Issue link: https://read.dmtmag.com/i/737157
2 0 1 6 V 2 | BULLDOG | 9 "Social media is a way for people who don't work for you to learn about the people like dispatchers and safety personnel who they will be interacting with." Jamie Hagen, a trucker from Aberdeen, South Dakota, leased to Cliff Viessman, Inc. Photo: Paul Hartley T he numbers are startling. The U.S. Census Bureau says 56 percent of truck drivers are older than 45. A Truckers News survey reports 54.8 per- cent have been driving more than 20 years. In 2015, the driver shortage reached 48,000, and if this trend con- tinues, the shortage is expected to climb to 175,000 by 2024, according to the American Trucking Associations. In some fl eets, annual driver turnover is more than 100 percent. Over the next 10 years, ATA says, fl eets will need to hire 890,000 new drivers. Where will these new hires come from? It would make sense to think the retirement-age drivers will shift seats with the healthy, younger, more-tech-savvy gen- eration. More than 75 million millennials — people born between 1982 and 2000 — are now available to work. Millennials are the largest living generation, according to the U.S. Census Bureau. But the tried-and-true hiring methods you've used in the past are not going to work with these 18- to 34-year- olds. And don't believe all the negative things you've heard about millennials; many of them are already hard at work in a variety of industries. In fact, they currently make up 40 percent of the work force, and that number is estimated to top 75 percent by 2025. Convincing this workforce segment to join your team for the long haul will require overall changes — not just in how you recruit employees, but also in how you retain them. This highly connected demographic grew up with technology integrated into their lives. They rely on social media and mobile apps for the majority of their decision-making. To compete, you have to con- nect with them in their world and provide them with the tools they expect in your workplace and equipment. Getting social Your Web presence needs to include a mobile-friendly website and social media. Both should be engaging, constantly updated and regularly evaluated. Large companies invest in a social media coordinator, and others outsource to social media experts with industry knowledge. Use social media outlets such as Facebook, Twitter, YouTube and LinkedIn to tell your story and post job openings. You need to invest time and effort in these sites to make your company appealing to younger job seekers and to demonstrate the kind of corporate cul- ture they crave. Rather than telling future hires how family-oriented and caring your company is, show employees these things via video, photos and testimo- nials. In the same way hangouts in the real world can be hot and then lose their luster, social-media venues gain and lose popularity. Millennials fl ock to the latest sensation, so you have to adjust your marketing strat- egy to shift with them. "Social media can really help humanize your com- pany and its employees," says Jamie Hagen, a trucker from Aberdeen, South Dakota, who is leased to Cliff Viessman, Inc. "It is a way for people who don't work for you to learn about the people like dispatchers and safety personnel who they will be interacting with." Hagen has a large following on Twitter and often tweets compliments to his dispatcher or raves about his love of all things Mack truck. A shout-out from a prospect's peer group is worth its weight in recruiting and image gold. Promoting technology Unlike their baby boomer parents, most millennials did not grow up with standard transmissions in their cars That's one of the reasons fl eets have jumped on the automatic transmission bandwagon. Hubert L. Boulet, president of Boulet Brothers, says he is planning to include trucks equipped with mDRIVE in his next Mack order to both attract drivers and improve their driving experience. "Having mDRIVE on our mixers opens up the pool of drivers we can pick from," he says. "Anyone can learn how to drive a truck, but with the mDRIVE there is a shorter learning curve. New drivers can feel more confi dent in their jobs more quickly. I also like the fact that it's easier on the body, less fatiguing and less stressful," Boulet says. Early engagement By the time potential hires are old enough to earn a CDL, many have already chosen other occupations.