How can you successfully hire the best Truck driver? It is achievable, however, in order to hire best Truck Driver you need to keep track of drivers’ careers.

In addition to this, it can be hard running a trucking company. And sometimes it is even harder to find quality truck drivers.

How To Hire The Best Truck Driver

There are very few quality drivers left which are the reason why hiring the best truck drivers is rather difficult.

However, it is not unachievable.

Looking on the positive side, you can hire the best truck driver but it takes some strategy and time to achieve in this.

On the subject of this, there are numerous factors involved that might help you hire the best truck driver.

According to the Bureau of Labor Statistics (BLS), truck driving is among the fastest growing professions.

Furthermore, according to American Trucking Associations (ATA), nearly 75% of the freight is transported by a truck.

Therefore, you have to do a good interviewing in order to hire the best truck driver.

1. Have an Interview With The Potential Candidate

To begin with, the interview is part of every employment process. Having said this, you need to sit with your driving candidate and ask him questions.

Furthermore, the crucial part of the interview is to let the driver talk about himself and his experiences.

2. Hire The Best Truck Driver With Practical Skills

The practical skills are a part of the second interview. Additionally, it is a stage where every driver needs to get to and hopefully pass it.

Further, if the driver accelerates smoothly then you will know that you are about to hire the best truck driver.

3. Check The Certificates and Licenses

In order to start hiring, licenses and certifications are key. For example, in order to hire the best truck driver, you need the following:

• Commercial Driver’s License is essential to state license
• Class A CDL for driving a truck
• Specialty license for hauling hazmat cargo transportation

4. Additional Background Checks

Every company owner should go through the screenings and background checks of a specific candidate. For instance:

• Check Compliance Safety Accountability
• Records Compiled by the Federal Motor Carrier Safety Administration (FMCSA)
• National Institute for Occupational Safety and Health (NIOSH) Records

5. Run the Driver’s CSA Profile

Once a driver is legally able to run a CSA profile, he should do. Having said this, you need to check this with your next candidate.

In particular, this profile assists a truck driver with accidents or any other incidents that they had on the road.

6. Hire The Best Truck Driver By Checking Job Skills

Continually, you can check the driver’s skills on the job. Regarding this, you can find out what he actually is as a truck driver but mostly what are his driving skills.

7. Create a 90-Day Review To Hire The Best Truck Driver

The 90-day review is created in order to help you with the process to hire the best truck driver.

The fact is, once you hire the best truck driver, you can check his behavior after 90 days.

In this way, you will see whether he likes the job or he is struggling any kind of difficulties.

8. Check for Mechanical Skills

Every truck driver when on the road needs to possess wider knowledge than only truck operating. Due to the unpredictable roads, a driver is obliged to have diesel mechanics knowledge to save a situation.

9. Hire The Best Truck Driver With The Help of Social Media

Nowadays, social media has a massive audience. Having said this, drivers are probably prevailing the networks.

They are on Twitter and Facebook and discuss their issues, same as the rest of us does. Thus, you can use social networks to hire the best truck drivers.

10. Use White Paper To Attract The Best Drivers

A white paper is an excellent way to target a specific audience. For instance, if a driver downloads a particular topic, you will know what he is interested in.

In this way, you ease your job to hire the best truck driver.

11. Include Bonus Programs

To continue with, bonuses are a crucial part to hire the best truck driver. To put it in another way, if you want to hire the best employees, it is important to make a great offer to them.

12. Implement Driver Health Programs

Truck driver’s health should be every trucking company’s priority. With regards to this, you need to make sure you are offering more benefits than other businesses.

In this way, the candidate will consider you the better option and you will successfully hire the best truck driver.

13. Give Drivers Home Time

Continually, drivers need to have a balance between highway and home. Having said this, drivers go for offers which gets them more benefits.

More importantly, enabling them with more home time will guarantee you to hire the best truck driver.

14. Show Drivers What Makes Your Fleet Amazing

Telling your audience and driver candidates that you offer a driving position is not enough.

In other words, you need to convince them what is the main key that differentiates you from the other trucking companies.

15. Check Driver’s Technology Knowledge

In order to hire the best truck driver does not only take to offer them benefits to catch the bait. On the contrary, you need to ask something of them too,

For instance, a proficient driver needs to possess technical skills. For example, operating GPS tracker, managing with fleet fuel cards etc.

16. Offer Referral Bonus To Hire The Best Truck Driver

Offer your driver a referral bonus and you will be able to spot the difference.

Notably, offering this bonus to your drivers will incentivize them to share your job opening.

17. Hire The Best Truck Driver With Driver Job Boards

If previously you had problems with finding jobs or employees, nowadays it is much easier. The internet is an information field.

Having said this, you can find every kind of truck driving jobs at the boards. There is Indeed,  Career Builder, ZipRecruiter, Glassdoor, Monster etc.

18. Create Pay Per Click Campaigns

Creating pay per click campaigns is boosting your company’s potential. More importantly, it will boost the number of candidates interested in a work position for your company.

19. Hire The Truck Driver With Solid Driving Record

One factor that describes a qualified truck driver is the solid driving record. To put it differently, a truck driver needs to have a quality background in order to qualify for a job.

This is one of the driver traits which you need to be familiar with before you hire the best truck driver.

20. Knowledge of State and Government Laws

Significantly, a knowledge of the Government laws is something every truck driver should know.

In particular, these are the regulations that a truck driver needs to be familiar with:

• The Department of Transportation (DOT)
• Transportation and Security Administration (TSA)
• Better Business Bureau (BBB)

21. Successful Truck Drivers Respect The Federal Regulations

To continue with, there are truck drivers who respect the truck driving rules and regulations. These rules are notably given by the Government and they are the following:

• Safety and Fitness Electronic Records System (SAFER)
• Department of Motor Vehicles (DMV)
• The Department of Labor (DOL)

22. Proficient Driver Complies With The Hours of Service (HOS)

The tough schedule of truck drivers is sometimes stopping them from completing their driving hours on time.

Additionally, you need to check this with the candidate and make sure you hire the best truck driver.

23. Check For Stress Management Skills

Due to the stressful job the truck drivers have, their anger is sometimes impossible to be controlled.

However, it is something that the best drivers have and you need to look for this trait in your next truck driver.

24. The Best Driver Has a Sense of Responsibility

What a truck driver needs to do is to be reasonable and responsible. The responsibility involves safety while driving and treating other clients and coworkers with care and understanding.

25. Customer Service Skills Possession

A truck driver is probably meeting face to face with the customers. By doing this, a truck driver seems to partly represent the company and its behavior.

With this in mind, he should always be in a good mood, friendly and welcoming.

26. Multitasking is Key To Hire The Best Truck Driver

If you thought truck driving is an easy occupation and involves only driving, then you are wrong.

On the subject of this, a truck driver does many things simultaneously. Due to this factor, the best truck driver needs to possess several skills.

27. Trustworthy Driver Respects Safety

In order to hire best truck driver you need to take a look further and beyond their professional skills.

With regards to this, you need to look at his character and how trustworthy a driver is as a human being.

28. Professional Truck Driver Acts Friendly

Ask people and they will tell you that proficiency is gained with experience. It is probable, but there are cases which involve the characteristics of a human.

Further, a truck driver who acts friendly and avoids arguments is the perfect candidate to hire the best truck driver.

29. The Best Driver Has Full Focus on The Road

Being constantly on the road is not easy at all. Having said this, there are particular factors involved in order to hire the best truck driver.

To emphasize, these are the traits that a truck driver needs to possess:

• Good Hearing
• Hand and Eye Coordination
• Ability for Long Driving

30. Do Not Underestimate Female Truck Drivers

There are thousands of challenges that female drivers face and yet they have learned to overcome them.

Note to self: Do not underestimate a truck driver because it is a female. You never know how much better she is than the previous or the next male candidate.

31. Ask For The Truck Drivers’ Resume

A truck driver who is on their way to an interview should always take his resume with him.

In addition to this, ask to take a look at the driver’s resume. The resume is important and has his previous experience on it. Notably, it will be of assistance.

32. Alertness Is Another Trait To Hire Best Truck Driver

A truck driver needs to be responsive on the road. On the subject of this, a driver needs to be alert to specific unpredictable driving conditions.

33. Honesty Is Important To Be Found In a Potential Truck Driver

Same as friendliness, responsibility, and trust, a truck driver needs to possess honesty as another trait. Look for it in your next candidate.

34. Ask For The Driver’s Previous Experience

Depending on your employment requirements and job conditions, the experience is and it is not important. Therefore, if you look for an experienced truck driver, then check for his previous job experience.

35. See The Companies The Driver Worked For

A further tactic to discover about his professional, as well as personal skills, is to check the companies the candidate has previously worked for.

36. Mind the Physical Requirements

This may sound harsh but physical requirements are important to be taken into consideration in an interview. A truck driver needs to be strong and fulfill specific requirements.

37. Discover If The Driver Has Visited Training Programs

Same as the skills I mentioned before, the training sometimes plays a significant role here. Note that training is part of every trucker’s career.

38. Check If the Candidate Is Able to Work Independently

In order to hire the best truck driver, you need to see if the candidate is able to work independently. Depending on the job title, he will be required to do multiple things requiring a skill set.

39. See If The Driver Can Drive In Team

On the contrary to the above-mentioned, you need to check if the candidate can work as a team truck driver. This is important if you sometimes have a need for team trucking in your company.

40. Check If The Candidate Had Previous Accidents

The accidents are also a crucial part of your company. If you have a truck driver which had previous accidents, it might lead to decreasing your company’s reputation.

41. Include Insurance Cover

Having benefits is important for the truck drivers to get in a particular company. Therefore, as a company owner, take this factor into consideration.

42. Use Analytics and Strategy To Hire The Best Truck Driver

Making analysis before you hire best truck driver is key to your company’s success. Furthermore, you will need a well-made strategy apart from the analysis.

43. Talk with the Trucking Companies They Were Working Before

As shown above, in order to hire the best truck driver, you need to check the companies. Besides seeing the names of the companies, you need to talk with the company owners about their previous behavior.

44. Be Sure to Remember the Time he Arrived in the Office for Interview

You might think it is not important but checking the interview arrival time is important. This is crucial because, in this way, you will see how responsible he is.

45. Take a Close Look at the Clothes They Wear (the truck driver is the face of your company)

Although clothing is not important in cases and not define a man’s character, this time it does. You cannot allow yourself to hire a driver who does not mind about the interview dress code.

46. The Body Language says a lot About the Character

The body language is probably the most important part when interviewing your candidate. Take this in mind if you want to hire the best truck driver.

47. Asks a Candidate Few Questions and See If He/She Remembered –  Focus Is Key

You probably think is just an interview, the experience is most important. However, the focus is crucial because the candidate will be on the road and he must be focused all the time. It is one way to check it.

48. Ask the Driver to Say Few Things About Their Previous Employees

Listening to your candidate what he has to say about his previous employees describes the fact how friendly he actually is.

Awesome way to check it is to ask him.

49. Be Honest – Never Sugarcoat the Job

Same as you require honesty from your candidates and truck drivers, you need to have honesty as part of your character as well.

50. The Best Truck Driver Loves Its Job

In the end, the best way to hire a driver is to check whether the candidate loves his job.

Conclusion

To sum up, knowing how to hire a driver will certainly bring success to your company. Furthermore, your trucking business will be filled with truck drivers which increase the trucking business reputation.