Truck drivers are the lifeblood of this country and its economy.
If you buy something in a store, it probably came off a truck.
It doesnt help that lots of truck driving schools went out of business during COVID-19 lockdowns.
Keeping that in mind, does your business need to hire a truck driver?
Then you’re gonna wanna be smart about it.
Decide What Kind of Truck Driver You Need
Not every truck driver is behind the wheel of an 18-wheeler.
There are different kinds of trucks, so there are different kinds of trucking jobs.
They have different skills and different kinds of licenses.
These come in different classes.
Enough small talk.Here are some waysto earn extra cash, without all of the social stuff.
Class A CDL
Your classic big rig driver.
This includes dump trucks, box trucks, school buses, city buses and tourist buses.
Class C CDL
They can drive trucks weighing less than 26,000 pounds.
S:The School Bus endorsement allows them to drive a school bus.
They need to get a P endorsement first, then pass a background check and a written test.
H:The Hazardous Materials endorsement allows them to haul hazardous materials.
T:The Tank endorsement allows them to haul double trailers, or even triple trailers.
First, check out local, state and federal laws when it comes to trucking.
You dont want any nasty surprises there.
Second, check that your business insurance will cover a truck driver.
The federal government requires interstate truck drivers to have a USDOT number from the U.S. Department of Transportation.
State laws typically govern things like maximum load weights, insurance requirements and various road and fuel taxes.
Youll also want to check with your companys insurance provider to see to it you have the appropriate coverage.
Post the Job
Now that you know what you want, its time to go find it.
Heres where your job posting comes in.
To advertise your truck driver position, youll want to use a job posting site likeZipRecruiter.
Its a marketplace that allows employers to post a job opening to multiple job boards at the same time.
Its a good place to find truck drivers.
Its free for employers to try for four days.
ZipRecruiter offers three different monthly plans, based on how many jobs you want to advertise.
Prices start as low as $16 per day for one reusable job post.
A key to success here is to write a specific job description.
Do a little research on your competition before deciding on a proposed salary.
This is the best way to find qualified candidates and hire truck drivers.
And your job description is key.
Interview Your Candidates
Hiring truck drivers requires a specific kind of interview.
Once you narrow down your list of candidates, schedule some interviews.
Its up to you whether you do in-person interviews, phone interviews or Zoom interviews.
Some key questions:
Experienced drivers should have good answers to these questions.
New truck drivers might have a harder time.
Run a background check and call their references.
These days, truck drivers have their choice of truck driver jobs.
Once youve decided to hire a particular truck driver, let them know right away.
Did we mention theres a shortage of truck drivers?
If your preferred driver is actively looking for work, youll need to hire them before someone else does.
Once they accept your offer, start the onboarding process.
Go over salary, benefits, vacation time, expectations and training.
(Can you sense my millennial sarcasm there?)
You know which ones were talking about: rent, utilities, cell phone bill, insurance, groceries…
