Truck Driver Reviews Top Factor in Choosing a New Job
Truck drivers say the most influential factor when choosing a carrier to drive for is online reviews from other drivers, according to a recent study from two driver recruitment and retention agencies.
About 72% of drivers surveyed said the most influential factor when choosing a carrier to drive for is online reviews from other drivers.
Photo: Canva
2 min to read
About 72% of drivers surveyed said the most influential factor when choosing a carrier to drive for is online reviews from other drivers.[|CREDIT|]Photo: Canva
While more than half of professional truck drivers aren’t currently looking for a job, those that are say the most influential factor when choosing a carrier to drive for is online reviews from other drivers, according to a recent survey conducted by driver recruitment advertising agency Conversion Interactive Agency, and employee retention and feedback company PDA.
Ad Loading...
For a second year, less than half (37%) of the 1,200 professional truck drivers surveyed said they are currently looking for a job, which is up almost 3% from November.
Ad Loading...
About 72% of drivers said the most influential factor when choosing a carrier to drive for is online reviews from other drivers, followed by job descriptions (71%) and online articles and blogs about the carrier and/or the driving job (nearly 31%). In job descriptions, most drivers are looking for pay and home time information.
“This is a pivotal moment for the trucking industry. We are living in the digital age of driver recruiting and carriers that have not adopted innovative technologies are going to fall behind,” said Kelley Walkup, president and CEO of Conversion Interactive Agency, in a press release. “Truck drivers are creating online communities and basing their career choices on the reviews of other drivers. They are using social and digital media to look for new driving jobs, and the technology is constantly evolving.”
Graph: CIA/PDA
Monitoring online reviews is becoming a critical piece of driver recruitment, according to the survey results.
“Monitoring and responding to online driver reviews is essential to the success of any driver recruiting effort,” Walkup said. “Articles, blogs, and social media content are an underutilized strategy by carriers today. Drivers are consuming content online, so why shouldn’t it be about your carrier?”
While technology is becoming a crucial factor, there is still a strong desire for human interaction during the recruitment process. Almost 60% of drivers claim they prefer a phone call when communicating with driver recruiters during the recruiting process.
The Department of Labor plans to expand Pell Grant eligibility to some shorter workforce training programs, a move the American Trucking Associations said will help strengthen commercial driver training schools and diesel technician training programs.
For an industry that has watched this issue go back and forth for years, the independent contractor proposal marks the latest swing in the regulatory pendulum.
America’s Service Line adopted Link’s SmartValve and ROI Cabmate systems to address whole-body vibration, repetitive strain, and driver turnover. The trucking fleet is already seeing measurable results.
The Federal Motor Carrier Safety Administration issued more than 550 notices of proposed removal to commercial driver training providers following a five-day nationwide enforcement sweep. Investigators cited unqualified instructors, improper training vehicles, and failure to meet federal and state requirements.
Illinois is the latest state targeted and threatened with the loss of highway funding by the U.S. Department of Transportation in its review of states' non-domiciled CDL issuance procedures. The state is pushing back.
After a legal pause last fall, FMCSA has finalized its rule limiting non-domiciled commercial driver's licenses. The agency says the change closes a safety gap, and its revised economic analysis suggests workforce effects will be more gradual than first thought.