For trucking fleets, the typical pre-hire process looks like the following:
- A driver sends in an application
- The fleet runs a records check and reviews their MVR data, drug and alcohol tests, and driver history
- The driver and the recruiter have a brief interview
- The driver fills out the relevant documentation
- If all goes well, they start work on Monday
This process today is incredibly inefficient. Most of the communication between driver and recruiter is conducted over email, and obtaining MVRs, drug and alcohol tests, and driver histories often involves a lot of scanning, printing, and faxing. All of which contribute to a slow and costly process.
But inefficiency isn’t the only maleffect of the typical pre-hire process; it also leads to worse safety outcomes and high turnover rates.
Why the Typical Pre-Hire Process Doesn’t Work
Besides being inefficient, the typical pre-hire processes fails to accomplish two important things every recruiting process should:
- Ensure a Cultural Fit
- Track Communication Between Driver and Recruite
Drivers who fit your fleet’s culture are more likely to enjoy their day-to-day workflows and have a favorable relationship with their supervisor, which makes them more likely to stick around for the long-haul.
Additionally, communications made between your applicants and recruiters is valuable data you need to be taking into account during onboarding.
Expectations surrounding your fleet’s work environment are set in the pre-hire process, and you need to meet these expectations during the onboarding process, lest drivers become disillusioned with your fleet because of unkept promises.
What Your Pre-Hire Process Should Look Like
The ideal pre-hire process involves three changes to the typical process:
- Digitize Your Recruiting
By digitizing your process with a pre-hire service from the Idelic partner network, such DriverReach or Driver Facts, you can begin to track metrics around your recruiting efforts, such as velocity and 1-year crashes. These metrics can show you where your process is lagging and in need of improvement.
- HR-Style Approach to Interviews
According to Dirk Kupar, Co-Founder and CEO of TruckRight, the best way to find drivers with a strong cultural-fit is to conduct an HR-style interview before running a records check.
This interview style should involve asking them questions like “What do you like in a manager?” or “What’s your communication style?” If applicants answer these questions in a way that fits the management or communication style of your fleet, then they’ll be less likely to voluntarily turn over.
- Integrate Your Pre-Hire and Post-hire Processes
If you don’t have the same people—using the same software—conducting your pre-hire and post-hire processes, you can’t be surprised when there’s a miscommunication or oversight and your aligned standards aren’t followed.
Integrating your systems and working out of a single platform enables a smooth handoff from recruiters, to trainers, to managers, which helps prevent crashes that can result in the early termination of a new driver.
The Easiest Way to Implement This Pre-Hire Process
Implementing these changes can seem difficult, but with the right tools, it’s actually very easy to do.
The Idelic Safety Suite® is the most comprehensive driver management platform in the industry and integrates with dozens of fleet systems, helping you seamlessly integrate your pre and post-hire processes. Safety Suite displays all pre-hire data alongside your other driver data and enables you to assign automated training and onboarding plans from your preferred training platform.
Safety Suite also uses AI-powered models to identify which of your drivers are at-risk, show why they’re at-risk, and then recommend training to address their specific needs.
Watch a 2-minute demo to see how you can consolidate your systems and improve your hiring and onboarding here.