Onboarding starts from day zero (and even before)
Onboarding, by the traditional definition, begins when a driver arrives for their first training session.
In reality, onboarding begins well before that. Your very first phone call to a potential new driver, and every point of communication after it, sets the tone for how a driver feels about your fleet.
In fact, drivers already have a preconceived impression of you before they even consider applying. The truck driver community tends to be close-knit, and they share stories about every fleet, both good and bad.
That’s why onboarding actually starts well before that Day Zero recruiting discussion. When a driver learns about your fleet, either through an ad, social media or chatter from other drivers while on the road, your reputation begins to be formed in their mind.
So how do you create an onboarding plan that begins even before a driver makes contact? With a consistent message, shared across all your departments, about who you are, what you do, and why you’re a great fleet to drive for.
Let’s start at the first step of your onboarding plan: marketing.
Is your reputation solid among drivers?
Here’s how you find out – and what to do if it isn’t.
Be part of the conversation.Truck drivers have a lot more than the trusty CB radio at their disposal now – they’re active on social media networks too. This means it’s easy for you to join the conversation as well. When you do (if you haven’t already, of course), just make sure you’re doing it the right way!
- Act as an observer first. Commenting on every post can make it seem like you’re trying to dominate the conversation. Instead, make drivers aware you’re here, you’re listening, and you’re ready to answer questions if they have any.
- Be honest with no BS. Drivers have a nose for the truth, and no patience for heavy-handed corporate speak. Make sure to use straightforward language in your posts and interactions.
- Listen and take action. If the chatter around your fleet is overwhelmingly negative, listen to find out why. Then call a meeting with the rest of your fleet to take steps to correct the problem.
Once you’ve tailored your marketing strategies so dialogue with drivers and your fleet already exists, you’ve set your recruiters up for success.
The very first phone call: empowering your recruiters with the right message
The most important part of your marketing strategy is your employee value proposition (more on that on page 10 of the Ultimate Onboarding Guide). This should be used as a guiding principle to create a consistent message. Once you’ve done that, you can share it with every department. That way, drivers will receive the same on-brand message all the time, every time.
Here’s what to do before your team makes another phone call.
Empower your recruiters. Along with knowing your EVP inside and out, allow your team the power to be transparent. Trust that they’ll know if a driver is a poor fit, even with the right experience.
Respond fast. Studies show that the risk of driver ghosting increases if a fleet takes more than 24 hours to respond to a message. Make sure to reply as soon as possible, and no more than a day later.
Set expectations for you both. Make sure drivers know when they’ll hear from you, who else will be reviewing their applications, and the upcoming checkpoints of their onboarding journey. This clears any confusion and ensures drivers know what’s coming next.
Prepare drivers for launch
Great! A driver has accepted your offer. This might be the most crucial moment, though, for keeping your new driver engaged, enthusiastic and ready for their first training session. Here’s how.
Make sure drivers know who’s involved in the next steps. The hand-off from recruiter to HR advisor to team trainer is often when drivers start to become disenchanted. Once they’ve signed on, tell them who will be taking them through the next onboarding steps.
Ensure everyone stays on message. Empower everyone on your team with robust information sessions about your EVP, who your fleet is – and who your fleet isn’t.
Make it clear where and how documents should be submitted. Show drivers where they can submit things like their license, HAZMAT card and so on. If you use an online system, give them a brief how-to session.
Orientation is more than a checkpoint on the employment journey at your fleet – it is part of your fleet’s culture itself. If you approach onboarding with this in mind, it will become part of what your company does every day – from marketing to training and beyond.