Driver Recruitment & Retention

Tennessee Trucking Association

Safety Management Council

March 31, 2014

Presented by

Jeremy Reymer

President & CEO

Driving Ambition, Inc.

jreymer@da-drivers.com

Driver Shortage

Since 2005, the shortage of truck drivers has ranked high

on ATRI’s annual Top Ten Industry Issues Survey

2005: Ranked #2 2006: Ranked #1 2007: Ranked #2

2008: Ranked #3 2009: Not Ranked 2010: Ranked #5

2011: Ranked #3 2012: Ranked #4 2013: Ranked #3

Driver Shortage

• Demographics

• Recessionary Shakeout

• Rising Operating Costs

• CSA / Regulations

Most Important to a Company Driver

• Honesty

• Respect

• Pay

• Home Time / Quality of Life

• Equipment

• Benefits

Most Important to an Owner-Operator

• Honesty

• Respect

• Pay

• Home Time / Quality of Life

• Freight Rates / Amount of Freight

• Settlement Accuracy / Timeliness

Driver Recruitment

Traditional Recruiting Methods

• Newspapers

• Trucking Magazines

• Billboards

• Radio / Satellite

• Truck Stops

• Job Fairs

• Trailers

• Restrooms

• Signing / Transition Bonuses

• Weekly Guarantees

• Referral Bonuses

Driver Recruitment

• Truck Driver Training Schools

• In-house Training Programs

Traditional Recruiting Methods

Driver Recruitment

Partnerships

• CDL Driver Staffing Companies

o “Temp-to-Hire” programs allow companies

to determine if there’s a “fit” before hiring

• Third Party Recruiters

Driver Recruitment

Women In Trucking

Established to encourage the employment of women in the trucking

industry, promote their accomplishments and minimize obstacles

faced by women working in the trucking industry.

Ellen Voie President/CEO 1-888-GO4-WITA (1.888.464.9482) www.womenintrucking.org

Driver Recruitment

Hiring Veterans

• Leadership

• Discipline

• Integrity

• Loyalty

• Dependability

• Adaptability

• Teamwork

• Perform under

pressure

• Problem solving

• Dedication

• Computer/tech savvy

Veterans have the skills you need:

• Accustomed to hard work, long hours, being away from

home for extended periods; tend to be more health and

safety conscious

Driver Recruitment

Hiring Veterans - RESOURCES

• Employer Partnership of the Armed Forces (employerpartnership.org) • Employer Support of the Guard & Reserve (esgr.org) • Military Transition Service Centers (militaryinstallations.dod.mil) • American Jobs for American Heroes (AJAH) (centerforamerica.org) • Army Career & Alumni Program (www.acap.army.mil) • DOL Career Centers (servicelocator.org) • DOL Veterans’ Employment & Training Service (dol.gov/vets)

• DOT Veteran Career Site dot.gov/veteranstransportationcareers) • Hiring our Heroes (uschamber.com/veterans) • Hero2Hired (h2h.com) • hireheroesusa.org • vetjobs.com • hirepatriots.com • military.com/veteran-jobs • civilianjobs.com • militaryhire.com • jobs4vets.com • usvetsinc.org • 100000jobsmission.com • benefits.va.gov/VOW

Driver Recruitment

Hiring Veterans

http://www.uschamber.com/hiring

ourheroes/events

https://www.jobs4TN.gov

https://events/recruitmilitary.com

Driver Recruitment

Internet

• Company Website / SEO

o Content

o Blog

o Online DOT Application

• Job Boards

o General (CareerBuilder.com, Monster.com, Indeed.com, etc.)

o Trucking Specific (JobsinTrucks.com, CareersinGear.com,

JiggyJobs.com, etc.)

o Free Sites (craigslist, etc.)

• Internet Advertising

o Pay-Per-Click

o Banner Ads

Driver Recruitment

Mobile Recruiting

• Growing portion of internet

traffic is coming from

smartphones and tablets

• Mobile internet has now

overtaken desktop internet

usage

Driver Recruitment

Mobile Recruiting

• 86% of drivers are carrying

mobile devices

• 1 BILLION job searches are done per

month on a mobile device

• 77% of job seekers are using

smartphones to access job boards

Driver Recruitment

Mobile Recruiting

• Mobile version of your website /

career page (mobile responsive)

• Smartphone apps

• SMS Text

• QR Codes

Driver Recruitment

Mobile Recruiting

Why?

Instant & EASY

• Applicants can:

o Search / Apply for jobs

o Receive job alerts / company updates

o Track status of application

• Your target audience is increasingly being found here

Driver Recruitment

Social Media

• Game changing new frontier

• Ability to spread rapidly / viral

• Incredible marketing power

• Cost-effective

• 85% of businesses are using

social media for recruiting

Driver Recruitment

Social Media

Your target audience is already embracing social

media as a normal part of their lives

• Over 80% of all Americans are engaged in a

social network

• The over-50 population is adopting

social media at a staggering rate

• 71% of users access social media from a mobile

device

Driver Recruitment

Social Media

Driver Recruitment

Social Media

Focus on the following:

Facebook • Over 1.15 BILLION users / Top Social Site • 73% of users access via mobile device

Twitter • Over 500 million tweets per day • Over 2 billion Twitter search engine queries each day

YouTube • 1 BILLION unique visitors / 6 BILLION hours watched (monthly) • 76% of users access via mobile device

Driver Recruitment

Driver Recruitment

Build Your Community

• Collect and build a database

from your leads

• This community will grow as

you continue to receive more

leads

Driver Recruitment

Manage Your Community

Documented step-by-step process for

communicating with your community

• Immediate response

• Phone etiquette

o Smile

o Don’t Interrogate

o Listen

• Uniform message

• Consistent process

Driver Recruitment

Manage Your Community

Regularly communicate with your

community

• E-newsletters

o Share subject matter expertise

o Remarkable & compelling content

• E-blasts for job openings

• Posts in Social Media

• SMS Texts

Driver Retention

• Turnover for large truckload

carriers hovering near 100%

• Costs to hire a new driver can

range from $5000-$7000

Driver Retention

Why do drivers leave?

• Operations Dept biggest key to driver

retention

o Interpersonal relationship training

o Conflict resolution training

o Role-playing

• EVERYONE plays a role

Driver Retention

When do drivers leave?

• 75% of turnover happens

within the first 90 days

• Create series of strategic

communications to help driver

“settle in”

Driver Retention

First 90 Days & Beyond

• Pre-arrival – Welcome call from Dispatcher / Driver Manager

• Day 1 – Introductions from Upper Management

• First Week – Check-in from Recruiter

• Second Week – Check-in from Payroll / Review first paycheck

• Day 30 – Check-in from Owner / Upper Management

• Day 60-90 – Check-in from HR / Benefits Administrator

• Regular check-in from Operations Manager (at least quarterly)

• Post-employment

o Exit Interviews

o “Return Ticket” for best drivers

• Once hired, a driver now becomes part of our FAMILY

Driver Retention

Tips & Tools

Competitive Employment Package

• Fair compensation & benefits

• Accurate & on-time payment /

settlement

• Owner-Operator business support

Driver Retention

Tips & Tools

Recognition / Bonus Programs

• Referral Bonuses

• Safety / Clean Inspections

• Driver of the Month/Year

• Million Miles

Driver Retention

Tips & Tools

• Driver’s Hot Buttons

o Home by certain day / time

o Family / kids

o Geographic preferences

o Religious commitments

• Family / Team Involvement

o Connectivity (WIFI access)

o Summer picnics / contests / Truck

Driving Championships

o BUDDY Program

• The “Little Things”

o Birthdays / Anniversaries

o LISTEN

• Make NTDAW Special

Appreciation

Driver Retention

Tips & Tools

Safety - #1 Priority

• Top-notch CSA scores & equipment

• 100% support from Operations with HOS

Compliance

• Invest in your drivers – ongoing safety

training & professional development

• Reputation

• Include drivers in Safety Committee for

accident review

Driver Retention

Tips & Tools

Honesty, Respect, & Open Lines of Communication

• Company communications / newsletters

• Feedback forum

• Issue resolution process

• Fair & consistent policies & interpretations

• Driver Advisory Board

• Owner Operator Advisory Board

• Make it safe for drivers to speak up & LISTEN

Driver Recruitment & Retention

Have the right attitude

• “Drivers are our greatest assets”

Have the right tools

• Focus on where drivers are increasingly

being found

• Build your community & create your process

Have the right approach

• Focus on providing what’s most important to a driver

• The first 90 days

• EVERYONE PLAYS A ROLE

Driver Recruitment & Retention

Tennessee Trucking Association

Safety Management Council

March 31, 2014

Presented by

Jeremy Reymer

President & CEO

Driving Ambition, Inc.

jreymer@da-drivers.com