Truck Driver Recruiting: Four Tips For Boosting Referrals

May 14, 2013

Create an effective referral pipeline by making your drivers believers.

It All Starts With Effective Messaging.
Selling a qualified candidate on your company is the end goal of any recruiting interaction. If your message isn’t compelling enough, you’re losing sales.

Yes, each driver has his or her own unique perspective on the company. But every driver should be aware of, and believe, your core selling points. And those points should be listed on the referral cards your drivers carry.

Four Steps To A More Effective Referral Program:

  1. Involve drivers in message development: Have you ever asked your drivers what attracted them to the company, and why they like working with you? You may be surprised what you hear. And if what you hear from your drivers bears scant resemblance to what you (and your recruiters) are telling prospects, you need to change your message.
  2. Make sure you have driver Buy-In: A client of ours once told us Referral Programs were useless, because their drivers were convinced more drivers meant less work for them. The truth was, the company had never effectively communicated the fact that more drivers enabled them to take that many more loads—which meant more work for everybody. We helped them develop convincing communications to that effect—and guess what: Referrals are now the company’s top source of new drivers.
  3. Hold periodic referral contests: Set specific beginning and end dates. Two or three months is a reasonable period. And remember: Prizes and rewards are only part of the formula for success. A genuinely effective referral contest keeps drivers engaged.
  4. Give drivers personalized referral cards. Sure, personalized cards (custom-printed with drivers’ names) cost more than mass-produced cards. But your drivers will  be a lot likelier to hand them out. Which means, in the long run, those cards are a lot likelier to pay for themselves.

Finally: An Important Warning
I hinted at it earlier: Drivers have to believe in the company’s selling points. Which means they have to believe in the company. If you’ve earned a reputation for treating drivers poorly, you don’t need to worry about improving your selling points. You need worry about improving your company. Otherwise, that great referral campaign will just become a pipeline fueling your turnover rate.


For Further Reading:

Driver Recruiting Ads Should Focus On What Matters To Truckers

How To Competitively Recruit Truck Drivers Without Appearing Negative

4 Ways Oakley Maximizes Driver Recruiting AND Retention

2 Comments | Branding, Communications, Driver Incentives, Driver Recruitment, Driver Referrals, Driver Retention, Recruiters | Tagged: , , | Permalink
Posted by francishare

How NOT To Recruit Owner Operator Drivers (Part 1)

March 19, 2013

Truck Driver in Semi Truck

Six Tips From Three Experts

It’s no secret that recruiting Owner Operators is harder than ever. By some industry estimates, the total number of Owner Operators in the market is 1/3 what it was just before the recession began in 2008.

Not only that, says CareersInGear.com’s Carol Gibson, Owner Operators are less likely to switch companies now than they were just last year. “Freight’s good for Owner Operators now, so why would they leave—particularly if they’re with companies who took care of them when freight was down?”

Which made me think that now might be a good time to ask a few experts (including yours truly) for specific lessons they’ve learned—either from others, or from experience—in recruiting Owner Operators over the years.


FRANCIS HARE - TalkingTruckers.com

1)  Don’t underestimate the challenge. You have to invest more to attract Owner Operators than you do to recruit Company Drivers. Particularly if you’re just now entering the Owner Operator market. That starts with developing a powerful brand message that sets you apart from the competition. A message that’s communicated consistently, from your print and online ads to the “talking points” your recruiters use during telephone interviews.

If your brand isn’t well-established, the only way to overcome that disadvantage in the short term is with a truly superior offer, IE: Significantly higher pay or sign-on bonuses; or maybe an especially competitive Lease Purchase program. And don’t even think about recruiting Owner Operators without a solid referral program.

2)  Don’t change your message in mid-stream. One of the most important reasons to think through your messaging strategy is because it takes time to establish that message in the market.

Common ad-world wisdom holds that someone has to see your message three times before it sinks in—so if you change your message, it’s like starting over from scratch. Particularly with online job boards—where every content change drops you down the queue in maximizing your job posts’ prominence on the web, and frequent changes will pretty much keep you stuck at the back of the line.

Bottom line: Develop a strong selling message and offer. Then give it enough time to start working. And don’t panic if it doesn’t generate immediate results. You’ll only make the situation worse.


JEFF GRAY - Randall Reilly

3)  Don’t limit your advertising to one medium. Different generations access information differently. While there’s been a decided movement in spending toward online job boards, Gray notes that the truck driving population is aging. “The youngest Boomers will be 50 by the end of 2004, and studies clearly indicate that older drivers (who are typically not computer savvy) are much more apt to seek job info from print sources.”

4)  Don’t under-spend on your ad budget. Gray notes that when Randall launched the Owner Operator Network in 2011, the company committed a huge investment in search advertising to reach Owner Operators. “And remember,” Gray says, “that was two years ago, when the pool of Owner Operators was larger than it is now.”


JEREMY KELLETT - Oakley Trucking

5)  Don’t “sell”. More importantly, don’t over-sell. No company is right for every driver, says Kellett—so it’s important to determine first if there’s a good match between a prospect and your company. “If you try to make an opportunity sound better than it really is, or if you try to place a driver in a position he won’t like, you’ll end-up losing that driver. And you’ll probably hurt your reputation in the process.”

6)  Don’t expect to hire drivers on the first call. Hiring Owner Operators is like any business sales cycle, Kellet notes: It takes multiple contacts. “It’s a process of building a relationship, and mutual trust—and that takes time.” Conversely, Kellett cautions against hiring drivers who are ready to start work with you immediately. “Whenever we hear from a caller like that, a red flag goes up. And we almost always find-out there’s a good reason we were suspicious in the first place.” 

COMING SOON: PART TWO

FOR FURTHER READING:
Five Steps For Recruiting Owner Operator Truck Drivers

Better Branding Maximizes Truck Driver Recruiting Effectiveness

4 Ways Oakley Maximizes Driver Recruiting And Retention

2 Comments | Advertising, Benefits, Branding, Communications, Driver Incentives, Driver Pay, Driver Recruitment, Driver Referrals, Driver Retention, Media Advertising, Owner Operators, Recruiters, SEO | Permalink
Posted by francishare

How Con-way Recruits Young Truck Drivers With Apprenticeships

February 27, 2013

A well-run apprenticeship program can be an excellent way to replace your aging fleet with loyal young drivers whose skills you know you can trust.

David May, a driver-sales representative for Con-way Freight, is a well-known industry advocate and ambassador. He’s written a heartfelt piece that looks back at his past—and ahead to trucking’s future. Here are the highlights:

After graduating high school in 1976 I was living in an old steel/manufacturing town where there were few employment possibilities. The only things at that time that interested me were truck driving and serving in the military. If I entered the military, they would train me to drive a truck, and when my enlistment was up I would be 21. So that’s the course I took, serving my country and being a truck driver in the military.

How to Attract the Next Generation.
I have been a professional truck driver for 28 years now, and increasingly I ask myself: How do we attract the next generation to the trucking industry? Simple. Take a page out of the past, invite them to join as an “apprentice”—where they can learn and experience the profession through paid, on-the-job training.

How to Structure Your Apprenticeship Program.
At Con-Way, apprentice drivers are offered a part-time 20 hour week working on the dock to provide them with income. The other 20 hours will be spent learning the industry’s rules, safety regulations and how to drive a truck—at no cost. When the candidate successfully completes the program, they’ll be offered the opportunity for promotion to full-fledged Con-way Driver.

Additional Benefits: Producing Well-Trained, CSA Compliant Drivers.
This program is designed to do much more than fill the seats of Con-way Freight’s trucks. When the student completes the program, not only will they have their Commercial Drivers License (CDL), they will have learned how to be CSA 2010 compliant. They’ll be among the best trained, safest and most knowledgeable drivers in the industry.

Click on the following link to  read the original article, “A Driver’s Story – Encouraging the Next Generation”, in its entirety.

Too Expensive For You?
Maybe you’ve decided that developing an in-house apprenticeship program is too costly. You could ask your local trucking school if they’d be interested in co-sponsoring a program with your company.

That might be a reasonable option, as long as you have an agreement protecting your investment. Here’s one idea: If a quality graduate from the program declines your offer and accepts a comparable offer with another company, maybe that individual would owe you the amount of money you invested in subsidizing his or her tuition. Here’s a better idea: Get suggestions from the fine folks in your legal department!

Get your company profiled in an article! Just send me an email outlining any recruiting and/or retention issues you deal with. CLICK HERE for contact info.

2 Comments | Benefits, Company Drivers, Driver Incentives, Driver Recruitment, Driver Retention | Tagged: , , , , | Permalink
Posted by francishare

Crete’s Healthy Approach To Truck Driver Recruiting & Retention

February 6, 2013

1Crete Carrier Corporation’s Sleep Apnea and Wellness program is paying solid dividends in word of mouth among drivers.

Tim Aschoff, Vice President of Risk Management for The Lincoln, Nebraska-based carrier, estimates his company will invest roughly $1.5 million in the program during its first two years. “We’ve always said that our drivers are Crete’s most valuable asset,” says Aschoff, “and we’ve always stood behind those words, by investing in them. Not just with better pay, but with better benefits as well. We see this program as an excellent extension of those benefits.”

Improving ROI While Reducing Turnover.
“From a business perspective, we believe the program will ultimately deliver a return on our investment. We’ve received consistenty solid feedback from drivers who’ve gone through the program. And keeping drivers happy reduces turnover. At the same time, by positively impacting driver health, we’re reducing our healthcare costs. And theirs.”

Generating Positive Publicity. And Early Success.
Driver Health Magazine labeled Crete’s initiative “one of the most effective health and wellness programs in the trucking industry.” One reason for its success: An effective communications campaign. “Before the program’s rollout,” Aschoff says, “we worked long and hard developing informative messages for our drivers—explaining exactly what the program was, and how it could help them.”

Now, any driver interested in the program can visit (free of charge) any number of locations for sleep disorder testing. In addition to its permanent Sleep Labs in Dallas or Salt Lake City, Crete’s strategic partner, Sleep Pointe, operates a number of mobile trailers at company terminals. If a sleep disorder is indeed diagnosed, Sleep Pointe will work with the driver to develop a specifically tailored program of treatment.

Growing Word Of Mouth.
While the program was initially met with some skepticism, it’s caught on. In its first eight months alone, the program (launched in 2010) treated 465 drivers. An impressive number, to be sure, but even more rewarding are the individual success stories Aschoff is hearing.

“I had one driver call me personally to tell me he’d lost 40 pounds, that he felt better than he had in years, and that he never would have done it in the first place if it hadn’t been for our program.” No wonder Aschoff himself is sleeping better these days.

Get your company profiled in an article! Just send me an email outlining any recruiting and/or retention issues you deal with. CLICK HERE for contact info.

2 Comments | Benefits, Communications, Driver Incentives, Driver Recruitment, Driver Retention, Health and Fitness | Tagged: , , , , | Permalink
Posted by francishare

A Former Military Driver-Recruiter’s Advice For Hiring Former Military.

December 19, 2012

1If you really want to hire military veterans:
Don’t just say it. Show it!

By far, the most-read article I’ve written since launching this blog in late 2010 is Truck Driver Recruiting: Look To The Military For Superior Candidates. So it was a genuine, and unexpected, pleasure when I opened a recent email from my friend Jim Reed.

A military veteran himself, Reed is one of the recruiting industry’s truly original thinkers—as evidenced by the business model he’s created for CDL-Link. And by the novel advice Jim offered me in his email (completely unsolicited) for recruiting military veterans:

Create military structure and camaraderie
“Here’s the main reason I had a difficult time initially adjusting to civilian life: I missed the military’s structure and rules. I missed the camaraderie. I missed the sense of duty. So if I owned a trucking company and truly wanted to hire former military, I would create units, platoons, squadrons, etc.”

Pay drivers based on rank and achievement
“In the military, the path to advancement (much like drivers earning increased pay and better runs) is clearly defined. For my former-military drivers, I would have squadron newsletters, quarterly meetings with rank presentations, and medals for achievement. I would have a purpose for the unit that’s clear and genuine.”

Define the mission for your military unit(s) by rank
“For starters, emphasize that every delivered load contributes to the global mission. Have higher ranking individuals train and mentor lower ranking members (NCO to E-4 or less). Then create team-wear (t-shirts or jackets) with rank, name, and unit logo.”

Display name and rank on trucks
“Look at nearly any former-military car: You’ll find a sticker or license plate-cover denoting the service and/or unit they belonged to. So why not place a former-military driver’s company rank and name right on the door of his or her truck. What a great recruiting tool at truck stops:

‘Hey, what’s with “Staff Sergeant” beside your name on the truck?’

‘Well, I’m with X platoon at XXX Trucking. And when I get 5,000 more accident-free miles, I’ll make Tech Sergeant and earn a bonus.’”

It’s got to be real
“Everyone can spot a phony. Military people are trained to believe in sense of duty, responsibility, and pride of work. The unit and mission hold troops accountable. They eat, breathe and live their missions. Provide that to former-military people, and you have a winner!”

Jim Reed: I salute you.

Photo credit: United States Marine Corps Official Page / Foter / CC BY-NC

6 Comments | Benefits, Communications, Driver Incentives, Driver Pay, Driver Recruitment, Driver Referrals, Driver Retention, hiring from the military, Recruiters, Schedules | Permalink
Posted by francishare

How Your Safety Policies Impact Truck Driver Recruiting

November 29, 2012

The current Hours Of Service limitations means drivers are more concerned than ever with safety policies. Particularly where driver fatigue is concerned.

Everybody knows it by now: Where the FMCSA’s 15-hour “driving + on-duty” limit formerly applied strictly to On The Job time, the current law—passed last December—imposes a limit of 14 hours, period.

Which means exhausted drivers can no longer pull off the road and “clock-out” in the middle of their shifts for much-needed naps—then clock-in, refreshed and ready to go, without counting that downtime as part of their newly-reduced HOS total.

Which also means we’re probably now seeing a lot more drivers trying to push their way through exhaustion in order to maximize their earnings potential during those 14 hours. Not to mention an increase in the number of drivers tempted to falsify logs.

So what’s the solution for recruiting? Full disclosure.

Make Your Policies Transparent.
Cliff Abbott, a longtime industry veteran (and author of the highly-recommended book, Chronicles of an American Trucker), notes, “Our industry has a long tradition of rewarding drivers for NOT accurately reporting their hours. Too many drivers have learned to maximize their available driving time, which they are paid for, while not recording time spent in non-driving activities—like loading, or inspecting their vehicle.”

Publishing your safety policies is one way to weed-out drivers with bad habits—saving you the trouble of learning about them the hard way.

Create A Plan For Improving Driver Quality of Life.
Driver health has a huge impact on fatigue. Poor health, especially obesity, can create sleep problems like sleep apnea—so Abbott recommends companies thoroughly screen its new drivers on the front end. “I’d also recommend physical capabilities testing—to make sure that drivers meet certain minimum capabilities standards. Then, provide training in fatigue management and hours of service. And, of course, you should always stress overall safety as a core value of your company.”

Still, even healthy drivers get sleepy—which is one reason why Truck Stop shelves are lined with Energy Drinks and Energy Shots. “Ideally, drivers should avoid using any kind of stimulant,” says Abbott. “It goes without saying that companies should be against illegal stimulants, but even legal stimulants like caffeine can compound existing health issues—particularly high blood pressure.

“The best answer for driver fatigue,” Abbot concludes, “is rest.” Too bad the best answer now comes with a Federally mandated penalty. Call it a tax on common sense.

Get your company profiled in an article! Just send me an email outlining any recruiting and/or retention issues you deal with. CLICK HERE for contact info.

Leave a Comment » | Communications, Driver Incentives, Driver Recruitment, Driver Retention, Government Regulations, Health and Fitness | Tagged: , , | Permalink
Posted by francishare

Boost Driver Recruiting And Retention With A Satisfaction Guarantee

November 12, 2012

Create a Satisfaction Guarantee that holds both parties accountable, to strengthen driver recruiting, loyalty and on-the-job performance.

Plenty of trucking companies guarantee satisfaction for their customers. Why not extend it to driver candidates?

Don’t get me wrong, I understand truckers can be a notoriously hard-to-please lot. But you can make a Satisfaction Guarantee work with the right wording. Establishing clearly understood conditions. With shared responsibilities between the trucker and the company.

The important point in offering a Satisfaction Guarantee is to create one where the company and the driver have responsibilities to make it work. That way, you’re creating a mutual commitment. And in the process, you’re not only strengthening your driver recruiting efforts, you’re building driver loyalty and on-the-job performance.

Daniel J. Smith, a contributor to RecruitingBlogs.com offered some interesting ideas for using a guarantee in a 2011 article.  Here are highlights:

How Do You Guarantee Satisfaction?

  • Listen intently to candidates, and understand what they want from a position.
  • Address all the concerns they might have.
  • Demonstrate that you understand all the information given, to produce satisfactory results.

Check In Regularly After The Hire.
Satisfaction is something many people talk about providing. What you do after a hire ensures that your goals are met.  Start by picking-up the phone, and checking-in with your drivers from time to time. It costs you nothing, and it shows drivers you care.

The more you care, the likelier you are to create a bond with drivers—and the better your chances are of creating long-term driver loyalty.

And when a driver has issues, address them immediately—or at least as soon as possible. Don’t let problems fester and grow.

In short, “Satisfaction Guaranteed” should be more than just a motto. After all, in today’s environment, if you don’t deliver satisfaction, your competition will.

Click on the following link to read Daniel’s article, Satisfaction Guaranteed.

1 Comment | Driver Incentives, Driver Recruitment, Driver Retention, Recruiters | Tagged: , , , | Permalink
Posted by francishare

Improve Truck Driver Recruiting Through Corporate Philanthropy

October 23, 2012

A compelling company charity can be an excellent, and cost-effective, way to boost your recruiting of quality drivers.

Consider Bears On Wheels
It’s a quiet Tuesday night when two police officers receive orders to break-up a domestic disturbance. It’s an ugly scene requiring physical force.

As one officer leads the handcuffed husband to the squad car, his partner notices a small child crouched in the corner. He walks over slowly, kneels down, and hands the girl a teddy bear. It may seem like a small gesture, but to her, it makes all the difference in the world.

Thanks to Bears On Wheels, police officers around the country have been offering comfort to children in crisis for years.

Can A Charitable Initiative Work For You?
It depends entirely on the initiative. If you implement a program that drivers genuinely support, you’ll increase their sense of personal connection with the company. And the stronger a driver’s connection to a company, the likelier he is to stay. AND to say good things about the company to other drivers. Which increases the effectiveness of your driver referral efforts.

Generate Free Media Coverage. Possibly A Lot Of It.
Just one example: Fargo, North Dakota-based State Bank & Trust created a ‘Pay It Forward’ challenge—in which the business gives its employees money to pass onto worthy causes or individuals.  Since initiating the challenge, the bank has experienced record growth, stronger employee dedication, and a flood of new clients. Not to mention national media exposure.

Where To Begin?
At the very least, your community relations program should be consistent with your company’s identity. Bears On Wheels, for instance, is a perfect match for police officers who make regular domestic calls. And ideally, you’ll want to support a cause that connects with your employees and your customers.

Join A Larger Cause, Or Do It Yourself?
Creating your own initiative means you “own” the cause (not to mention all the recognition that come with it). And, if executed properly, it will likely spark wider participation and a deeper commitment among participants.

Joining a broader cause, like United Way, means you share the publicity it generates. But it also means you’re buying instant credibility and, very possibly, the support of a well-oiled PR machine for your own efforts. It may also help you minimize your company’s internal administrative time commitment.

It’s All About The Bottom Line.
As the State Bank & Trust example shows, giving back to the community isn’t just the right thing to do. It can pay huge dividends. And it only makes sense that drivers attracted to your company as a result are a lot likelier to be stronger citizens—and, therefore, better representatives of your organization’s best interests.

Leave a Comment » | Communications, Driver Incentives, Driver Recruitment, Driver Retention | Tagged: , , | Permalink
Posted by francishare

Don’t Just Recruit Owner Operators. Make New Ones.

September 5, 2012

Five Fundamentals Of A Successful
Lease Purchase Program.

In the first eight months of 2012, Alabama-based flatbedder WTI Transport signed over 100 new Lease Purchase agreements. That’s an exponential increase over the few dozen WTI had at the beginning of the year. Which should tell you two things.

1) With the difficulty of finding banks to finance truck purchases, Lease Purchase programs are quickly becoming the only way ambitious drivers can become Owner Operators.

2) The folks at WTI are doing something right. Particularly when you consider how many of their Lease Purchase drivers successfully take title to their trucks. “The main thing is, we don’t treat our program as a profit center,” says Lease Purchase Director Jason Quinn. “We created it because we really do want to see more drivers become Owner Operators.

“Our President Rendy Taylor has always said, ‘We can’t consider ourselves successful until a driver gets his title.’ That’s our philosophy. And drivers know that.” So what’s WTI’s secret? It’s no secret: They actually help their drivers succeed.

HERE ARE THE FIVE FUNDAMENTALS OF WTI’S PROGRAM.

1) Minimize The Down Payment.
Better still, says Quinn, don’t require any money down.

2) No Balloon Payments.
It’s pretty simple, Quinn continues: If a driver can’t afford a large down payment, he certainly can’t afford a huge balloon payment. After all, Quinn notes, that’s where so many Lease Purchase drivers at other companies lose their trucks.

3) Pay A Decent Wage. And Make Payments Affordable.
As of August of 2012, WTI was paying its Lease Purchase drivers 70% of gross. That’s as high as you’ll find in the industry. It’s why driver Andre Davis left another company for a Lease Purchase agreement with WTI: “With that other company, I had to run a minimum of 4000 to 4500 miles a week just to make any money for myself. Plenty of weeks, I owed them money.”

4) Offer A Fuel Routing Program.
A successful Fuel program combines maximum fuel surcharge with solid MPG practices, says Quinn.

5) Teach Drivers Good Business Practices.
“We think this is one of the real cornerstones of our program,” Quinn explains. “There’s a huge learning curve for anyone taking the leap from Company Driver to Owner Operator, so we created a Business Planning support system, to monitor our Lease Purchase drivers’ success in several key areas. Each Fleet Manager regularly reviews, with his drivers, a chart he keeps on those areas. Over time, the areas he’s marked red (problem) and yellow (potential problem) start turning green.

“So I guess, Quinn concludes, “you might say we aren’t really successful until our Lease Purchase graduates consider themselves successful Owner Operators.”

Good conclusion.

Leave a Comment » | Benefits, Company Drivers, Driver Incentives, Driver Recruitment, Driver Retention, Owner Operators | Tagged: , , , , , , | Permalink
Posted by francishare

Recruiters: Is Your Agency Taking You For Granted?

May 18, 2012


If you asked me, all too often the answer is Yes.

In the years since my firm has been serving the trucking industry, I’ve talked with a lot of recruiters who were referred to me by friends and contacts. Referrals which, more often than not, included some variation on this suggestion: “You should call them because they’re not happy with their agency.”

I honestly can’t tell you how many conversations I’ve had that sounded a lot, or entirely, like this:

Do you and the agency regularly review your numbers together?
—No.

When was the last time they made adjustments to your plan?
—Months ago.

Are they aware that your numbers are way down in the past few months?
—Yes.

And they haven’t suggested any adjustments?
—No

Tell me about your Social Media strategy.
—We don’t have one.

How does your turnover compare to the industry average?
—It’s actually a lot higher.

So what steps has your agency suggested to help you bring that down?
—We’ve never talked about retention.

I notice the website they did for you doesn’t really say anything about what makes your company unique.
—No, I guess it doesn’t.

Why not?
—They’ve never really explored what makes us unique.

Have they ever interviewed any of your drivers, to determine your strengths and weaknesses in recruiting and retention?
—No.

So how do they determine the strategy and content of your messaging?
—That pretty much comes from me.

(And finally, the pièce de résistance—which, admittedly, I’ve heard only once): Who’s your account rep at the agency?
—I don’t know.

Friends, if you have the same answer to any one of the questions above, your agency is not doing everything it can to support your recruiting goals. Granted, there are often legitimate reasons for that; for starters, you may be handling a lot of those responsibilities in house.

But if your agency relationship sounds a lot like the conversation above, and they have more than a bare-bones budget to work with, chances are you’re being taken for granted. In which case, there’s no two ways about it: you’re not getting your money’s worth. That’s wrong.

One of our long-time clients had virtually the same experience with their previous agency. (Click Here if you’d like to read about it). Needless to say, they saw a need for change, and they made it.

So if your agency relationship sounds a lot like the conversation above, here’s my question: Why haven’t you made a change?

Leave a Comment » | Advertising, Branding, Communications, Driver Incentives, Driver Recruitment, Driver Retention, Media Advertising, Recruiters, Social Media | Permalink
Posted by francishare

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