For the past few years, CDL driver recruiting has been having a kind of renaissance. While the trucking industry has always been seen as ‘traditional’ and slow to change, a new generation of drivers and recruiters is changing these conceptions. Today’s CDL drivers are a different breed of applicants because they understand and appreciate a modern recruiting experience. They favor personal connection, streamlined processes, and complete transparency from recruiters.
Luckily, some recruiters understand this modern CDL driver applicant and are ready and willing to invest in the tools and resources necessary to deliver the recruiting experience they want. Others, however, are stuck in the past using outdated technology, slow processes, and strategies that aren’t driver-centric. Sometimes, recruiters don’t even know they’re stuck in the past because they’re simply ‘doing it the way they’ve always done with the same tools they’ve always used’.
In this article, we’ll run through a few examples of outdated recruiting methods and offer modern solutions:
You can’t see driver-level metrics to aid in decision making. As the CDL industry has become steadily more digital over the past decade or so, some solutions have popped up that keep adding features one on top of the other until the product becomes overwhelming and not really conducive for drivers or recruiters. Best-in-class recruiting platforms should be easy to use, offer streamlined experiences, and collect driver-level data and insights so recruiters can analyze current processes and make informed decisions.
You can’t personalize job descriptions on different sites. Outdated recruiting processes are highlighted for one-size-fits-all solutions that act as though they increase efficiency but really just take the personalized approach out of the recruiting process. Modern CDL driver recruiting is all about creating personal connections, establishing real relationships, and treating drivers like humans – not numbers. By copying and pasting job descriptions across all of your different job boards without any regard to images, best practices, or content guidelines, you could be missing out on drivers right and left.
You can’t easily target qualified drivers. Today’s CDL landscape isn’t like the one of ten or even five years ago. Because there is such a significant shortage of drivers in the industry, some drivers are contacted by one or more carriers. With clunky job stores and online forums, you could be missing out on these drivers who are ready and willing to be on the road for your company. Look for a solution that gives you the flexibility and efficiency to target these drivers where they are and discuss the best deal possible.
You don’t have access to a one-stop overview of driver data. Receiving a completed application is only the first step in the modern recruiting process. If you don’t have a clear overview of the applicant lifecycle, from application to recruiting touchpoints to onboarding and retention, then you will lose your drivers. Your recruiting process should prize the driver-focused experience over the recruiter’s experience by making it easy to answer and submit applications, offering at least one face-to-face interview conversation (even if it’s over video chat!), and ongoing check-ins to increase retention.
Sound familiar? If any of these scenarios sound familiar, then you’re stuck in an outdated recruiting process. In order to remain competitive and attract drivers in today’s CDL landscape, it’s time to modernize your recruiting experience. The team at DriverReach is here to help – schedule your personal consultation today.
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