- Tapan Chaudhari
- January 19, 2022
- 10:32 pm
5 Ways for Trucking Companies to Make the Job of Trucker More Attractive
The trucking industry is the backbone of modern-day commerce and trading. Without it, goods wouldn’t move from one location to the next across the nation. Even today’s eCommerce industry relies heavily on trucks. That makes the trucking industry steady and with excellent growth potential. To meet this, there’s a need for qualified and dedicated drivers. There’s a lot of competition, as well as criteria that prospective trucker drivers must meet. That includes strict age regulations, training, and safety requirements. Plus, the industry is currently battling a hiring slump and predictions for recovery in 2022 are lukewarm. So how can recruiting-focused companies attract the best truckers to power their profits? They must try different tactics. Here are a few:
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1. Improve Working Conditions
Truck drivers face many challenges. They have to constantly interact with people and must be constantly alert. Whether it’s on the road, or when communicating with others on their teams. At the same time, they have to be away from their families for long periods of time. That can make their daily lives lonely. Plus, there are physical factors to consider. Fleet drivers travel in an enclosed space every day. They’re often exposed to diesel and exhaust gas. They may also be exposed to extreme temperatures, hazardous situations, fluctuating light, and inconsistent noise levels. Many times, they work for many long hours a day and even on the weekends to meet their deadlines. Their lives and environments are hectic and that leaves much room for improvement.
Other things that would improve their condition:
- Pay incentives
- Meal allowances, overnight hotel expenses, and truck repair reimbursement
- Tax services
- Health benefits
- Exercise facilities
2. Create a Good Referral System
If you’re looking for a good, responsible, and diverse team, a referral plan would help you. Engage with your drivers and ask them to look into their network to find other drivers. You can create a formal program that has an incentive. That way, your existing employees would also want to participate in the program. You can use this to promote new job postings and referral requests to your company’s network. A positive work culture will mean that your current team would refer high-quality truckers in their network. Also, follow up with old leads.
To improve the quality of your program, add extra incentives upon the completion of a set number of months for new drivers. For example, if a new driver stays onboard successfully for 6 months, reward the person who referred them. That way, you’ll have long-term joinees, along with an exciting program that would reward your employees. This would be helpful as job turnover is high in the trucking industry.
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3. Implement Attractive Benefits
If recruiters can highlight their special benefits, it would help them stand out. They could be taking measures to ensure the drivers work fewer hours or take more paid days off to visit their families. Maybe their trucks are exceptionally comfortable or they have unique company policies that would benefit the truckers. Mention any employee appreciation events, training sessions, bonuses, appealing routes, and other such things. Highlight whatever you have done and can do to improve the working conditions for drivers.Â
You could also talk about your company’s specific work culture, mission, vision. If employee work-life balance is integral to your office culture, make sure you mention it. If you don’t have any special benefits, take the initiative and make some so that your company benefits.
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4. Increase Inclusivity
Your focus should also be on ways to make trucking more inclusive. Studies have shown that employees from historically marginalized groups are motivated to prove themselves by working harder. That includes making your environment more attractive for women, POC, and more. There are many ways you can reach out to women drivers. First, let them know you want them by showing more women in your recruitment ads. Secondly, tell women why your company is looking to hire them. Most importantly, spell out the measures you’re undertaking to ensure their safety in a potentially dangerous job such as truck driving.Â
Also ensure you meet the basic needs of women, such as issues related to hygiene. Your terminals must have equal access to restrooms and lockers. Stack up on women’s sanitary products. Also, invest in good training modules to educate everyone on the force.
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5. Use Technology
Make sure you use technology to maximize your driver’s experiences. That includes using sensors for their safety and security, asset trackers to encourage them, especially if they have to take unfamiliar routes. ELDs, IoT sensors, and the like. These are all extremely useful in helping them feel safe and secure. Many times, truckers may feel pressured to push themselves and extend their hours as much as they can. This is unhealthy and dangerous. Technology can encourage them to take the satisfactory rest that they need to perform optimally.
Make sure the technology you’re using is convenient and easy to use. The last thing a busy driver needs is a complex application that would take them weeks to understand how to use. Ask them what kind of technology they would like to use to make their experience better.
Implement these and your truckers should be more satisfied than ever. You’ll see your fleet steadily growing with the best employees out there.
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