While reading an article online from CCJ about recruiting drivers who are in their 20's and all of the difficulties companies are encountering I wondered why waste your time, efforts, and money.
We keep hearing and reading about the driver shortage in trucking. There are some creative ways to recruit drivers and entice them into becoming a commercial driver. We don’t read much about the companies that have figured out it is a lot less expensive to keep their drivers then it is to spend money recruiting.
We see ads recruiting military veterans and the age of driver that is now legal to apply for a commercial drivers license. The twenty something's that I know are trying to figure out what they want to do for the rest of their life. They are into a lot of friends, going to parties, and figuring out where they fit in and do not seem interested in a job that could take them away from friends and family for months at a time. They are also often looking at starting a family, finding a home, and advancement where they work. We were the same way in our twenties.
While our kids were young the idea of trucking did not appeal to us, but once we saw their backsides heading off to college we were ready to start on a new adventure. Our story is a very common among the empty nesters as we were ready to do something we have always dreamed of. Lets get paid to see the country.
Many of the people we meet and talk to at truck shows, in parking lots, at truck stops, or who know we are truck drivers have a lot of very good questions. These people are typically over the age of fifty, business and life smart, and they are ready to make an informed educated decision to become truck drivers.
This age group is mature and they are the people that typically do not make rash uneducated decisions. First they start learning more about trucking by reading and talking with drivers. They attend trucking shows, attend seminars, and asking a lot of questions about income, home time, hours of service, and about companies.
This age group of potential drivers knows the value of a dollar and how expensive it can be to tear up equipment. The over fifties knows how important a first impression is and easily grasps the idea that they are the face of the company they are leased to or drive for. They also are smart enough to see through the smoke and mirrors that is often seen in recruiting ads.
The mature audience will research a company till they find the right fit and they also know the value of retention versus the cost of changing companies. As the median age of drivers escalates recruiters need to be attending RV shows to find those couples looking for a challenge and are ready to start a new career and life adventure.
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This age group of drivers could easily become a companies core group to educate new drivers, to network to others of the same age, and also to put a smiling face on a companies website.