Driver Opinion Survey Shows Drivers Are Not on the Job Hunt

While demand for drivers is at an all-time high, more than half of drivers are not actively seeking new jobs, according to a recent survey by driver recruitment and retention agencies Conversion Interactive Agency and Professional Driver.

Majority (nearly 74%) of the drivers not looking for a job indicated that they were happy where they were, according to the survey. The agencies asked 1,212 professional truck drivers a variety of questions to regarding career trends, communication preferences, online viewing habits and more, to gauge how drivers feel about the job market.

“In an extremely competitive driver market like we’re in today, the carriers who are winning are those who are investing in recruitment strategies to capture both passive and active drivers,” said Kelley Walkup, president and CEO for Conversion Interactive Agency.

Yet driver feedback left no doubt on what they wish carriers would change about the overall recruiting process.  Over 70% of drivers indicated that they wanted recruiters to be honest with them.

“There is a clear gap between the experience carriers are selling to drivers and the actual experience they’re delivering,” added Walkup. “I would challenge motor carriers of all sizes to audit the driver experience at their fleet and be sure what you’re selling in your recruiting departments mirrors what you’re delivering. This will build trust with drivers, and ultimately improve retention for fleets.”

The survey also indicated that home time was as important as pay when drivers were asked what was most attractive about a job to them.  Further data indicates that the most important part of home time to a driver was getting drivers home on time and having their home time requests honored.

“In this tight market, not only do we see challenges in recruiting, but we are also seeing an uptick in turnover across the industry,” said Scott Dismuke, director of operations for PDA.  “The companies that are best fit to combat a rise in turnover are going to be those that are paying attention to, and addressing the details.  Drivers have made it abundantly clear in this survey that home time and honoring their home time are things carriers need to be focused on.”

The data also shows that Facebook and YouTube are leaders in where drivers are consuming content and information.

“Establishing a strategy on these channels is critical to success in recruiting,” Walkup said.

To access the full survey report, click here.