JOHN SIMMS
Vice President, HNI

Drivers every day run across traditional advertising campaigns, such as ads in newspapers and magazines telling them about a better life driving for ABC Trucking Company. “Better Pay”, “More Home Time”, “New Trucks” and “No Touch Freight” are just a few of the taglines that try and capture their attention.  The expected response is simple: they will pick up the phone and call the 800 number that has been posted for their convenience, and a friendly voice will put them on the path to a better opportunity.  But most drivers today are not doing that.

The new rules of driver recruiting

Drivers today have changed the rules of driver recruiting.  The decision to pursue a job is no longer driven by just the advertisements companies place.   The new decision making moment takes place a hundred million times per day on mobile phones, laptops, iPads and any other wired device drivers can get their hands on.  This is where drivers make the choices that affect the success and failure of your recruiting strategy.  Google calls it the “Zero Moment of Truth” or ZMOT. 

ZMOT is the moment when the drivers grab their mobile phones, laptops, iPads etc. and start to research your company on the web.  They learn and make decisions today based on reviews about your company, trucking chat rooms, your buzz on social media, news headlines, company websites, and now more than ever, videos about your company.  Word of mouth is stronger than ever and for the first time in history, word of mouth is available in an openly accessible, digitally archived medium. 

Has your company changed its driver recruiting game?

I challenge you to grab your laptop or smartphone and Google your company name.  Search for your company name in YouTube too for good measure.  Are you happy with what comes up for drivers to see?  If not, it’s time to change your recruiting strategy to include ZMOT. 

By taking advantage of all of the channels accessible to drivers, you stand to gain a huge competitive edge.  You will have the opportunity to reach the thousands of drivers who are using social media and the web to decide who they are going to drive for long before they pick up the phone to call you.  You'll also have a better pulse on how your drivers are feeling and what kinds of things they are posting about the company on social media.  (This knowledge can also be used to improve driver retention efforts.)

This is the new digital lifestyle, and drivers are plugged in virtually 24 hours a day, ready to engage.  They are yours to win or lose.  The opportunity is incredible…but are you ready for it?