The Truckers of Tomorrow
Our economic infrastructure depends heavily on the trucking business, and a persistent shortage of drivers might result in high costs, slacking deliveries, and a complete closure of services in many areas of the nation. Reality, the industry has been short on drivers over the past years and is still in dire need of at the present time. Approximately 60,000 trucks are currently required, according to a conservative estimate. By 2026, that number might have tripled. While here are a lot of factors affecting such, main contributors are poor employee retention programs, high rates of turnovers, and recruitment aspects. Even the long-time awareness that our workforce is steadily growing older.
More than 20% of truck drivers today are over the age of 55, while 60% of all truck drivers are over 45. Every year, more baby boomers begin to retire, and in the next ten years, at least 25% of our drivers will reach retirement age. The trucking business needs to start engaging with skilled individuals to combat such demographics. In simpler words, its appeal to new batch of truckers must start now, or it never will.
Now that fleet operators are experiencing the increasingly challenging tasks of encouraging, hiring, and retaining capable professionals, the immediate plans of discontinuing the deterioration of the industry brought by US truck driver shortage must be straightened out to attract the succeeding generation. Currently, many millennials don't even drive -- making trucking career an unlikely employment choice for young people, which becomes yet another serious issue. But if carriers don’t overcome these demographic trends and barriers, the driver scarcity will only worsen.
To properly identify, those that are born between 1981 and 1996 are called Generation Y or popularly known as Millennials, makes up 25% of the U.S. population. And just like any workers regardless of whatever generation they belong to, they can also be motivated.
People generally have a bad perception about Millennials whenever mentioned. Stereotypes abound them, but most are unfounded or misunderstood, particularly where careers are concerned. It's not an ideal to take the bad press seriously and believe the negative hype about this group of people when trying to improve numbers in the trucking sector. Young people are typically the first thing that comes to mind when discussing millennials.
However, millennials are no longer as young. The age range of today's millennials is 25 to 40. Therefore, while some millennials might lack experience, the majority do not. Baby Boomers have been surpassed by millennials as the largest generation in the country, and they represent a sizable untapped talent pool. They also consist half of the domestic workforce in 2015, and come year 2030, that percentage is expected to increase to 75%, surpassing Boomers as the largest generation in the country, while representing a sizable untapped talent pool.
Baby Boomers, on the other hand, who have begun to retire in significant numbers, are outnumbered by them. Millennials are the most diverse generation ever which identifies minorities and ethnic groups, as well as bilingual, which means they have a lot to offer.
The question is, how do companies get these incredible individuals with such potential into the trucking workforce?
First off, understanding Millennials' fundamental desires and thought processes is crucial when marketing to them. They are looking for an entrepreneurial atmosphere and a healthy work-life balance in a sense of filling a role that matters, that helps them succeed at work and in life and has an impact to the world. They have a broader understanding of the global village because they were raised in the technological age. With so much information available about this generation, recruiting them should already be guided.
The industry must persuade young people that working as a truck driver is a respectable and satisfying career to attract them to transport service positions. In essence, truck driving has a perception issue. The first thing carriers need to do is improve the image of trucking. Millennials place significance on culture and aspire to belong to something greater and more meaningful. Simply pointing out that joining the trucking sector is evolving into a component of the foundation of the American economy will suffice to illustrate the influence a truck driver has on society. Demonstrate to them how, in a matter of months, the country would essentially implode without truckers.
Because of them, the workforce has been changing. This younger generation is redefining what it means to be successful—something the trucking industry has struggled to keep up with—with a greater interest in technology, modern views about workplace standards (hierarchical business practices, dress codes, personality expression and preferences, etc.), and a desire to feel like they are contributing to the bigger picture.
A significant portion of young drivers place value in corporate culture. The paper goes on to discuss programs that help create the community-centered cultures that younger drivers desire, such as compensating senior drivers for informal mentoring.
Let's begin by comprehending who they are, what drives them, and how we could improve their ideas of them and, perhaps, our industry.
It will take some effort on our part to persuade this "younger" generation to work as truck drivers. Too long have schools overlooked skilled trades and "blue collar" jobs like trucking in favor of funneling students toward "white collar" ones. As a result, we must advertise our distinctive advantages as a field to work in. To draw in millennials, and show the understanding of generational gap, we should emphasize the following things:
LINKING TRUCKING TO WHAT MATTERS TO THEM
The Millennial generation will find advertising that promotes diversity to be particularly appealing. But no matter how often you use the word "diversity," if your business isn't truly diverse, you'll get caught. Before making any decisions, millennials will conduct research, and if they discover that you are merely paying lip service to diversity, they will leave and post about it on social media.
Offering a robust benefits package and top-notch medical care can have a big impact. Keep in mind that Millennials who turn 26 soon will no longer be covered by their parents' insurance.
Additionally, having coaches and mentors on staff will appeal to Millennials, who are eager to learn and advance their careers. They will feel connected and content if they can access mentors with expertise, may it be through informal training with trucking veterans, and learn from them while developing and taking in information at their own speed.
BE PREPARED TO MEET YOUR FUTURE DRIVERS WHERE THEY ARE
Social media has evolved into one of the best channels for attracting young people, particularly Millennials, and is now used for more than just uploading photographs of dogs. Companies need to take Facebook seriously if they want to reach a sizable target group of young people and Millennials for recruiting.
Facebook has a "viral" factor as well. Since it is a popular and widely used social network where everyone's friends are, if carriers can get just one person interested in truck driving, they may spread the word about you to their friends and family, who may then spread the word to theirs, and before you know it, a much larger audience is talking about the trucking industry in general and your business in particular. Social media is a medium that trucking companies must use while striving to fulfil the demand in today's always-online culture. One part is knowing what to advertise about yourself. The where and how come next.
Better outcomes can be obtained by going above and beyond conventional advertising. As previously said, it is now our responsibility to convince millennials that a career in trucking can be lucrative and alluring. You must market trucking as a lifestyle and share your narrative to accomplish that.
KEEP UP WITH TECHNOLOGICAL FLOWS
The millennial generation is more accustomed to technology than any other. The trucking sector has embraced technology overall, despite the fact that individual businesses may have been hesitant to change. Make sure to emphasize how your business is integrating technology into its tools and procedures. Show how your business is up to date and perhaps even in advance, whether it's through ELDs, the use of online training tools, or Zoom chats for driver check-ins.
At the end of the day, no amount of promotion will help if one can't deliver. Positive workplace cultures are impossible to fake, and millennials respect employers who understand this. So, examine your procedures, especially those related to the hiring of new drivers. Consider spending some time and money, if necessary, to examine and enhance your onboarding, orientation, managing, and training procedures.
Millennials value regular feedback and chances to learn, develop, and improve. For early orientation periods, pairing up new hires with seasoned veterans as mentors will go a long way toward creating loyal drivers for the company.
Similar to other professions, the best recruiting strategy for drivers is still personal recommendations. However, novel strategies will be needed to draw enough millennials to truck driving. Trucking companies are effectively utilizing innovative recruiting strategies as they grasp the potential of millennials:
1. Social media
62 percent of millennials use social media to locate jobs, and 75% of truckers say they check Facebook daily. Facebook is one of the most efficient and economical recruiting channels since it attracts millennials who prefer videos and digital information like blogs. In fact, digital content and video advertisements perform 118 percent better than their print counterparts. Popular channels also include visual platforms with little narrative material.
To engage millennials and promote employment openings, trucking companies should be active on social media. Free CDL training is a fantastic incentive to get young people just starting their careers to join your fleet.
Additionally, millennial interest in the trucking sector will be ensured by knowing what matters most to them and implementing the appropriate improvements and renovations to driver cabins, which will also assist to grow the number of truck drivers in the industry.
2. Mobile-Friendly Job Applications and Interviews
85% of millennials have smartphones, which they use an average of 45 times every day. With demands of expediency, in contrast to earlier generations who had to adapt from mailing paper resumes to applying for employment online.
Make sure it's simple for potential truck drivers to locate your job advertisements online and that the application process is user-friendly and mobile-based because millennials are unlikely to go in and fill out or send in a job application via mail. Millennials like the interview process so much that 78 percent stated it affected their decision to accept the position. Trucking companies could start with comfortable online interviews conducted through video apps rather than using dated, formulaic procedures. They should strive for transparency and provide more details about the business and its values. Additionally, it's essential to customize communications to demonstrate to millennials that you care about them beyond their résumé.
OFFER JOB PROGRESSION AND COMPETITIVE REMUNERATION
Conventional opinion holds that millennials are not driven by money. However, if a position offers consistent income rises and chances for advancement, 90% will remain loyal to it. In fact, millennials consider base pay to be the most crucial aspect of choosing and sticking with a job. Raising the minimum wage is a straightforward and efficient strategy to attract this generation to the truck driving profession. Many fleets offered significant pay increases to recruit drivers in addition to the minimum weekly wage to ensure continuous payouts in 2018 when the driver scarcity was at an all-time high. This strategy has long been used to bring on new drivers from any generation up until the present time.
PROVIDE FLEXIBLE SCHEDULING
Truck drivers may travel for up to two or three weeks at a time, which can lead to difficulties between work and family life regardless of the profession. Today, because to a lack of scheduling flexibility, 75% of truck drivers believe they will leave the profession within the next 5 years. For millennials who favor occupations that put a high priority on work/life balance, this is a sticking point. A regular schedule may even be more significant to certain people than a big wage. Fleets with guaranteed predictable days at home and flexibility in how long drivers may spend on one stretch had a 22% lower turnover rate. They're also considerably more likely to be successful in attracting and keeping millennials in the future.
HIGHLIGHT REWARDS
Millennials won't think twice about switching to a different firm or industry if they don't feel valued at work. Human nature dictates that they desire to feel appreciated and recognized for their efforts. An incentive scheme can be quite beneficial in this situation. By rewarding and recognizing safe driving habits, incentive programs positively reinforce these behaviors. By doing this, they greatly raise driver retention. The most effective fleets in luring and keeping drivers are those who treat them with respect and admiration. Make sure your management put effort into getting to know your drivers on a personal level.
ABOUT TIME TO FACE THE CHANGE
Millennials were raised in a technologically advanced society where multitasking was the norm. We will be able to add significant value to the tried-and-true methods that many industry veterans have depended upon for years by using our ability to research and think in a visual environment.
As has already been mentioned, Millennials are expected to use technology in both their personal and professional life because they have grown up with it. Technology investment is crucial for luring in these people and making sure they are content with and effective in their professions. Tech investments can range from driver apps to in-vehicle technology, among other things, to make their lives on the road easier.
Whether it's to encourage community involvement or to just keep truck drivers informed of what's going on at home and in the business, social media platforms are a terrific way to interact and communicate with them while they are on the road. Truck drivers may easily exchange pertinent documents like invoices, BOLs, and PODs with back-office staff members or other parties by using specialized apps designed specifically for this purpose. There is no need to wait for drivers to deliver the information or send it in days or weeks later.
For a chance to turn things around, carriers must start focusing on formulating strategic changes that will not only make sure they can fulfill the labor shortages of today, but they'll also be prepared for prospects for future growth.
AJG Transport embraces the changes that comes within the industry may it be through processes or generational gaps. And one thing is for sure, we are prepared and willing to do so, whatever it takes to keep our pledge of efficiency and excellency going.
We are grateful for the work that has been contributed to the transport industry by our past and present drivers, and we are more than delighted to welcome future members to help us maintain a sustainable American life.
AJG Transport Operation Team