Recruiting and Retention: It's the People and the Process

By Eric Stegman

Fourteen years ago, I began my trucking career with Craig Transportation Co. in the Sales and Marketing Department and later launched our Logistics Division. For the past three years, I have been leading driver development, which includes recruiting and retention. President and owner Lance Craig always maintained that drivers were just as important as customers, if not more so.

Senior VP Chris Simmons recognized my sales talent and challenged me to focus my efforts on recruiting and retention.

Recruiting is similar to sales and marketing. Bonding with a prospective driver and achieving equal respect is the key to building a trusting relationship. The recruiter today needs to have a wide range of people skills. Listen to your drivers. They want to talk and know how you are going to help them. You only have one chance to make a good impression. Get focused and give the call 100 percent of your attention.

Do not waste your time or the prospect’s. If you cannot meet his needs, tell him. You will gain rapport and respect if you tell a prospect what you cannot do. Many prospects only hear positive comments as most companies only tell the driver what he wants to hear.

Retention has to start at the top and work its way down. For example, Lance Craig will introduce himself to new drivers during the orientation process. Chris Simmons, Senior VP, gives out his business cards and encourages drivers to call with customer concerns. In addition, our new drivers will meet representatives from each department, discuss their role with the company and have lunch with one of our dispatchers.

We also have several programs in place to help with retention: tracking income expectations, mentoring programs, operational meetings for driver concerns, driver in-service reports and referral bonus programs.

Our mentoring program consists of employees calling new drivers weekly, focusing on their questions and concerns. This program helps the driver convey his concerns early on to prevent frustration and driver turnover. Calls are documented and concerns are communicated throughout the company. You must make the new driver feel confident that his concerns are being heard.

When communicating with drivers, consistency in every department is necessary. Everyone should have standardized processes and should be on the “same page.” This is vital in helping with driver retention. Employees practice the same programs, making changes and improvements easy to implement.

Another piece of the communication process is how we handle driver concerns. At Craig Transportation Co., the driver manager is the buffer for the Operations Department. Our driver manager will handle any driver issues and work directly with the appropriate department to solve problems.

Follow-up and maintaining a pool of qualified drivers is extremely important. I follow up every three months with drivers who did not join Craig. My database allows me to send letters, faxes or e-mails. I send current prospects a copy of our company newsletter to keep them informed.

The key to recruiting and retention is treating drivers like you want to be treated. Do not expect them to automatically understand your company and how you operate. One of the best quotes I heard from a current Craig driver was, “You and everyone at this company have been so friendly, there has to be something hidden!” Three years later he still stops in weekly to visit.

Finally, your recruiters must be innovative. If you keep doing what you have been doing, you will get the same results. Keep changing and trying new things. The proof of retention is in the numbers. Craig’s cost per hire is less than $500 compared to the national average of more than $1,400. Our turnover is less than 35 percent, year to date, while the trucking industry average is 105 percent.  We bring on the right drivers and focus on retention from the beginning.

Eric Stegman is vice president of driver development at Craig Transportation Company in Perrysburg, OH.