Issue link: https://read.dmtmag.com/i/710445
NEWS & NOTES 30 // OWNER OPERATOR // AUGUST 2016 bed behemoth, is perhaps the best example of a trucking company capitalizing on the vet- eran recruiting movement. The Des Moines, Iowa-based and employee-owned carrier pledged in 2012 to hire 500 veterans by 2014 through the Hiring Our Heroes program and since has committed to hire an additional 500 by the end of this year. Today, more than 35 percent of the company's driver workforce is comprised of military veterans. According to the Truckers News survey, 51.7 percent of company driver respondents said they would recommend a truck-driving career to a friend. When asked why, the ma- jority of answers revolved around freedom, traveling around the country, security, a steady income stream and no management oversight. Of the 48.3 percent of company driver respon- dents that wouldn't recommend truck driving, the biggest reasons were low home time, low pay, increasing regulations, traffic congestion, infrastructure and discourteous passenger car drivers. When asked to list their biggest challenges with personal issues, company driver respon- dents listed eating healthy (59.0 percent), finding time or discipline to exercise (54.5 percent) and maintaining family relationships (38.3 percent) as the top three. A focus on helping company drivers overcome these is- sues will help fleets not only attract but also retain the next generation. Whether your sights are set on military vet- erans, another largely untapped labor pool or fresh-faced 20-somethings right out of CDL school, carriers that are able to hone their recruiting message to appeal to candidates' wants and needs will collect the most resumes. Those who are able to articulate that truck driving can be a rewarding career and put in place lasting changes to help drivers thrive are the ones that ultimately will succeed. OO