How To Hire And Retain Drivers For Your Truck

naraetruckMarch 10, 2022

0 176 4 minutes read

As consumers become accustomed to the close gratification of purchasing with a touch and receiving a delivery at breakneck speed, the expectations on the trucking sector will only increase.

Even though the American Trucking Association reports that 7.8 million people worked in trucking-related employment in 2018. Up 100,000 from the previous year, the prediction still expects an increasing driver shortage.

This is especially critical in light of the present competitive hiring environment and driver scarcity. According to the American Trucking Association’s research, the US trucking sector would face a shortfall of 160,000 drivers by 2028 if current trends continue.

As a result, the industry is considering new and innovative approaches to attracting and retaining talent. Here are a few innovative ways the trucking industry is rethinking how it recruits new drivers and keeps them happy in their careers.

Hiring and retention strategies

When you consider the costs of locating and hiring new drivers, increasing your retention rate can save you thousands of dollars while also improving the working environment for your staff.

There are a few things you can do to make your firm more appealing to employees and keep drivers for longer.

Change your hiring practices
Put your culture in the portrait
Invest in the best fleet management technology available
Recruit a new generation of truck drivers
Make things easier
Express respect for the driver

Change your hiring practices

Many current truckers are approaching the age of retirement. Perhaps, necessitating a broadening of your employment activities and throwing a wider net to target young drivers.

In brief, you need to communicate in a tone that these millennial drivers can grasp and concentrate on the issues that are important to them.

Here are a couple of ideas:

Make use of social media

Social media may greatly enhance the reach of your job advertising, in addition to being a valuable marketing tool. Millennials, being a generation raised on the internet, don’t just utilize social media to interact and enjoy. They use it to look for new job prospects as well.

Make your hiring procedure more efficient

The average time it takes to go through all the standard recruitment procedures is driving youngsters crazy. Evaluate your recruiting process to discover redundant procedures and eliminate them.

Emphasize the benefits that millennials value

Emphasize the benefits that millennials value Millennial truck drivers. Such as their colleagues in other professions, seek job satisfaction, fitness, and wellness, among many other things.

In your job postings, emphasize these advantages. If you don’t already provide them, it’s time to evaluate your compensation package.

Put your culture in the portrait

Your fleet’s pay and other concrete advantages are certainly significant, but they aren’t everything. When all other factors are held constant, drivers will always choose the fleet with the most appealing business culture.

When they’re on the road, they also feel cut off from the rest of the company. Similarly, many fleet drivers say they do not receive enough support at work to help them face difficult situations.

Such as interacting with law enforcement and problematic customers. Your business needs to take a hard look and question if your corporate culture fosters a positive atmosphere.

Perhaps, to encourage drivers to apply for open positions. In your job postings, highlight your company’s culture.

Invest in the best fleet management technology available

It takes more than just traveling from place to place to drive in a fleet. External rules and internal disclosure requirements must be followed by drivers. Vehicle health maintenance and safety factors are also major problems.

Fleet drivers’ jobs can be made more difficult by outdated technologies. For example, not having sensors aboard deprives your drivers of its demonstrated benefits in terms of efficiency and safety.

Electronic logging devices are another example. Non-compliance difficulties and roll with law enforcement are more likely if your fleet cars lack driver-friendly ELD technology.

Recruit a new generation of truck drivers

According to recent statistics, about 8% of long-haul truckers are female. This is an opportunity for freight businesses to attract additional drivers in this market. Particularly as long-haul trucking has the worst driver shortage.

Even though the statistics are small, shipping companies are starting to pay greater attention to this information.

According to the Women in Trucking Association, tracking female drivers and managers has improved by 19 percent.

Perhaps, indicating that “greater firms are increasingly monitoring these data and can contrast with other carriers in the sector,” which is encouraging.

Make things easier

What occurs following the hiring process is as crucial in terms of job satisfaction. Factors include mentorships, personalized courses depending on expertise, driver family contact, and up to six months of engagement with new workers.

Trucking innovations are trying to make things easier. Modern vehicles and safety systems are standard on new trucks. Which can watch the road, look for obstructions or unsafe driving, and even apply the brakes automatically.

Not to mention that new engines are easier to handle than ever before. Cabs are now specially designed, and with automated vehicles on the horizon. Therefore, many claim that drivers’ jobs will be much improved.

Express respect for the driver

When asked why they believe fleets struggle with driver turnover, 66 percent of drivers cited respect as a key factor. Truck drivers want to feel like they’re a part of something bigger than themselves.

20% of truck drivers believe their job is demeaning. Creating a mentor program is one strategy to encourage truck driver respect. Pairing veteran drivers with inexperienced drivers can help to foster a feeling of community.

New employees can learn the ropes of the industry from more experienced drivers through this mentoring relationship. They can also study how to cope with the stress of lengthy hauls and day-to-day trucking life.

Conclusion

To conclude, driver satisfaction is the future of trucking. The freight industry’s expectations will only increase in the future. While the market considers ways of increasing, these concepts are not feasible in the medium future.

The trucking sector will have to solve the driver shortage problem if it is to meet the market expectations today and in the future. The status quo will not suffice.

Whether you have a driver for a van truck or any commercial fleet. Give them respect and honor their hard work