We all know the driver shortage across the U.S. is accelerating, and trucking companies are doing what they can to attract and hire qualified applicants. If you primarily focus on targeting experienced drivers–encouraging them to “make the switch”–and you are in need of creative and effective ways to target student drivers, keep on reading.
Recruiting student drivers is unique. This pool of prospects should be marketed to on a different level than experienced drivers. These candidates are excited, curious, and eager to kick off their career. They’re new to trucking, and undoubtedly research truck driving schools and company benefits to weigh their options.
This means you need to create an effective recruitment advertising strategy to specifically reach student drivers (and we have some helpful tips for you!)
3 Tips to Recruit Student Drivers:
#1 – Tell Them Why Joining the Trucking Industry is a Smart Move
Some of your potential student drivers will be first-time job seekers, and some of them will possibly have a career in another industry that they’re dissatisfied with. Either way, you need to sell them on becoming a truck driver.
Go beyond the most common reasons why joining the truck industry is great by finding out your prospects’ background and what they’re looking for in a job. Is it the opportunity for advancement? Freedom of the open road? Knowing what would make them happy allows you to intrigue them and illustrate how it can improve their lives. This is a personalized, powerful way to recruit student drivers and familiarize them with trucking.
#2 – Highlight Your Unique Company Benefits
As prospective student drivers are learning about the trucking industry, they’re learning about the various benefits and training programs. It’s important to promote what makes you stand out above your competitors. If your student driver program offers great weekly pay while training, provide this material. Maybe your company has spectacular driver referral prizes; make sure to let them know this.
Since you’re prospects are most likely newbies to trucking, be sure any driving school or benefit information is relayed in a simple and clear manner.
#3 – Give Them the Full 411 About Your Company
Student drivers are new to truck driving, and need all the details up front. Being 100% honest and reliable should always be the case in recruitment, but it’s particularly important to emphasize this for student drivers. Yes, the struggle is real when it comes to filling your trucks. But it’s never smart to steer prospects’ expectations in the wrong direction with unclear messages.
For example, if a candidate expects a sign-on bonus to be paid in full in their first four weeks, but come to find out the fine print says otherwise, they will be extremely dissatisfied with your company. Phrases like “make up to” can also be misleading. Upsetting your drivers is a surefire way to lose them (and spread negative reviews).
Give them the full lowdown and you’ll be rewarded with long-term, happy drivers. This results in more driver referrals and positive word-of-mouth, an excellent way to recruit new truck drivers!
Let’s recap what we covered today on recruiting student drivers:
- Explore what the prospect is looking for and reinforce how truck driving can improve their career.
- Feature your best company benefits in an understandable format.
- Don’t advertise misleading facts – clarify what they can expect.
Want more driver advertising recruitment tips? Contact the Hightower Agency, one of the top driver recruitment ad agencies in the industry!
We offer a wide variety of services including: retargeting, email marketing, pay-per-click, geotargeting, blogging, data mining, creation of landing pages, search engine marketing, direct response marketing, content creation, social media marketing, creation of mobile sites, PURL campaigns, radio advertising, publication ads, brochures, Internet placement, newspaper placement, ad copy, website redesign and more.
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