We were recently asked to examine current trends in truck driver workforce management with a focus on recruitment issues. Having owned and driven heavy haulers in the past myself, and having many old friends still in the trucking business, I found this to be an interesting topic.
I found that overall, times have changed drastically in driver recruitment – more specifically a transformation has taken place in how fleets must approach driver recruitment. The next generation of drivers is different – VERY different. Their behavior is different. The way they receive information is different. Their priorities are different.
Drivers are consuming media through a variety of channels today: Print, mobile, social, online, and more. Consider this: 76.8% of drivers own a laptop and most of those folks also own a smart phone. Connecting today through the Internet and mobile devices is often more convenient than picking up the phone.
Examples of best practices
UPS is today one of the leading company in using Social Media in their recruitment strategy. UPS does not just broadcast jobs through already-created channels. It has people working on Social Media recruiting, making it more interactive, more of a conversation, less one way. It makes more videos and more ways for candidates to interact with current employees.
A few results CR England achieved with an integrated HR software system:
• Eliminated $400,000 annually in print advertising by moving the application process entirely to the company website.
• Reduced time-to-hire by 20%.
• Reduced administrative staff by four, and recruiting staff by 4.
• Reduced overall costs by 10%.
• Processed 22% more applications from one year to the next.
• Reduced applicant disqualifications (DQ rate) by 52% over one year.
Thanks for reading and until next time,
Dr. Scott Davies
