If there has been one constant over the past decade for CDL driver recruiters, it’s nothing to do with processes or operations. Instead, it’s the ever-present (and always dreaded) driver shortage. There was a startling lack of drivers in the trucking industry pre-pandemic, and the last year and a half has only exacerbated the need for qualified drivers.
Today, driver recruiters are battling other carriers for qualified driver applicants and other positions in other industries across the board. When it comes to beating out the competition and getting drivers on the road with your team, there is one overarching constant: speed to hire. Recruiters do not have the time or capacity to tiptoe through the recruiting process with every driver. By the time you’ve moved from one stage to the next, the driver applicant is sure to be scooped up by a competing carrier or different industry.
Luckily, improving your time-to-hire for drivers is not as difficult as it seems, especially if you don’t want to sacrifice quality and compliance during the recruiting process. Here are a few must-haves to win over the competition and hire the most qualified drivers this year:
- A streamlined, updated website and application:
If the first place a driver goes to start their application process also takes the most time to navigate and understand, you have an outdated website and/or application. Your website should be easy to navigate, and your application should be easy to fill out and submit. For an even more beneficial driver experience, include video testimonials and quotes from current drivers to get your applicants excited about the future opportunity.
- Advanced internal applicant tracking and operational tools.
Today’s driver recruiting operations are professional, tech-first operations, and they need the tools to perform as such. To get drivers through the application process and on the road faster, look for applicant tracking systems (ATS) and Candidate Relationship Management (CRM) platforms that can help your team track where drivers are in the recruiting process, keep all supplemental documentation and notes organized, and prevent drivers from slipping through the cracks.
- Automated solutions for faster outreach.
Driver recruiters only have so many hours in the day, and driver recruiting often feels like a race against the clock. By automating some of the more tedious recruiting functions – things like sending outreach and/or engagement emails or verifying driver employment – recruiters can free up their time to focus on critical recruiting functions.
Ready to learn more?
DriverReach helps driver recruiters optimize every part of the driver recruiting experience, from the initial application to interviewing to retention. DriverReach solutions can help your team streamline hiring and beat out the competition to get qualified drivers on the road faster. You can learn more about DriverReach, the modern recruiting and compliance management system, here.
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