of their way to follow you, that means they like your company. It will be easier to convince these drivers following you to apply to work for your company.

Excited man inviting the reader

Pay to Play

As frustrating as it is, paid advertisements are the best way to get your content in front of as many eyes as possible.

Facebook and other platforms make a lot of money from advertisements. It makes sense that they would build an algorithm that limits exposure for free content and encourages paid advertising.

Working with a trucking company advertising agency will ensure that your ad spend is being used optimally. You will not waste money on ineffective advertising. The money you spend will generate the maximum amount of impressions, clicks, and engagement.

Without content, it is nearly impossible to recruit truck drivers. Content creation is useless if potential drivers are not interacting with it. There is much more to engagement than simply posting the content. Follow these 5 tips and you have potential drivers interacting with your content in no time.

Start Encouraging Your Truck Drivers to Drive With Pets

Posted on by admin

For decades truck drivers have been sneaking their pets on board with them. They had to do this because their employer would not allow them to drive with a pet in the truck. However, in recent years carriers have loosened on the anti-pet policy. If your company has not done so yet, you should consider it. Here is why you need to start encouraging your truck drivers to drive with pets.

Dog sits in the passenger seat of semi truck

Healthier and Happier Drivers

The purpose of purchasing a pet is because you are looking for companionship. It is no wonder that drivers who have their fur-pal with them are healthier and happier.

Becoming a truck driver means long days filled with lonely hours. Without a partner to keep them company, drivers can become depressed. Dealing with loneliness and depression can cause drivers to become burnt out.

Research shows that spending 15 minutes with a dog improves people’s mood. In addition to improving moods, dogs require exercise. Because the dogs need exercise your truck drivers will become healthier people.

Increased Driver Retention Rate

Having a high turnover rate is one of the most expensive liabilities a carrier can have. According to Stay Metrics, a truck company with 100 drivers, 100% turnover rate, and average cost to hire of $8,000, spends $800,000 a year on hiring.

Encouraging drivers to bring a pet with them on the road can save your company thousands of dollars every year.

Drivers that have pets with them will be happier meaning they will be less likely to leave.

Also, drivers truly value working for a company that cares for them. Your company can send the message you care about your drivers health by encouraging them to have a pet. Drivers that feel cared for will stay with your company.

Finger increases retention rate from good to great.

Improved Driver Performance 

By simply encouraging drivers to bring pets with them on the road, their performance will improve.

Drivers will be healthier and happier, leading them to make smarter driving decisions. Plus, having another living creature in the truck that the driver cares about will make the driver more cautious.

Cautious drivers have far fewer accidents and are more reliable.

Better for Your Bottom Line

Your company will become more profitable once you encourage drivers to bring pets with them. Revenue will increase because your drivers perform better which allows you to deliver more shipments. Costs will be down as well.

The costs associated with turnover will decrease as drivers choose to stay with you.

Insurance for drivers will also become less expensive. Because the drivers will have to be more active with their pets, they will be in better health.

Employing healthier drivers will lead to less claims being made. The less claims your company makes, the more affordable company health insurance becomes.

There is a difference between tolerating drivers bringing pets with them and encouraging the drivers. Tolerating is good, but start encouraging your truck drivers to drive with pets in order to see maximum results. The drivers will live better lives and your company will see better profits.

7 Tips to Improve Your Employer Brand

Posted on by admin

Your company has an employer brand whether you actively work on it or not. Quality drivers are well aware of the best and worst employers. Here are 7 tips to improve your employer brand.

Benefits of a Strong Employer Brand and What it is

Employer branding is how potential drivers perceive your company. This is your reputation as an employer.

An employer branding campaign aims to improve your company’s attractiveness to the top drivers and increase retention rate.

Building your company’s employer brand will lead to lower recruitment costs. Drivers will know that your company is a great place to work and will actively seek out opportunities to work for you. Your company will not have to spend exuberant amounts on job postings.

The strongest employer brands attract the top quality of drivers. Truck drivers that are true professionals, and take pride in their craft, want to work for carriers that are the best of the best.

Lowering your recruitment costs and hiring the top talent is going to lead to improved company performance.

What's your brand written out on clipboard

How to Identify Your Employer Brand

Before you embark on building your employer brand, you need to assess where you are starting from.

Employer review sites, like Glassdoor, are the best place to begin identifying your employer brand. Glassdoor gives you quantitative ratings and how each rating stacks up against the competition.

Computer tab open to glassdoor

After reviewing your rankings on sites like Glassdoor, the next step is social listening. Social listening is done by searching your company on social media. You need to read your mentions and interactions. Reddit forums and trucking social groups are a great place for social listening.

If your employer turnover is high, that is a key indicator you have a weak employer brand.

7 Tips to Build Your Employer Brand

  1. Define What You Want the Culture to be

    If your company does not have a clearly defined culture then it is up to you to define it. Write out a clear vision and mission statement. 

    Once you have your vision and mission statement, establish 3 – 5 company values. These values are at the core of your company’s decision making process.

  2. Hire Culture Fits

    After defining what the company culture is, start hiring drivers that match your culture.

    You can do this by communicating the company values to potential drivers in the interview process. The drivers that you hire should strongly identify with at least two of the values.

    Potential hires that do not align with company values will not do well in your company and will hinder your employer brand.

  3. Treat Potential Drivers as Customers

    Quality truck drivers are the most valuable asset to your company. Companies that employ top notch professionals experience lower turnover rate and higher profits.

    During the hiring process, you need to treat the drivers as customers. It is up to you to ‘wow’ them. Sell the drivers on why working for your company will make their lives better.

    Treating potential drivers as customers will help you attract the top professionals.

  4. Use Storytelling

    You need to be frequently producing content that tells the story of your company. Tell stories about how much your current drivers love working for you.

    Potential drivers and passive candidates will interact with these stories and recognize your company as a great place to work. Positive stories build up employer brands.

    Hand writing Tell Your Story in expo marker

  5. Act on Feedback

    As you are going over your reviews on Glassdoor and conducting social listening, you will come across plenty of feedback. Assess whether this feedback is legitimate.

    If you come across positive feedback, double down on what you are doing well. Negative feedback that is brought up repeatedly needs to be fixed.

  6. Increase Driver Perks and Benefits

    The quickest way to get your drivers to brag about your company is by paying them more.

    However, solely paying your drivers more is not enough to build up your employer brand. You need to utilize all 7 tips.

  7. Be Authentic

    Drivers will see through you if you are not being authentic.

    To avoid this, come up with company values that your staff truly identifies with. Do not set values that you think potential drivers want to hear. That is inauthentic.

Whether you are aware of it or not, you have an employer brand. Drivers are taking note about which companies are best to work for. Follow these 7 tips to improve your employer brand, attract the best drivers, and increase company profitability.

How to Lead Your Truck Company in a Volatile Market

Posted on by admin

"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.

How to Set Up Your Company for Recruitment Success

Posted on by admin

Today, drivers are more accessible than ever. You can reach drivers 24/7 because of the internet. So why is it that companies across the nation are struggling to recruit talent? The problem may be that companies are not setting up their recruitment team for success. In order to effectively find qualified drivers online your company needs to utilize digital marketing specialists. Either hire specialists in-house or work with an agency. Recruiters have enough to worry about, don’t put too much on their plate by expecting them to also become digital marketers. The more time recruiters spend online trying to implement digital marketing strategies, the less time they can spend recruiting. Here is how to set up your company for recruitment success.

Recruiters Need to Recruit!

Recruiters are intended to contact quality drivers, get them through orientation, and keep them in the company. Digital marketing should not be one of their responsibilities. Recruiter efficiency will be maximized in a system where they are provided a pool of warm leads. Then the recruiters can focus on phoning.

Kelly Anderson talks about distracted recruiters in his webinar, Latest Techniques for Finding & Recruiting Truck Drivers. Here he mentions that recruiters get distracted with finding drivers online and forget to call them. This leads to poor results.

If a recruiter is not on the phone trying to bring drivers into the door then they need to be focused on orientation, building trust with drivers, and retention. Articles by CDL Training Spot, and Tenstreet discuss what it takes to be a successful driver recruiter. Neither article mentions anything about learning digital marketing strategies that find qualified drivers online.

Every work related task that the recruiter does needs to be directly related to speaking with potential drivers, getting drivers through orientation, and retaining top talent. Anything else the recruiter does is not optimizing their time.

Team of digital marketers

Recruiters are NOT Digital Marketers

Recruiters should not have anything to do with implementing a driver focused digital marketing strategy. Digital marketing and driver recruiting are two fields that require an immense amount of time and attention to detail.

An effective digital campaign will involve technical strategies such as social media interaction, geofencing, mobile-first design, and building a recruitment landing page. Randall Reilly wrote an article on the Top Four Digital Trends for Recruiting Truck Drivers. According to the article the top trends are: mobile, social, video, and hot topics. Do you want your recruiters spending their days making videos and writing blog posts or contacting potential drivers?

Trying to recruit and market will lead to recruiters not doing either one particularly well. You do not want your recruiters to be a ‘Jack of All Trades, Master of None’. Set up an environment where recruiters can be master recruiters and another team can be master digital marketers.

Trucking companies need to setup an ecosystem where either an agency or an in-house team focus solely on digital marketing strategies that find qualified drivers. Then recruiters start smiling and dialing their way through that pool of drivers. Finally, the recruiters need to devote some time to orientation and retention. This system is how you set up your company for recruitment success.

Stepping up Your Driver Recruiting Game

Posted on by admin

Semi truck drives along road in the mountains. Driver recruiting filled the seat of the truck.

Truck Driver recruiting is one of the most critical pieces to a successful trucking operation. If not done effectively, it can cripple your business.  It is also one of the most difficult to master.

Figuring out how to meet the recruiting needs of your trucking operation can be tricky when you do not have the spending power that the mega trucking companies do. Here are strategies that will help you make educated decisions.

– COST OF DRIVER RECRUITING –

Knowing how to spend your money for recruiting may make or break factor for your company.

There are 2 ways to look at it: Spend the money on people or on process. According to Glassdoor.com, based on over 30,000 salary entries, the average pay for a driver recruiter is about $43k per year or about $3500/mo. If you dig a little deeper, you can see that the range goes from as low as $28k up to $72k.

At those salary ranges you could be hiring an inexperienced to moderately experienced employee that could manage your recruiting efforts. You could also look to an agency that will manage the process for you. There are pros and cons to both.

    1. The pro of hiring in house that you can keep your finger on the pulse of what is happening more. That person can have a first hand understanding of the operation and culture of your organization. The con is that you are limited to the skill set and ability of the person you hire. When hiring this person you are absorbing the cost of the employee in addition to the costs of advertising and marketing the positions you need to fill.
    2. The pro to hiring an agency is that with the right agency, you tap into recruiting abilities that you wont get with a single employee. Cons to hiring an agency – its scary. It is difficult to know whom you can trust and whether or not they can deliver what you need.

– TECHNOLOGY FOR DRIVER RECRUITING –

The process for looking for a job is so much different now then it was 10 years ago.

So what has changed?

People still have to find new employment, fill out an application, get a background check, and a million other things. So why is it that traditional forms of recruiting aren’t effective anymore? Technology is the answer.

With the Internet, potential drivers and employees are able to research you as a company, find out what you have to offer in compensation, hear what your employees say about you and generally assess whether they feel they would be a good fit for the job.

The best thing you can do as a carrier is to get ahead of the technological curve. Make sure your online presence is up to par. Also ensure your website portrays you in the best light possible and gives an honest impression of what it is like to work for your company. Focus on the competitive advantages you have to offer.

Another way to get ahead of the curve is to make sure that your company can be found. There are a lot of ways to do this: Search Engine Optimization (SEO), properly developed profiles on job boards and social media.

Make sure that your process for applying for the job is geared toward mobile users. Recent statistics show that more then half of all internet traffic is through mobile devices world wide, and that as much as 70-80% of truck driver applications are being submitted via a mobile device.

Knowing the direction that internet traffic is heading allows you to cater your application process to the mobile user.

Maximizing on these 2 things doesn’t solve the puzzle. However, it definitely positions you above most of the competition. As companies focus efforts on catering the recruiting experience to the driver and not to the company, the effectiveness of the recruiting effort increases.