As technology and the career landscape change, the ways that companies attract employees also need to adapt. For example, when an owner-operator needs more drivers, they must be proactive in their efforts to fill their positions.
But what is the best way to recruit drivers? There are many recruitment strategies companies can use to entice fleet drivers to apply for the open positions.
From utilizing the internet to working with in-person recruiters, the options are endless. Understanding common recruitment strategies and how to use them is the first step to growing your business with quality employees.
Why Having Good Recruitment Strategies Is Important
When your trucking company needs to hire more drivers, you cannot sit and wait for them to come to you. If you don’t make an effort to market your open positions and incentivize drivers to work for you, then you likely will not receive as many applicants as you would like.
A recruitment strategy is a great way for companies to advertise open positions, benefits and more. Recruitment strategies are designed to find potential employees where they already are, such as through job boards, on social media or via recruiters.
Good recruitment strategies are one of the best ways to attract new talent in today’s work environment. However, companies need to keep in mind that recruiting can cost money. Whether you post a social media ad, work with a recruiter or offer incentives like sign-on bonuses, you’ll have to pay an extra expense.
Typically, the prices are worth the benefit of filling your open positions, but you need to ensure that you are being strategic about your recruiting processes. That way, you can trust that you won’t be spending unnecessary money on ill-targeted recruitment attempts.
6 Best Recruitment Strategies
There are many driver recruitment strategies that you could implement in your business. However, the answer to “How do I attract new drivers?” might be different for every business. Keep reading to explore some of the most popular and successful ways to recruit truck drivers. Check them out and consider which options may work best for your company.
Utilizing Social Media
Most people, including drivers, are on social media in some capacity. Popular platforms that are great for recruiting truck drivers include Facebook, LinkedIn, Twitter and Instagram.
LinkedIn is an especially great option since it’s a platform specifically designed for professional networking. Additionally, you can post on your company’s social media accounts to advertise the available positions and use targeted hashtags to help the post find your target audience.
Most social media sites also allow you to purchase targeted ads. You can create an advertisement, usually for a small fee, and the social media site will help you narrow down your niche and find your targeted audience. This is a great way to advertise your position and benefits since many drivers already use social media as it is.
Having Specialized Recruiters
Some people’s full-time job is to match companies with the right employees. Known as specialized recruiters, they are experts at finding, screening and hiring applicants within certain industries, including trucking.
Some truck driver recruiters may handle the entire recruitment process, including writing the job listing, posting the listing, finding candidates, interviewing applicants and selecting the best driver for your company. Hiring a recruiter will cost money, but it can be money well spent when recruiters take the burden of hiring talent off of your shoulders.
Implementing Referral Programs
More likely than not, your current drivers are in contact with other drivers in the trucking industry. By offering a referral program to your current drivers, you can use those contacts to benefit your business and your current employees.
A referral program rewards current employees when they refer a potential employee to an open position with your company. If the person who was referred to the company ends up being hired, both the driver who referred them and the new hire will get a substantial monetary bonus.
Promoting Benefits of the Company
If you’re asking, “How do you attract and retain a truck driver?” the answer might be in your benefits package. Potential employees aren’t just looking for companies with the best salary and hours. They also want to work for a company with a healthy environment and good benefits.
Medical insurance, retirement plans, PTO and employee appreciation programs are important considerations that drivers often look for when considering the idea of accepting a new position. Additionally, impressive benefits could be the difference between accepting and declining a job.
Benefits can also boost the loyalty your employees have towards your company. If you offer training for inexperienced drivers, you should also mention that. Many new drivers want to work, but they need a way into the industry, so if you offer CDL training, then promoting that opportunity might help you recruit many young and eager talents.
When advertising for an open position, it’s also important to mention your company’s benefits. List the benefits that you offer as well as why a fleet driver might want to work for your company. This will help you draw applicants in and encourage them to apply.
Clear Postings On Job Boards
If your job posting is sloppy and unclear, drivers aren’t going to engage with it. So, when creating a posting for a job board, make sure you properly describe the company, the position, the hours and what you’re looking for in a delivery driver.
Breaking this information into different sections and using bullet points can make the posting much more digestible. You want to ensure the job listing is enough to make an employee want to apply.
It may even be a good idea to build a template for job listings. That way, you can simply input the updated and relevant information. You’ll also be able to trust that each listing is uniform and clear.
Consider What the Driver Is Looking For
When recruiting truck drivers, stop for a moment and consider what a potential driver might be looking for in a position. When you have a clearer understanding of what fleet drivers are looking for, it’ll be easier to design the driver recruiting strategies accordingly.
If you aren’t sure what truck drivers are looking for, try conducting an internal survey to get the perspective of your current employees. You can ask them what made them choose your company, what they like about their job, what they might change and other similar topics. This information can help you identify what you should highlight in your job listings.
Communicate What Makes Your Business Different
If you have fleet driver positions to fill, don’t worry. There are plenty of truck drivers looking for new jobs to advance their careers. You just need to find the best way to reach them and then entice them to apply. Driver recruitment strategies are the best way to do this.
With driver recruitment strategies in place, you will have the opportunity to tell potential employees what makes you different and what you can offer them as a company. Details such as benefits, CDL training and assistance with licensing are all topics that can set you apart and help you attract as well as retain high-quality drivers.
FAQ
Recruiting strategies can help companies attract drivers. Offering a healthy work environment as well as benefits can also help you boost company loyalty amongst your employees.
Employees want to feel appreciated. So, in an effort to keep your drivers happy, you’ll want to offer competitive pay and benefits as well as foster a healthy workplace environment.
Trucking is a hard industry, and many drivers are quitting because they feel they aren’t getting paid enough to work under the conditions required of them. Good pay, benefits and work-life balance are crucial to retaining good drivers.
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