Due to the trucking industry expansion, there are thousands of local truck drivers. However, the question is: ‘How to hire the best local truck drivers’?
The trucking industry is like a battlefield. Every day there are hundreds of truck drivers seeking for the job of their dreams.
On the other hand, there are the company owners who are seeking potential candidates for their trucking businesses.
Somewhere along the streets, there is a local truck driver that will put a maximum effort and contribution to your company’s success.
Having said this, how can you find a local truck driver who will eventually meet your needs and standards?
Well, since the trucking industry is a complex one, there are several factors included.
In other words, you must “interrogate” the local truck drivers before they become a part of your team.
In addition, each day is different, every mile is a challenge.
Regarding this, it takes a significant amount of pressure and high knowledge to meet with the unexpected and handle it with skill.
Therefore, seeking for the perfect match for your business could take a detailed investigation.
1. Check If They Have Local Truck Driver Licenses and Technical Certifications
Sometimes the wish of candidates to become local truck drivers is bigger than they are actually ready to dive into these waters.
Correspondingly, they will apply for local truck drivers’ position without even having the complete documentation.
If this is the case, some company owners would hire them without the candidates even having these licenses.
Have you found yourself in this situation?
Normally, they would hire them because of their previous experience while forgetting the law. In other words, forgetting the fact that the license has expired.
Notably, every truck driving job has its licenses and certifications, local truck drivers also need to have a specific local driving license.
To continue with, what a local driver needs to possess is the following:
- Commercial Driver License (CDL) is a type of license essential for the truck drivers.
- The renewal periods vary by state
- Class A CDL license indicates availability for driving a truck with automatic steering system
- Specialty licenses (specialized transportation, hazmat cargo etc.)
- Supply Chain Experience
- Ensuring proper handling of refrigerated cargo
What I mean to say is that you cannot simply leave the state’s law behind and put yourself in a fee risk just because the candidate is experienced.
Or, in the worst case, is somehow related to you and without any experience of the above-mentioned you want to hire him.
This is the worst thing that could happen to your trucking company. If you want to run a successful trucking company with a reputation, this is the opposite of must.
2. Make Thorough Background Check and Screenings
If you want to own a successful trucking business then you need to make sure that everything is under control.
To put it in a different way, this is necessary because of the complexity of the trucking industry. There are too many factors to take into consideration.
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For example, the respect of the Transportation Security Administration and other regulations. Continually, there is the respect of the Hours of Service Regulations (HOS) as well.
Those who actually start a trucking business, need to know the importance of the background checks first.
Definition of Background Checks
A background check is a type of investigation which contains information about a person’s professional, legal and criminal history.
To emphasize, this background check is used for every type of truck driving. In this case, it is also used for going into the personal information of local truck drivers.
Likewise, the information gathered on a background check, in particular, goes like this:
- Full Name
- Age/ Birth Date
- Address
- Relatives and Neighbors Names
- Criminal History
- Drug Test Results
- Citizenship
- Social Security Number
- Driving DMV Records
- Education Records
- Licensing Records
- Medical, Mental and Physiological State
Due to the detailed information gathered on a driver’s background check, it is proven that the background checks are highly beneficial.
Having said this, they are not only beneficial for the local truck drivers but the truck driving companies as well.
To emphasize, it is a win-win for the drivers and their potential company owners. Continually, a company owner can look into the background check of every possible candidate.
In this way, the trucking business owners can easily decide which local truck drivers would be the most suitable for their company.
To continue with, there are different background checks. To put it in another way, there are background checks for every state in particular.
Additional Background Checks for Local Truck Drivers
As shown above, the background checks are crucial when hiring local truck drivers.
Having said this, if they are that important for the local truck drivers, imagine how important they are for the long-haul truckers.
In addition, the additional background checks involve the following:
- Moving Violations (Searching for a Driving History 10 Years Back)
- Driving While Under an Influence
- Operating Under the Influence
- Safety Performance (Respecting BLS, BBB, NIOSH, NHTSA, NFPA, etc.)
- Physical Fitness and Health
- Health Screenings
- Additional Records on the Driver’s Health, Safety, and Working Conditions
- Compliance with Federal Motor Carrier Safety Administration (FMCSA) and Safety and Fitness Electronic Records System (SAFER)
- Compliance with background check and license with the state’s regulations
- Financial Operations
- Conducting a Driving Test on Appropriate truck
Furthermore, in order to make sure that all or nearly all of the above-mentioned are the traits that possess the experienced local truck drivers.
3. Test The Local Truck Drivers For The Skills They Own
Some would say that what a truck driver needs in order to operate a truck is his license.
This is true.
But it is partially true.
To emphasize, it is not enough for you to hire a particular candidate simply because he applied for the job.
