For many CDL driver recruiters, the beginning of 2021 was a bit of a whirlwind. Coming off the wild ups and downs of 2020 with no real end in sight for the global pandemic, driver recruiters were faced with a bit of panic. Today, however, halfway through the year, things are looking up.
The 2021 outlook
While the driver shortage is still a significant concern for driver recruiters, things are starting to get back to normal in the logistics industry. Major supply chains are back on track across the country, and carriers are moving ahead full speed with hiring new drivers.
However, finding and hiring these new drivers is still proving to be a bit of a challenge. All industries, not just trucking, are struggling to discover new talent to fill open positions, leaving many organizations understaffed. For carriers, this means that the competition for new qualified drivers is fiercer than ever. Luckily, with the right tools and strategies in your corner, recruiters can succeed this year even amid all the chaos.
Your mid-year driver recruiting checklist
Want to make sure your recruiting program is up to snuff and ready for success for the rest of the year? Make sure these things are on your mid-year driver recruiting checklist:
- Your recruiters are laser-focused on the applicant experience.
At this point in the year, all carrier recruiting teams will be pulling out all the stops to attract new drivers. Your biggest differentiator – what’s going to make your team stand out from the competition – is the driver experience at the heart of the application process. Making it as easy and flexible as possible for drivers to move through your recruiting stages can help you attract and sign top talent.
- Driver retention strategies aren’t lost in the shuffle.
While new driver recruiting may be at the forefront of your strategic planning, your current drivers are the lifeblood of your organization. Whatever driver recruiting strategies your team develops for the second half of 2021, driver retention must be a key component to keep your drivers satisfied and on the road.
- Your team has the technology to keep up with the competition.
Whatever happens this year, it is already clear that technology will be a leading driver of innovation and execution. Recruiting teams can be prepared for new changes and streamline operations with the right solutions in their corner. From CRM platforms to track applicant details to Campaign solutions to automate communications, having the right technology in place is crucial.
- Look back at the data to see what’s working and what’s not.
Mid-year planning doesn’t mean you have to start from square one. Instead, now is the time to take a step back and look at the data your team has gathered over the past few months and identify strategies that have worked and others that need updating. As you move forward with these changes in the second half of the year, make sure you track the right metrics to ensure constant progress over time.
Are you ready for the second half of 2021?
DriverReach is the modern recruiting management system that enables driver recruiters to deliver unique driver experiences at every stage of the recruiting process. If your team is looking to optimize recruiting operations in the second half of 2021, DriverReach can help get you there. Learn more here.
Stay up to date on CDL trucking trends! Be sure to check out the DriverReach blog for other relevant articles and head over to our webinars page for an up-to-date list of upcoming events and on-demand recordings.
Listen to Taking the Hire Road podcast, hosted by Jeremy Reymer and in collaboration with FreightWaves, for timely conversations with industry experts. For more information, or to join a live group demo, visit www.driverreach.com/livedemo.
