Recruiters at trucking companies are under a lot of pressure. Faced with high turnover and an ever-shrinking pool of truck drivers to choose from, the temptation to hire as quickly and often as possible is enormous.
But just filling seats won’t help if the truck drivers you’re choosing aren’t the best candidates. Likely you have a checklist, formal or not, of things you do to make hiring drivers go more quickly.
Take a moment and read our list of things you shouldn’t do during the hiring process. You may find it helps you improve your efforts to hire the best truck drivers out there.
Don’t Misrepresent What You’re Offering to Drivers
It’s essential to be open and honest with prospective truck drivers from the first point of contact right through orientation and beyond. Define your expectations and be candid about what they can expect from working with your trucking company.
Be clear about hours/miles, routes, equipment, handling of documentation and particulars around compensation. Most of all, resist the urge to amplify the position or your company in an attempt to seem more appealing. You’ll be doing yourself a favor by letting drivers know upfront what they’re getting with you and how your company operates. If you mislead them, they’re more likely to contribute to your turnover later on down the line.
Don’t Keep Truck Drivers Waiting
Responsiveness is a key component for successful recruiters. Drivers have too many options, so you don’t want potential leads sitting in your inbox waiting for a response.
What’s more, your first contacts with drivers will signal what they can expect from your company. Make certain you’re responding quickly and professionally throughout the hiring process.
Using an automated response system can help with those initial touchpoints. TruckRight’s online software solution for recruiters allows you to set up email/text messages to send to candidates thanking them for their applications. If they fail to complete their application, it will even send a reminder prompt to bring them back to finish applying.
Don’t Complicate the Truck Driver Recruiting Process
You haven’t got time to waste, and neither do potential truck drivers. Make the process of applying and onboarding as straightforward for drivers as you can, and you’ll increase your success rate at filling driver seats.
A truck driver Applicant Tracking System (ATS) plus remote onboarding solution, like TruckRight, makes onboarding quick and easy. Using our mobile, paperless workflow system allows you to capture applicants from wherever they are while auto-generating all DOT required documents.
As a first touchpoint with your company, giving drivers an onboarding solution they can experience using their phones will make an excellent first impression for you. And they’ll appreciate the ease of applying to join your company.
Don’t Rush to Hire Truck Drivers
This may seem counterintuitive when we’re talking about making the hiring process quick and easy. Yes, making it easier for drivers to apply and get onboarded is essential. So is taking the time to review applicants, getting the proper background information, and ensuring that you’re hiring the right, safe recruits.
Don’t give in to the pressure to hire candidates for the sake of filling seats. You’ll be doing your company a disservice if you hire someone unsuitable in the hopes that they might work out.
Expand Your Hiring Pool
You’re likely one of the many companies who are struggling to find qualified drivers who suit your company’s culture. Some companies who lead the pack in innovation are expanding their hiring pool. Have you considered holding a CDL refresher course taught by your staff to help Class a CDL holders who have been out of the truck a while to hone their critical skills and get them back behind the wheel? Or even running an apprenticeship program with people who don’t have their CDLs yet?
Work Smart and Hire the Best Truck Drivers
It’s up to you to find the recruiting systems and develop the hiring processes that work best for you and your trucking company. Knowing what not to do can be almost as important as having the right approach.
The main thing is to attract, hire and retain the best drivers. With the right people in place, you can focus on doing the best possible job for your customers. In the end, isn’t that what matters?