How To Hire A Truck Driver

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Hiring a truck driver can be a smart move that adds to your small to medium business offering and gives you an edge over the competition. Having your own trucking team, or even just one person, can make a big difference in your company’s responsiveness and customer service.

The following article will help you learn how to hire a truck driver and what to expect from the process.

Key takeaways:

On average, truck drivers are paid a little more than $60,000 a year, but your cost can be considerably less if they’re only traveling locally and not long-distance.
Hiring a truck driver is getting a little more difficult because there are more jobs than drivers, but the training period is rather short, so more are coming into the workforce regularly.
Knowing what you want from your truck driver and what you’re willing to offer for pay and benefits is a big part of the hiring process.
When you’re ready to post a job listing, make sure you post it on Zippia. You can also try other online outlets, local truck stops, and some trucker-specific websites.

To hire a truck driver, you need to look at the big picture and break it down into steps to take within the truck driver hiring process. Once you have an idea of your individual needs and the steps necessary, it’s easier to make that hiring decision.

The following are the basic steps you’ll need to take, noting that your company may have a bit of variation to accommodate your specific situation.

Identify your needs. This first step is very specific and based on your company’s needs. A great way to approach this step is to consider what would be the dream scenario and what would be the absolute minimum required to get you to the place you want to be.

It’s good to look at it from both sides and see where a logical, practical, and affordable starting point may be.
Determine a budget. What does your company budget allow for this position? Remember to figure out how hiring a truck driver will impact your sales in a positive way, adding more to your budget. Knowing what you can spend is part of the budget planning process; the other part is knowing what to pay.

Make sure you do a little digging to determine what truck drivers in your region are paid.
Write a compelling job description. Tailor your job description to match the individual you’re looking to hire. Make it interesting and appealing so that someone reading it will be very interested in working with your company.

It’s not just about the job duties; make sure to mention the benefits of working with your business.
Post your job. Explore your options for posting a job locally, regionally, and globally. We suggest reaching out to local truck driving schools, posting on a job board at a truck stop, and, of course, posting on Zippia to reach a wider audience.
Interview candidates. It’s likely that you’ll get a flood of applicants for your truck driving job opening. Start weeding through them, trying to select those who seem to be a good match for your vision of the ideal truck driver. Cultivate a list of truck driver interview questions and begin looking at candidates individually.
Call references and do background checks. One step that shouldn’t be skipped is checking references and backgrounds.

Not only do you want to make sure that the individual has positive personal and professional references, but you want to check their criminal history, which can include driving infractions, and you want to make sure they have the proper licenses for your driving needs.

This is a critical step in hiring a truck driver because you want the individual who represents you on the road to be a reliable and safe driver with the appropriate skills needed.
Make an offer. When you’ve found someone who you think fits the bill, it’s time to make the job offer to them. This is the exciting part and a big step forward for your business.

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How Much Does It Cost to Hire a Truck Driver?

Truck drivers are paid $60,326 annually, and the average cost per hire is $4,700 for a full-time employee.

Of course, this is an average which means that there is a low and a high end to this salary range, and if you’re a small to medium-sized company, you’re probably hiring someone on the lower end of the spectrum with fewer certifications, and you require less of them. These drivers make approximately $40,000 annually.

Hiring a truck driver is relatively easy compared to other jobs, especially if you’re hiring for local or regional driving. If your driver requires a commercial driver’s license (CDL) and no other certifications, it should be easy to find a driver.

If you start adding more driving certificates to the job requirements, it’s going to be a bit harder to find a qualified individual – you’ll also have to pay them more.

Just remember that when you’re hiring a truck driver, you’ll pay more for experience in most situations. Keep this in mind, and it can help you hire a new driver and save money, or an experienced one that costs more can know more about establishing yourself as a trucking/shipping provider.

How to Write a Truck Driver Job Description

There are some steps you must take to nail the description and attract the right candidates. Start with creating a profile of the ideal candidate, then determine what they’ll be doing for you, and finally, detail what qualifications they’ll need to be considered a candidate.

Let’s look at this in a little greater detail.

Create an ideal candidate profile. Imagine the ideal employee for this position and begin creating a profile. Do they have experience in trucking? Would you like them to know about the area and your business? Do they need their own truck?

Go ahead and be as detailed and specific as possible. The odds are that you won’t have a candidate with all of your dream qualifications, but at least you have a better idea of what you’re looking for.
Determine what they will do for you. Will you have enough driving work for them to spend their entire day driving every day of the week? Or will there be downtime in which you’ll want them to do other things?

Are there extra duties like filing delivery reports and truck maintenance that will fall under their job obligations? Create a list of all the possible jobs they might be expected to do under your employ.
What qualifications do they need? There are some delivery jobs that don’t require anything more than a driver’s license, but if you’re looking for a trucker, they’re going to need a CDL. If your truck driver is going to drive even further or drive a larger truck, there are more certifications they’ll need.

It’s best to familiarize yourself with what licenses and certificates are available to truck drivers and which ones you’ll want your new driver to have.

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Where to Find Truck Drivers to Hire?

Now that you’ve decided what you need in a truck driver, where do you find one? Good places to hire truck drivers include:

Zippia. Zippia is one of the best job boards online, giving you access to ample professionals in the trucking industry. You’ll easily find someone with all of the skills you require by posting your job description on Zippia.
Contact a truck driving school. If there is a truck driving school in your region, reach out to them and see how they handle job openings. Some places will have a place to post openings, actual posts, or online posts.

You might find a school that helps place students with companies, which is an extra-nice benefit, giving you another professional to ensure you make the right hire.
Trucker-specific websites. EveryTruckJob.com and AllTruckJobs.com are two websites that are geared toward helping drivers find jobs, and people who need drivers connect with their next employee.
Truck stops. One great place to look for truck drivers is at a truck stop. These businesses cater to the on-the-road professional. If you have a couple of truck stops in your region, stop in and see if they have a job board where you can post your opening.

They’ll also be a great place to get some information on where else you can post locally.

Skills to Look for in a Truck Driver

Obviously, having some driving skills will be at the top of your list, but the following are other important skills to look for in a truck driver.

Hard skills

Hard skills are the ones they’ve learned in school or through some sort of training. These are the skills they can demonstrate and that proves that they’re a true professional truck driver.

CDL or other truck driving license or certificates. Hiring a professional who is fully licensed to perform the job is essential. Make sure to ask to see their licenses and certificates, and feel free to follow up to ensure that they’ve passed the required classes and examinations necessary to do the job legally and safely.
Basic mechanical knowledge. Some people want to hire truck drivers who maintain their own vehicles; others are happy to have vehicles serviced and repaired by an outside business when necessary.

Either way, you’ll still want a driver who has some basic mechanical knowledge and who can head off a problem before it becomes a big deal.
Knowledge of the area. Hiring someone who knows the routes you want them to drive and understands local traffic patterns and the ebbs and flows is a huge benefit.

Don’t assume that someone who has lived in the area a long time knows this, ask questions to see how much your candidate knows about your potential truck driving routes.

Soft skills

Soft skills are often innate talents or abilities, or they’ve skills that have been picked up over time. They’re rarely taught in a school setting, and they’re hard to quantify.

Organization. A successful truck driver is very organized, know how to load their truck, which stops to prioritize, and keeps track of paperwork and directions. There’s a lot going on, and the more organized they are, the better.
Communication. You want a truck driver who is great at understanding what you’re saying and communicating back to you. Communicating well with their co-workers, employers, and the customers they encounter is a big part of the job.
Ability to improvise or problem-solve. If there’s suddenly a traffic problem, what does your driver do? You want someone who can quickly determine what the situation calls for and make the right decision.

There will be a lot of improvising and problem-solving throughout the course of a driver’s day because they’re often on their own. This is why it’s so important to find someone who is comfortable making these decisions.

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How to Interview a Truck Driver

If you’re hiring a truck driver for the first time, there’s no need to pretend that you’re a pro at this. Let them talk to you about their work and the business of driving a truck; your job is to get to know them as a person and learn from them in the process.

Tips for hiring a truck driver include asking open-ended questions, being specific about what qualifications you need, and letting them talk about their experiences.

Ask open-ended questions. Avoid yes and no questions whenever possible. Asking a candidate if they like driving a truck isn’t going to give you any valuable information. Asking them when and why they started driving trucks gives you a lot of information.

Open-ended questions are a great way to get to know more about candidates and to get a feel for their passion for the job.
Be specific about the qualifications. Not all professions require some very specific licenses and certifications; truck driving is one that does. Be honest and upfront with candidates about the qualifications you need them to have, and make sure that they have them.

This is somewhere that you cannot afford to make a mistake.
Let them talk about their experiences. More open-ended questions here can let you know a lot about what they’re good at, what they’ve experienced, and how they’d handle a situation.

Ask them to explain what they did when their truck broke down. Ask them about a situation they’ve had that they’d handle differently now. Get them to give you insight into their ability to improvise and handle difficult situations.

Making a Truck Driver a Job Offer

Making a job offer is a fun part of the job, but it can be a little intimidating, too. Make sure you know what the offer entails, from the salary and hours they will work to more obscure details like do they get holidays off or overtime pay on holidays.

Your candidate should ask questions to make sure they’re aware of the details that matter to them, and it’s your job to answer those questions.

Don’t be disappointed or surprised if they ask for time to consider the offer. This is a big decision for most people, and it makes sense that they’d want to discuss it with significant people in their lives and think about the offer before making a decision. While you should expect this, don’t let them hold out for too long.

Suggest that they get back to you by the end of the week or in a couple of days, so you know what your next steps are.

Tips for Hiring a Truck Driver

The following tips can help you find and hire a truck driver that will be the best for your business. Remember, you want someone who fits with your company and your culture.

Offer a competitive package. There is a lack of drivers in the trucking industry. If you find a great potential team member, make sure you offer them a competitive package that makes them value your employment and stick around.
Make them part of the team. Most truck drivers are away from the office doing their job on the road, which means they interact less with people in the office and can feel like an outsider. Make a point to include any truck-driving personnel part of your office events and involve them in outside activities.
Invest in ongoing training. Many employees want the chance to grow and develop; this includes truck drivers on your team. Encourage them to pursue their professional dreams. This makes your employees happier, and you’ll have a more skilled workforce.
Consider the hours they work. If your truck driver isn’t driving during standard work hours and they’re working over holidays, you’ll need to have a plan in place for compensation. Compensation financially is nice, but they’ll burn out if not given an appropriate number of vacation and mental health holidays, too.