The Driver Recruitment in the Trucking Industry is a huge challenge for all trucking companies. All companies encounter hiring problems due to the following issues:
Every year, this becomes even harder, requiring significant improvements in various aspects compared to before. In the future, it will be even more challenging than it is now. Traditional hiring methods that worked in the past are no longer enough — trucking companies that understand this problem are implementing smarter strategies to attract the right drivers.
This is where experts come in, providing the knowledge and tools necessary for effective recruitment, giving your company a competitive edge.
The market is becoming more aggressive every day and will never return to the way it was. This applies not only to hiring but to every aspect of our lives. Simply posting job openings on Craigslist is no longer enough — companies need more aggressive marketing strategies to make their opportunities appealing to potential candidates. Additionally, a strong strategy is required to retain expert employees in your company. Businesses risk losing top talent to competitors who know how to market their opportunities effectively.
To keep up with the reality of this market, you need to understand it thoroughly. A severe shortage is coming soon, and it will be a major problem when the trucking freight market rebounds if you don’t have truck drivers, dispatchers searching for a loads, or mechanics to do a commercial truck maintanance.
To avoid this issue, you need to build the right structure for your company. Depending on your trucking company’s size (number of trucks), you must assemble a strong team. Many trucking company owners neglect key departments such as:
This is a critical mistake. Only experts in these fields know where to find qualified drivers, how to craft compelling job offers, and which strategies effectively convert leads into hires. By leveraging their expertise, they can:
If you invest in these departments and bring in industry experts, you will likely be in a stronger position than your competitors. A strong team not only benefits your business operations but also makes your life easier and more secure.
All trucking companies have a high turnover rate. This does not mean your company is bad or good — it’s simply the reality of the industry. Experts in this field, such as recruiters and marketers, are constantly hunting for your employees. They operate 24/7, presenting better job offers to your current and even newly hired drivers.
Don't tell me you've never experienced this: A truck driver travels from another state, passes the drug test, maybe even the road test, and then quits before completing orientation.
You don’t need to look far — just open your Facebook page and scroll. You’ll see millions of posts from companies marketing jobs, products, and services. A great marketing manager can craft the perfect offer to instantly attract a CDL truck driver, and a skilled recruiter can sell your position in a minute.
This intense competition significantly impacts the hiring process and increases the cost of acquiring new employees, and these costs are rising daily. Internet platforms continue to demand higher advertising rates, making recruitment even more expensive.
Don't forget that hiring mistakes also cost you money — advertising expenses, recruiter salaries, flight tickets to bring drivers to your office, hotel accommodations, drug tests, and the hours spent on potential candidates.
When the market is booming, this problem becomes a daily struggle. Every company will try trying to recover losses from the past three or four years. As a result, rates are rising rapidly, companies are covering more expenses, and driver salaries are increasing. However, the only companies that truly succeed are those with a strong team structure and marketing experts — companies that expected these challenges while others ignored them.
It’s like running a business versus coming home every night to watch a movie with your family. The person who prioritizes comfort will never achieve the same results as the one making strategic investments. The same applies to trucking—if you understand market demands and invest in the right people and departments, you will always have more success than those who don’t.
These are great people who have spent many years in the trucking industry. They possess extensive knowledge and valuable experience. Even before meeting you, they have encountered numerous challenges in their work processes and found solutions. They already know the answers and can handle stress effectively. These individuals can be excellent teachers if they are department managers or exceptional employees who can immediately deliver results for your company. You are also an expert in your own area of work.
By now, you should understand that running a business requires people, and this is crucial. There are many different processes involved — from truck preparation and driver hiring to receiving payments for loads your company delivers. Whether you are managing a large company or just beginning to grow your fleet, the best way to scale successfully is by hiring industry experts.
But who are these experts? These are highly ambitious individuals with extensive experience in the trucking industry. Let’s take an example related to our topic to better understand who a marketing expert for a trucking company is. (I will share my thoughts because I have been through all of this and fully understand what I’m talking about.)
In my mind, a marketing expert for a trucking company must know:
Honestly, I could edit this list endlessly. A true expert needs to know all of this and more. You must understand by now—this knowledge only comes with experience, and you gain it by dealing with these challenges firsthand.
When you hire a new specialist and expect immediate results — come on! That person needs time to learn how everything works. Even if they know how to manage a social media account and create a marketing campaign, that alone doesn’t make them an expert. And you will be the one paying for their learning process — not just their salary, but also for all the mistakes they make along the way and the time it takes them to understand the trucking industry.
You’ve probably seen social media ads from many marketing agencies promising instant results. I won’t say anything about them — just test them. Ask for an online Zoom meeting and have a conversation with them. Ask questions like:
Do not ask them what they want to do. If they truly know your audience and understand your challenges, they will already know what needs to be done. Ask questions where you are the expert — ones that no one can use to mislead you. A real trucking expert should know the answers to all of these questions.
All truck drivers have their own priorities and concerns. Some prioritize high pay, better home time opportunities, new equipment, or strong communication between office employees and drivers. Industry experts know how to craft job postings and ads that appeal to truck drivers from different perspectives based on their needs and wants. It’s essential to show people what they need while aligning with the company’s capabilities.
Posting jobs on job boards or Facebook groups isn’t enough — top drivers aren’t always actively searching for a new job. In fact, many don’t search at all because they work for companies that know how to retain them. Industry experts understand how to keep top drivers engaged by offering the right reason at the right time.
Experts also use targeted advertising and specialized industry platforms like NewJobs4You.com to connect with both active and passive candidates, reaching more drivers and effectively presenting your company’s offer.
Great marketing campaigns can deliver excellent results for your trucking business, ensuring your trucks are always fully loaded. This gives you the freedom to make decisions and run your business according to your own policies. To achieve this, you need to cover all recruitment needs and ensure there is no risk of empty trucks when drivers leave the company.
As you already know, thousands of trucking companies are competing for the same drivers, adjusting policies to attract them, increasing pay, or introducing new bonus systems. The main goal of a Marketing Expert is to make your company more visible than it is now. Experts position your company as an employer of choice by highlighting your strengths, leveraging testimonials, and showcasing what makes your opportunities better than the competition.
Spending money on ineffective marketing strategies or hiring marketers and agencies who know nothing about the trucking industry is extremely costly. An expert creates marketing campaigns based on years of experience and analyzes key metrics such as cost-per-hire, application conversion rates, and turnover rates. This fine-tunes your approach, ensuring you attract quality drivers who stay longer — saving you money in the long run.
| Category | With Experts 🚀 | Without Experts ❌ |
|---|---|---|
| Brand Awareness | Strong marketing | Low visibility, weak reputation |
| Advertising | Targeted ads attract more drivers | Wasted budget, poor reach |
| Lead Generation | More qualified driver | Less reliable leads |
| Social Media | Engaging content, strong community | Low engagement, missed opportunities |
| Driver Hiring | Faster process, better and more candidates | Slow hiring, a lot of unqualified applicants |
| Retention | Drivers stay longer, less turnover | High turnover |
| Job Postings | Clear, attractive ads | Low - response ads |
| Hiring Costs | Lower costs | High costs, ineffective hiring |
| Competitive Edge | Stands out from competitors | Gets lost in the crowd |
| Fleet Stability | More trucks on the road | Driver shortages, empty trucks |
| Long-Term Growthy | Sustainable business, better planning | Constant hiring struggles |
By working with industry experts, trucking companies can streamline their hiring process, effectively fill all open positions, and build a stronger workforce—all while saving money by avoiding ineffective marketing strategies.
This is great news if you now better understand how essential experts are for your business—to improve your hiring process and overall operations.
Before searching for them, understand one more thing: as I said before, these are highly ambitious people with high expectations and strong opinions. For them, freedom and appreciation are very important. As for high pay, I think it goes without saying.
Once you see that this person — whether a man or woman — is truly bringing you “golden eggs” in terms of results, always go the extra mile to keep them in your company. Real experts are hard to find, and successful companies realized this a long time ago and know how to retain them.
You can create a social media post stating that you are looking for a Marketing, Recruiting, Dispatch, or Fleet expert — depending on your needs. Post it everywhere you can, or you can contact my agency, Orpik Group, and we’ll be happy to guide you or set up an ad campaign to get the best results.
Once you start receiving phone calls or online applications, don’t forget to invite potential candidates for an interview — either in your office or via Zoom. You should have a checklist of questions to assess their experience in the trucking industry and their understanding of its specifics.
Here’s an example of a checklist for hiring a Marketing Manager:
General Background & Experience
Industry Knowledge & Strategy
Driver Recruitment & Retention
Digital Marketing & Lead Generation
Budgeting & Resource Allocation
Creativity & Problem-Solving
Final Questions
You can use all these questions during the interview or ask candidates to complete an application form before the meeting — but in your office. After a few interviews, you will start noticing the differences between candidates: who has experience, who doesn’t, and what vision and goals they have.
Anyone applying for a Marketing or Recruiting position in your company, if they are true experts, will analyze your company before coming in. They will check your company’s online presence, social media channels, safety score on the FMCSA portal, job descriptions, office and terminal locations, job requirements for CDL truck drivers and other positions, your brand, and key highlights. Before they even arrive, they should already have a plan for what they want to change or improve.
Thank you for taking the time to read this article. I hope this information was useful for you and your business.
As a final note, I want to say:
That’s pretty much everything! Wishing you and your business the best. If you have any questions, feel free to contact me by email or phone.
Our goal is to make people happy.
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