How to Hire Truck Drivers in 2020

As online retailers increase their business, freight transportation over land faces the difficult challenge of dealing with a lack of truck drivers. The year 2020 is just around the corner, and experts predict that hiring a truck driver will be even harder in the next decade than ever before.

Employers have to solve the problem of increasing demand for door-to-door delivery service. This new expectation coming from customers has already closed numerous transport companies. It also forced thousands of truck drivers to reconsider their profession, learn new skills and change fields of work.

Both the United States and Canada are looking at a bleak future for land freight transportation. The former needs more than 890,000 drivers to keep up with the industry growth in the next decade. The latter needs to assign 33,000 truck driver positions next year only.

In this fragile environment, recruiting agencies and transportation companies need a guide on how to hire truck drivers in 2020 more than ever. Today, we are looking to fill in the gaps with a few helpful tips on selecting the right candidates for truck driving jobs.

How to find the perfect candidates

When you hire a truck driver for your company, you employ more than just a chauffeur. As part of your delivery system, they act as presentation cards for your business.

Truck drivers are the ones who interact physically with your clients and collaborators and set a standard image for your company. Furthermore, the way they behave in traffic also draws attention to your services. A reckless driver can put your business in a bad light, drive off customers and even entangle you into legal problems.

To make sure that your future employees match your company’s standards and will not be a liability for your business, you must do thorough background research for each of the candidates. Before you assign the next truck driver job to an applicant, make sure that they meet the following conditions:

  • No moving violations in the past 10 years
  • No driving under the influence
  • No operating under the influence
  • Clean compliance safety accountability records
  • Optimal physical fitness per the job’s requirements
  • Reduced risk of sleep apnea
  • A clean criminal record

A reliable freight transportation company should have tolerance zero towards any candidate that fails to meet at least one of these conditions.

Additionally, when choosing your next truck drivers you should ask for in-depth health screenings. Identifying a potential risk factor early on can be beneficial for both your business and the driver’s wellbeing. Extra conditions may result from your company’s insurance provider, so you must also check with them before employing your next truck driver.

Last, but not least, if your company performs international freight transportation, you should ensure that the license and background of your truck drivers comply with the regulations of the countries where they pass through during their journey.

Where to look for truck driver candidates

Thanks to the internet, nowadays you no longer have to knock on the door of recruitment agencies or sift through newspaper ads to find potential candidates for truck driving jobs. In 2020, hiring a truck driver will be easier than ever before. Here are a few categories that you should consider:

Millennial Candidates

Online directories should be one of your first choices when looking to hire truck drivers in 2020. Most candidates post their resumes on job recruiting websites. Additionally, you can work in partnership with employment agencies to filter through the many online job applications and find your ideal candidates for the job.

Young candidates are mostly part of the millennial generation. Men and women from this generation differ greatly in terms of career-building strategies and job retaining importance. Also, they mostly adhere to a life philosophy that centers on social tolerance, personal development, and high self-esteem.

You will need to implement a recruiting strategy that suits their interests and lifestyles. In this regard, social media should be your first marketing tool. Post your employment ads on Facebook, Twitter, and Instagram to attract potential candidates from the younger generation as well.

The imminent scarcity of workers in the industry may demoralize many companies in their search for solutions. However, the answer to the lack of truck drivers may be right under your nose. You may have a good chance of finding suitable workers by sourcing the local candidates, such as:

Veteran drivers

A good place to start is the local community of veteran drivers. Their experience stretches over a long line of technological changes, which means that they have the necessary skills to operate various trucks. They may also have the ability to solve unexpected problems quickly due to their extensive mechanical knowledge.

Legal immigrants

Another optimal solution for covering truck driving positions is asking the Department of Labor Employment and Training Administration for possible candidates among the immigrant community.

Legal immigrants that have English as their second language and meet the criteria of a truck driving job can become excellent assets for your company. Some of them may have an entire career in the same position back in their home country, so they will require very little training.

Additionally, many of them will probably know two or more languages, which will benefit your business if you deal with international freight transportation.

Women truck drivers

If your company performs mainly local deliveries, you should consider hiring women in truck driving positions. Many women who are shifting back into full-time jobs after staying at home with children are ideal candidates for the job.

Local trucking, as long as they meet the requirements for the position, is a job that allows them to stay close to their families while earning a reasonable wage at the same time.

You should clearly state the fact that you are hiring women truck drivers in your recruiting strategy to enhance your chances of employing suitable workers in that position.

Final tips on hiring truck drivers in 2020

Besides the job requirements that every candidate should meet for a truck driving job, you should also look for these traits in your future employees:

  • Patience
  • Flexibility
  • Diplomacy
  • Punctuality
  • Truthfulness
  • Decent personal grooming
  • Mechanical skills
  • Smart technology skills

When the person that you interview meets most of these conditions, you know that you have the right candidate for the job.

These character traits and skills should also weigh heavily when deciding which truck drivers you retain for your company along with position-earned factors like seniority, team leadership, loyalty, and specialty routes experience.

The future may not look bright for the overland freight transportation industry, so you will need to adapt to a new environment with fresh recruitment strategies. Look for candidates that could become precious assets for your company and reward their work more than with pay rises. Allow them to have their choice of schedules and routes, and to develop their skills through company-paid programs.