How To Target the Right Drivers

If you’re like most transportation companies in North America, you have more customer demand than you have a supply of drivers. Simply put: you turn down business every day because you don’t have enough drivers. Everyone is suffering from the same shrinking labor pool. But you don’t have to grin and bear it - you can make the driver shortage for your competition.

It’s a Driver’s Market

Anyone with a CDL has a slew of job opportunities that they could have within days. What’s more, our client’s data is showing that cost per hire is hitting all time highs. The only way you can combat these trends is to prove that your company has something special to offer drivers. To do this, you have to look at your company and what defines it. “Good pay” or “more home time” or even “family atmosphere” do not count as differentiators. How do you specifically fulfill these aspects? “Good” is a platitude. There’s no proof to what they means. Focus your energy on proving your claims.

Why Would a Driver Work For You And Not Your Competition?

When you can figure out what you have to offer drivers, you can then try to match them up to driver pain points. Just about every driver laments the same few things about any company: they don’t pay me enough, they don’t respect me enough, they don’t get me home enough. Center your pitch around how you solve these pain points.

From there, you can branch out and include what makes your company unique. Why would a driver want to work for you and no one else? It’s called creating your driver brand. Your company should have a driver committee to address driver issues and bring them to management. Combine that feedback with stay interviews to nail down what truly makes your company unique. Use the Voice of the Driver to identify how you stand out from the crowd.

The next step is turning these findings into compelling advertising. You need to hook them in, provide specific details, and make it easy to move to the next step. The formula we use to create ads is:

• Interrupt
• Engage
• Educate
• Call to Action

Video is the best medium to create compelling advertising that tells your story because it relates to the old brain, or neuromarketing. In 90 seconds, you can clearly and concisely show your culture and distinguishing factors.

Drivers are out there. The drivers you want already have a job. Your job is to use these marketing tactics to interrupt them from their day and say “that looks great - I’d be an absolute fool not to apply for them!” If you want the best drivers, you have to offer the best. Speak to your audience and don’t worry about pleasing everyone, because you’ll please no one.

Advertise your message clearly, and tell them why you’re the right choice for them and not the guys down the street.

Sign up for the Recruiting & Retention Symposium to hear Scott Rea speak more on this topic.