How the Trucking Industry Is Implementing Modern Staffing Tactics to Build Younger Teams

The average age for a trucker is 46 years old, according to Census.gov data. It can be concerning when not as many younger workers are entering an industry. This is because older workers retire and someone has to take their place.

Unfortunately, there have been issues with attracting and retaining young workers in trucking. It could be how demanding the job can be, the lack of work-life balance, or something else entirely.

That said, there has been an effort to make the industry more appealing to young workers, particularly through creative staffing tactics. The following innovative approaches have helped to build relationships with young candidates and convince them to enter and stay in the industry long-term.

Relying on Tech Tools to Find the Right Candidates

Every industry is relying more on technology to better customer and employee experiences and streamline internal processes, one of those processes being the hiring process.

Relying on tech tools to find the right candidates is a modern approach to staffing in the trucking industry. Doing this helps target only the candidates that match what employers are looking for, increasing the chances of them hiring a well-qualified candidate that is likely to stay for the foreseeable future.

For example, applicant tracking systems (ATS) can help determine the quality of a hire. You can establish pre-hire criteria that you want the system to flag that indicate someone is a potential quality hire, like a certain score on the provided skills test, resume quality, and whether they have references and notes about their screening interview.

Trucking companies screen candidates much faster and with the qualities of a good match at the forefront of the search with the help of an ATS, giving them a better chance of employing the kind of people they want consistently.

Keep in mind that for an ATS to be an effective tool, companies must ensure they aren’t programming these systems with biases. A specific age group can be a part of the criteria. But staying away from stereotypes and misinformation is a must.

Launching Targeted Social Media Campaigns

90% of adults aged 18 to 29 said they used social media in a recent Statista survey. With a statistic like this, we can conclude that social media platforms are a core part of many young people’s lives.

They aren’t just visiting with friends and family and entertaining themselves on these platforms either. They’re also looking for job opportunities and building relationships with businesses in the industry they’re interested in.

The trucking industry caught wind of this use of social media and has since leveraged it to connect with young candidates and promote vacant positions to them.

Trucking companies are recruiting millennials with campaigns tailored to their interests and needs. For example, a trucking company may run a campaign introducing its brand and highlighting values that align with millennials, such as its commitment to environmental awareness, work-life balance, and health and wellness.

Success on social media depends on content quality, consistency, and engagement. A mix of company-created content, like brand videos and live streams, and user-generated content, such as testimonials from current employees, is the best strategy to drive results. A consistent publishing schedule and answering everything from followers are crucial too.

Creating a Strong Company Culture

It isn’t all about the external recruiting efforts in trucking companies. Creating a solid internal structure and working environment has a hand in attracting younger workers too.

If a talented young candidate comes on board and is met with a negative company culture that doesn’t value who they are and what they bring to the table, they will eventually leave. Successful trucking companies are prioritizing creating a strong company culture because of this.

Understanding the needs of young workers and what drives happiness in the individuals in certain generations in the workplace is key.

Young workers are in abundance. Draw them into the trucking industry and keep them there with the above tactics.