The shortage of truck drivers is at an all-time high. According to Bureau of Labor Statistics data, the trucking sector has lost more than 88,000 jobs, and that’s in March and April 2020 alone! This shortage of truck drivers is now making a huge impact on ride-hailing services and school districts considering the demand for truck drivers.
How can businesses and organizations combat the shortage of truckers? Excellent Florida background screening may assist companies to establish the groundwork for reduced turnover and greater retention.
Here are five tips that can help businesses combat truck driver shortages.
Choose drivers that represent the qualities and values that are important to your organization.
You want to attract truck driver candidates that are not just passionate about driving and enjoy being on the road. You want to hire drivers that have the values that are important to your business. The best way to do that is to profile your best drivers who have been with you for a long time. You can then use their profile as a reference when you are conducting your Florida background screening for new drivers, which will reduce turnover.
It is also important to conduct a fair and compliant background check (employee background checks in Florida) and award those who have the best performance and safety records. Doing this will inspire other employees to perform at high levels as well.
Establish clear expectations from the start, and continue ongoing training opportunities. This can help you to retain your top driver talent!
It’s important to set clear expectations to keep your truck drivers with you for a long time. A good strategy would be to create an agreement with your truck driver and discuss it regularly to ensure that both sides are on the same page. For example, you can include your expectations for safety and compliance with hours-of-service regulations. Create clear processes so that there is no room for your truck drivers to be confused about what is expected of them.
Offer competitive pay and incentives.
Make the pay and incentives more attractive to attract more truck drivers to work for your company. You can offer signing bonuses, salary increases, bonuses and other incentives to help attract the right candidates. Doing this gives truck drivers opportunities to grow in their careers. When truck drivers feel that they are growing within your organization, it can help to retain them for a long time.
Step up your onboarding procedures.
Now that you have a clear structure of how to choose your truck drivers, it’s important to now have a thorough training and onboarding process. This is a crucial step to make sure your truck drivers feel they belong, making them less likely to leave the job. Create opportunities to strengthen your relationship with the truck drivers and improve their overall experience with you.
Conclusion
Poor recruitment and hiring decisions can directly impact your business which is why it’s important to remember these tips for your truck employee background checks in Florida. The long-term solution to truck driver shortage is to recruit and retain the best talent while ensuring these drivers are well-compensated.
