When it comes to hiring the right drivers, there is plenty to think about on a regular basis. Are these drivers a good fit for our team? How can we attract and retain the right talent? What are drivers thinking and feeling during this process? While these are all important topics, they’re also mainly based on gut feeling and ‘hunches’ rather than hard numbers and data.
As CDL driver recruiting slowly but surely steps into the modern age of solutions like CRM, ATS, and digital marketing, the way recruiters define success is also changing. It’s no longer enough to just hire the right number of drivers to keep your trucks on the road. Instead, today’s recruiters must think strategically about how these new systems, modern CDL drivers, and innovative recruiting solutions work together to establish long-term recruiting success.
Here are five key metrics all CDL driver recruiters should be measuring:
#1 – Speed to Hire
With so much competition in the CDL industry thanks to the worsening driver shortage, getting drivers through the hiring process and on the road fast is key. The time it takes from the very first touch (whether that’s an inbound online application or a recruiter phone call) to when this driver is on the road is the time to hire. Measuring time to hire can help your recruiting team recognize whether you need to retool certain parts of your recruiting process or where you are succeeding.
#2 – Completion Rate
Think of how many times you personally start something throughout the day and don’t finish. Now, think of how many potential CDL drivers start applications and don’t finish them. Application completion rate can be an incredibly eye-opening metric for recruiters to see just how many drivers are actually going dark during this first step in the application process. Pinpointing where you’re losing these applicants can also help your team identify areas of improvement.
#3 – Response Rate
Getting ghosted is never fun, and this sentiment is even more true when it’s CDL driver applicants who are doing the ghosting. After an application comes in, recruiters start following up via phone, email, and even text message. But how well do these channels actually work? Measuring response rates helps recruiters identify the channels that applicants are most receptive to, as well as the best times to leverage these channels.
#4 – Lead Performance
There are now more job sites out there than ever before – and that’s not even including the message boards, forums, and industry blogs that also highlight job openings. Finding the right lead sources to attract applicants can be an uphill battle, but knowing which sources perform the best doesn’t have to be. Track how many applicant leads come in from each source (your website, Indeed, Craigslist, word-of-mouth, etc.) and then double-down on recruiting efforts in these areas.
#5 – Cost Per Applicant
At the end of the day, every single stage of the recruiting process costs money, whether it’s paying for a job posting on a website or investing in an applicant tracking platform to help manage the recruiting process. By assigning a cost metric that sticks with an applicant throughout the entire process, recruiters can see exactly how much they are spending out-of-pocket to bring new drivers on board.
Ready to implement a data-backed recruiting process? Building a long-term recruiting strategy starts with a good foundation, and the best foundations are built with data. Tracking these metrics and more with DriverReach can set your recruiters and drivers up for success. You can learn more here.
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