Revving Up Recruitment: Enhancing Communication with Truck Drivers

In 2022, the American Trucking Association estimated the truck driver shortage to remain near a record high at approximately 78,000 drivers. If trends continue, the shortage could reach up to 160,000 by 2031. Reports from the National Private Truck Council (NPTC) indicate driver turnover is consistent with the aging workforce and retirement.

In addition to the external factors that affect recruitment, internal factors ranging from time delays to the overwhelming number of messages that recruiters must respond to contribute to some of the reasons why it can take up to several weeks to complete the hiring process. 

With highly sought-after positions, recruiters may need to simultaneously manage up to hundreds of candidates. Depending on the job, candidate inquiries may include internal job updates, cents per mile rates, home time, bonuses, benefits, company culture, training or advancement opportunities, and the list continues. With this overwhelming number of inquiries, it’s becoming more difficult for recruiters to respond to candidates promptly, personally, and efficiently.

Poor communication can deter candidates from moving forward in the application process. Even if a candidate was initially extremely interested, bad communication or lack of engagement can lead them to change their minds.

To solve recruiting communication challenges, recruiters in the trucking industry must embrace technology. By leveraging technology-empowered application tracking systems like Blendyd, they can streamline communication and enhance efficiency. A powerful, single recruitment platform, Blendyd automates key talent acquisition functions and makes it easy to quickly find and hire the right candidates.

use ai for personalized conversations

Blendyd’s AI-empowered messaging tool expertly combines technology with human understanding. Users can generate authentic, human-like conversations and build meaningful relationships. With AI-suggested responses, recruiters can choose to customize replies before sending them.  By analyzing candidate responses and behavioral patterns, this advanced technological tool can also personalize conversations to individual preferences, enhancing the overall candidate experience.

With the use of this tool, it’s easy to answer questions instantly and quickly move candidates to the next step in the hiring process. Automating routine tasks such as answering pre-screening questions can allow recruiters to have more time to focus on high-value tasks. Timely and regular communication is important to let candidates know they are still being considered. Recruiters can leverage AI messaging to not only keep candidates updated with their application process but also to build rapport.

Stay organized with unique phone numbers

Another key feature of Blendyd's platform is the ability to generate unique phone numbers for each job posting. This offers recruiters individual, private phone numbers for each job posting and provides a strategic advantage by personalizing communication.

Additionally, this allows them to tailor their messaging to specific roles and target audiences. With this key feature, recruiters can increase the likelihood of candidate engagement. Providing candidates with a dedicated phone number demonstrates a commitment to accessibility and responsiveness, giving candidates a better job search experience.

This key feature removes the necessity for recruiters to use their personal cell phones. By having a dedicated phone number for each job, recruiters can maintain privacy by not sharing personal contact details. Recruiters are further protected from spam or unsolicited calls and can deactivate the phone number after the job posting expires. Additionally, having a dedicated contact number for each job posting reflects a more professional and organized appearance.

connect with drivers where they are

Since Blendyd is optimized for mobile, recruiters can easily reach drivers on the go to facilitate real-time engagement. Text messaging and mobile-friendly communication channels help accelerate the recruitment process. 

Compared to emails, text messaging is a more effective method of communication. Emails have an average open rate of only 20%, while SMS (text messaging) averages an open rate of 98%. Additionally, while it takes users approximately 90 minutes to open an email, SMS messages are typically opened within 90 seconds. With these statistics, it’s clear that text messaging is an effective way to quickly and reliably reach customers. 

By personalizing communication to the individual requirements and preferences of truck drivers, recruiters can recognize the challenges of life on the road, showing empathy and understanding, and fostering a rapport with the candidate.

Effective communication is at the heart of successful recruitment within the trucking sector. By directly identifying the impacts of ineffective messaging and adopting proactive approaches to improve transparency, engagement, and candidate satisfaction, recruiters can skillfully navigate the distinct challenges of this industry. Ultimately, this will lead to successful recruitment efforts and foster a favorable employer reputation that attracts top-tier talent.

In Conclusion

If you’re struggling with attracting top-level candidates, Blendyd is here to help. Transform your recruitment workflow with advanced technology designed to streamline communication and attract the industry’s best drivers. Contact us today to schedule a demo.