OTR or over the road, refers to truck drivers who are engaged in a transportation process that implies long distances, as opposed to local truck driving careers.
These days we can see more and more trucking companies that are in the process of hiring the right OTR truck driver.
Actually, OTR truck driver stick in the same trucking company for a long time only if they feel like being a part of the company culture.
Thereupon, both retaining and hiring the right OTR truck driver are hard processes.
So, trucking companies that are in the process of hiring the right OTR truck driver should make sure to fulfill the requirements that OTR truck drivers have.
Nevertheless, over the road truck drivers are always more attracted to trucking companies with career opportunities that will keep their careers on track.
In addition, there are numerous ways that trucking companies can source OTR drivers.
Further in this article you will have the chance to read and learn more about the 10 things that experts suggest trucking companies to implement in order to make the process of hiring the right OTR truck driver easier.
So, let’s take a look!
Hiring The Right OTR Truck Driver Tip No.1: Use a White Paper To Attract Drivers To Your Fleet
Using a white paper is one of the essential steps that truck drivers planning to start a recruiting process should take.
When someone says white paper, it comes naturally to us to think straight away about B2B.
But, why B2B seems to be an essential part of hiring the best OTR driver process?
Well, it is so because in reality white paper downloads are an amazing way to target the right over the road truck drivers.
Remember: The more specific the content is, the more targeted audience and quality leads you will get.
Hiring The Right OTR Truck Driver Tip No.2: Use Social Media
Social media usage is constantly growing. It means one thing for trucking companies hiring the right OTR truck driver- “generation of more leads”.
It’s simple as that, a single buzz word can rule them all. Have this in mind when hiring the right OTR truck driver.
Just keep it simple, and remember that truck drivers are just like the rest of us. That is to say, truck drivers are discussing the issues that are relevant to them on social media.
Moreover, the statistics show that the audience of drivers on Twitter, Facebook, and YouTube channels is growing day by day.
Tip: When hiring the right OTR truck driver never ignore building a targeted audience.
The best way that trucking companies can build a targeted audience is through getting involved in a couple social media channels. Never let yourself get behind the competition.
Thereupon, when hiring the right OTR truck driver with the help of social media, you should know that is you are not targeting the audience well enough you won’t be generating applications from quality drivers.
Hiring The Right OTR Truck Driver Tip No.3: Find and Present What Makes Your Fleet Amazing
What makes your fleet amazing is, in fact, the thing that will attract and bring the right OTR truck drivers to your trucking company.
Remember: Telling a targeted audience just the fact that you have an open position won’t work.
When hiring the right OTR truck driver you should present to your targeted audience a bit about the past of your trucking company, the vision of the company as well as what your company has achieved so far.
Experts advice trucking companies to consider talking more about what makes driving for their fleet so special. Believe it, or not, it works.
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So this step will challenge you to think about the things that make your fleet stand out from the other trucking companies. You should figure out those things as soon as possible.
Hiring The Right OTR Truck Driver Tip No.4: What to cover in OTR Truck Driver Interview
Now that you have gathered numerous OTR truck driver applications, you should get prepared for the interview process.
Do you know what the most important points you have to cover in the OTR truck driver interview?
The secret lays in encouraging the candidate to reveal their hopes, aspirations as well as expectations about the jobs to you.
In general here is what you should cover in the interview if you are with the thought to hiring the right OTR truck driver:
- A thorough discussion of expectations around home time is an essential part of the in-person interview.
- Some employers are reorganizing their logistics to minimize the amount of time drivers must spend on long hauls;
- Be sure to ask the candidate how he or she handles unexpected situations such as mechanical breakdowns;
- Discuss the candidate’s feelings about real time monitoring, such as communications systems that constantly stream feedback about truck location and activity;
- In the final in-person interview consider inviting the driver’s spouse or partner to the interview so he or she can understand the scope of the job and ask questions about benefits and scheduling home time;
Hiring The Right OTR Truck Driver Tip No.5: Key Job Skills To Look For In OTR Truck Drivers
The OTR Truck Driver questions that I have included in the previous sub-heading will definitely lead you to realize what kind of skills does the interviewee has.
Nevertheless, here are the key job skills that every trucking company should look for in OTR truck drivers:
- Collaborative communication skills with dispatchers and schedulers;
- Independence;
- Consistent and truthful in reporting and logs;
- Mechanical aptitude for both troubleshooting and long-distance collaborations with mechanics at the home site;
- Ability to manage and continually learn new communications, GPS and monitoring technologies.
Hiring The Right OTR Truck Driver Tip No.6: Technology Improvements are Transforming the Transportation Industry
The transportation industry in the last decade has experienced a transformation thanks to the implementation of new technologies. Starting from tracking the location of the vehicles, parcels, containers up to predicting the location of goods.
