Recruiting 101

I dont change jobs very often but I know that some drivers do. As a reader of your blog... I'm more interested in why the drivers you hire leave your company. What has your company done to keep the drivers that work for them? That kind of thing. I can tell you in no uncertain terms what will make me leave a company. But I can't tell you why the driver sitting next to me at the truckstop might leave. Different strokes for different folks, right?

Comment By:
nutley bostromrider on Sat, Jun 04 2005 @ 10:35 PM [CST]

I'm with Nutley's question. Drivers have told me why they leave companies, and their answers are no big surprises to me. Trucking companies are dealing with mostly a group of people with a high desire to be truck drivers. So why can't they keep them? By the way, has any manager or dispatcher in your company ever taken a course in basic psychology? And if they have, do they apply the principles of basic human nature. There is no excuse that managers can give me to justify 136% turnover rate in the trucking industry. However, there is a big REASON for that turnover rate, and you need to start with the management philosophy of any company with a high turnover rate.

Comment By:
truckerdoc on Sun, Jun 05 2005 @ 5:32 PM [CST]

I think his post says a whole lot about the problems the companies have keeping drivers. His title? Recruiter. Not "Business owner who might hire you if you apply and fit his criteria and he likes you". Its' recruiter. His job is to seek out potential drivers and get them to sign on. By telling drivers "if your going to bug me have all these docs ready and i might look into hiring you". Umm.. 130% turnover. 5k signon bonuses standard. ETc etc. You need to adjust your attitude. The companies need to adjust theirs. Because eventually a company will come along that does and it will gobble up the freight. When a wannabe driver considers trucking he's nervous. Big rigs are intimidating. Life in a truck is a big step etc. You want to reassure them. To be honest with them. To AID them. And to do your damned job. Your job is a service job. Like a waiter, bartender, salesman. Your recruiting percentage might go up if you started viewing drivers as customers. As people you serve, not a commodi

Comment By:
cdreid on Wed, Aug 03 2005 @ 1:27 PM [CST]

NUMBER ONE, TRUCK DRIVERS ARE ANT-SOCIAL,NUMBER TWO LARGE COMPANIES TREAT YOU LIKE CATTLE AND DONT PAY WORTH A DAMN,NUMBER THREE BECAUSE WE CAN

Comment By:
zach on Mon, Sep 19 2005 @ 4:41 AM [CST]

The mentality of the average truck driver is the single greatest cause of turnover. 20 Years ago we were a profession, now we are considered less than labor. 68 mph trucks, mandated fuel stops, d.o.t., when we leave a company we usually don't get our last paycheck. This is what causes the mentality. You wanna retain drivers, DON'T LIE, fulfill your commitments. Remember the number 1 rule in trucking, It ain't all about the load. Owners, drivers, recruiters, dispatchers, load planners, mechanics, it takes us all to do this thankless job. All I ask is DON'T LIE!

Comment By:
mike smith on Mon, Oct 31 2005 @ 7:07 PM [CST]

I think there needs to be a right fit for anything in life but esp. for driver to company. If a company really wants to hire and keep good drivers that is what they need to figure out first. But most companys want quantity not quality and they dont try to meet the needs of drivers. They set all these rules but dont realize every drivers needs are different.They dont try to reward the driver that took one for the company, or for on time delivery or no accidents or tickets. Just get the next load down the road and forget what the good driver keeps continuing to do for the company. After a few slaps in the face you realize all the words we care about our driver means nothing. Do some personality tests,make a good fit between dispatch and driver and listen and reward for hard work. Good luck and best wishes.

Comment By:
Paula Savage on Tue, Apr 25 2006 @ 10:20 PM [CST]

It's easy. Like Mike said: "STOP THE LIES". You're told this and that and when you get our signature then you wash your hands of us and dump us on some dispatcher who could give a crap less about us as he's sick and tired of hearing all of the drivers in his company bitch about everything. Fix the everything, which comes back around to more lies. The recruiter makes promises that he can't/won't keep, the dispatcher lies to get you to do things or appease your complaining, the driver gets pissed and bitches. It's just a bad revolving circle that never ends. Let me ask you this? Do you get paid when you are at work? We don't. Maybe that would be a start. If I am in that truck I am working. So why am I not being paid? Just because I can and do sleep in the truck does not mean that I am not working when I am awake. It does not mean that sitting at a dock or sitting and waiting for a back haul to come through is "break time" and I should not be getting a dime for doing it. I"M WORKING!!!

Comment By:
madashell on Sun, Nov 11 2007 @ 2:24 PM [CST]

Part1: My husband has been an OTR truck driver for 25+ years. He has an impeccable driving record, takes pride in driving and hauling specialty equipment, and is one of the few out there that actually knows his stuff. He has experience with 48'/52' Van/Reefers, 7,8,9 and 10 axle trailers, stretch RGN's, stretch step decks, specialized step decks, stretch flats,& boat trailers. He has hauled loads as high as 28ft tall, 19 ft wide,120 ft long and as heavy as 160,000 pounds. However, he has made some bad mistakes in choosing companies to work for. His most recent company fixed all the shocks in the trucks but his, and knowing he was going through medical treatments for his back, they still wouldn't fix the equipment. After his 6 weeks of treatments, he went to work and still no shocks, so he quit. (April 16h)The next day, the company replaced the shocks. Since then, he is been looking for a job and for whatever reason we couldn't figure out why no one was calling him.

Comment By:
totallysun on Mon, Jun 23 2008 @ 9:15 PM [CST]

Part2: Well, we just found out today that a recent company he worked for stated he has "bad work ethics", which is so very far from being true. Most trucking companies don't practice Ethics because if they did they would be in violation for the way they treat drivers. It's pretty sad a company can bad mouth a driver, keep him out of work, from providing for his family for months before a decent company actually mentions this to the driver! Now, even though this company mentioned the reason why his application was denied, doesn’t mean they offered him a job. So, all the excellent jobs he applied for are totally tainted and lost. And try and find a lawyer to take the case. Right. $7500 up front and they will. Ridiculous. So, the companies go right on tucking it to the trucker and get away with it. How unfair has this profession become! And the part where companies don't say anything nor ask the driver's side is pretty pathetic, especially when most of the "big"

Comment By:
totallysun on Mon, Jun 23 2008 @ 9:16 PM [CST]

part3: well-known companies have class action suits against them for "bad work ethics" themselves. And the mom and pop shops, well, they break every law there is and they'll be the first to nickel and dime you to death. His previous company is charging drivers for fuel for idling the trucks. So, it's okay for a company to lie about a driver, literally destroy him financially, but it’s not okay for a driver to ask a potential employer who, what, and why they won’t hire the driver. Now for the funny part, the company bad mouthing the driver, well, they said come in in the morning and take the drug test, you're hired back! (not that he’s taking the offer either)

Comment By:
totallysun on Mon, Jun 23 2008 @ 9:19 PM [CST]

I am a recruiter myself and have also seen the high turnover rate in the company I work for. I don't lie to my ownerops, I explain everything to them in detail so they know exactly what they're getting into at the time of sign on. so plz explain to me why they suddenly quit a week or so later w/ lame excuses like selling their truck only to see them at the truck stop in town leased to another company? if drivers are that unhappy then they should communicate that to someone so it can be resolved.

Comment By:
tyra p. on Tue, Sep 09 2008 @ 6:02 PM [CST]