Building A Truck Driver Referral Program
At a time when finding qualified truck drivers is increasingly difficult, fleets are becoming more competitive in their driver recruitment practices. Driver Job ads on driver job boardscan only be so effective if there aren't enough skilled CDL drivers looking at them, and truck driver referrals are a great source for finding driver talent. Nothing is as powerful as word of mouth for attracting prospective truck drivers. A strong truck driver referral program can pay for itself over time. The key is figuring out what type of program works best for your individual driver recruitment effort and then determining the structure for distributing the rewards without over inflating your driver pay.
The heart of the driver referral program is the driver incentive portion. Once it has been decided that a referral program is a solid solution, driver recruiters can determine what type of incentive to offer. There are many different ways of rewarding drivers for joining the fleet. The most obvious is a monetary bonus, but other options include giftsor paid time off.
Bonuses - The amount of the reward should be attractive to the truck fleet's current truck drivers. Typical incentives average $500-$1,500. Some carriers will immediately distribute the reward while others will withhold until the incoming truck driver meets an employment time frame, such as 90 days or so many miles as an over the road driver. One point to consider is whether or not the bonus will be taxable income.
Gifts - These come in the form of gift cards or other worthwhile tokens of appreciation (e.g. tech devices, appliances, jewelry, etc.). For OTR drivers some carriers give refrigerators or other devices that the driver can use in his/her truck. Again, the taxable value must be considered when determining the amount of the incentive.
Paid Time Off - For many truck drivers, a paid day off or extra home time is worth more than a monetary incentive or gifts, for tax reasons and because, well, who doesn't love a day off? It's not unusual for CDL drivers who've earned a number of PTO incentives to pile up the days to take all at one time.
Truck driver recruiters must know the drivers they're currently working with in order to wisely choose what type of driver referral incentive will work best. It's important to keep the truck driver referral process as seamless as possible. Provide one point of contact to handle truck driver referrals and an online or app referral option. Offer the truck driver prospect the ability to share his/her contact name during the application process.
Building a strong truck driver referral program increase your chances of attracting talented prospective drivers. It is an investment in your truck drivers to advertise for you.