Whats the trick ???

What are your major freight lanes--where else besides where you are located could a driver live and still fit in with your operation--quite often branching out(in terms of home)can pay off

 

Absolute best,


is

word of mouth.

 

The hardest part is not getting the applications to come in (once you run an ad or whatever), it's being able to verify them and establish a selection criteria. You'll need a dedicated person to do this work or hire an employment screening outfit to handle these.

What are you minimum requirements? Do you haul any hazmat?

I'd first put up a decent web site geared to "talking to potential applicants". Don't worry about your company image to shippers. Just say what you do, where you do it, what you provide, what you expect and what you will provide in return, and your pay scale and any benefits, your requirements, etc. If they are still interested, they should be given a phone number to talk to someone in the office to answer further questions and get a feel for the applicant and get a number and address to send a paper application. If you do answer in-house, try and let only ONE person field these calls and make notes about the conversation. How a driver handles phone conversations is important in your drivers as they deal with brokers and customers as your representatives and some drivers don't have very good phone skills. I may get flamed for this statement and suggesting you place some criteria on the phone interview but everybody does it because they have to in order to help filter applicants to get the "cream of the crop". Also, don't worry about the added issues and costs of doing an online application submittal form.

Then put up a card or flyer at truckstop bulletin boards in your region pointing them to the web site. Don't initiate steps that will direct literally thousands of applications to you in the first week because you will be overwhelmed with guys with 6 months looking to change. Some of these may be a good fit to you, but you will get some of these anyway, but you just don't want to be flooded with them.

 

Look at it this way--the larger area you look at the greater the pool of potential drivers--so what I am suggesting--is look at YOUR major lanes--where do you go regularly? Where a truck might be able to stay for a day or two--without it hurting your biz model? Say for example you have regular loads from your area to say Atlanta. If a driver lives in Atlanta area--could load from there--same as if your Mi domiciled driver does--come up to Mi--and just roll back out-instead of takin time off in MI----sometimes need to be creative in thinkin--like truck service etc....but gives you some more options,,,,,Ive got a good friend here in Pa w/25 trucks and he has 2 drivers from Mi--2from Wi--and 5 from TX--and works good for them since they have loads in and out of those areas every day

 

The really good drivers have bought their own trucks.

So that leaves you just as any other carrier.

So what would you be willing to do to set yourself above any other carrier? Chrome and flash as one carrier in MT has them a waiting list. As I understand it, they let you pick a brand new truck with certain criteria. No less than 5 years experience.

Another company inverted the benefits package. The higher up you go, the more you pay. As a new employee, 100% of you health is paid. CEO pays 100% out of pocket.

Be creative here.

Look at the markets you always find your trucks in. Search for drivers there too. Maybe team with a compliance company around there to do the paperwork.