Even before the global pandemic that started in 2020, the trucking industry has been experiencing staffing issues. People are becoming more reluctant to sign on as drivers, and those who do often leave the industry soon after they begin. While retention strategies are just as important as recruitment, we’re going to focus on the latter. Check out these four ways you can recruit semi-truck drivers.

Invest in Online Content

If people don’t see your business’s name, they’ll never know that you’re hiring. You need to become visible online, which means promoting yourself through web ads, having an SEO-optimized website, and having a social media presence. People want to see what life is really like for truckers, so show them day-in-the-life videos and photos of real employees.

Focus on Driver Benefits

Once you have someone’s attention, you need to convince them to apply for a job. That means making the job look attractive. Don’t focus on your company’s achievements or years in the business. People typically don’t make decisions on who to work for based on that kind of information—especially not in such a competitive hiring market. Instead, focus on things like offering more perks and benefits than other trucking companies.

Make Applying Easy

So, you have a potential driver’s attention and they’re interested in a job. What you need now is an easy application process. If your application system requires too many steps, very few applicants will do the work and hit the submit button. For the initial step, just ask for a resume and contact information; you can always ask for more information later.

Have a Referral Program

People often trust recommendations from friends and family more than advertisements. To make sure you’re covering all kinds of communication, set up a referral program for employees. In a referral program, your current employees can get a cash bonus or other significant prize if they convince someone to apply for and obtain a position with your company. These kinds of programs provide incentives for people to spread the word about your company for free.

These are just four of the ways you can recruit more semi-truck drivers for your business. Make sure you also try different retention strategies to encourage people to stay. You can do this by improving your drivers’ quality of life. For example, you can install air ride seats for semi-trucks in all your cabs to give employees the most comfortable driving experience. GRA-MAG offers fleet pricing for air ride seats, so don’t hesitate to contact us today.