Standing out in a crowd — Taking the Hire Road

On this week’s episode of Taking the Hire Road, guest host Leah Shaver, president and CEO of the National Transportation Institute, is joined by Sean Horton, VP of sales at JobsInLogistics.com.

Like so many within the industry, Horton fell into trucking by accident. When he received a job offer from JobsInLogistics.com, he thought it was too good to be true and refused it outright.

In other words, when opportunity knocked, Horton was late in answering the door.

Given his firsthand experience, then, the importance of matching the right candidate to the right position is something that he has come to understand during his time in the industry. Even so, despite nearly a decade spent in trucking, Horton still regards himself as a “novice.”

When reflecting on the lessons he has learned in 2023, Horton summarizes them as “eye-opening and challenging.” The softer freight environment led to a slowdown in hiring among carriers, though this trend is beginning to reverse.

Looking forward to 2024, Horton anticipates a slow and potentially painful recovery in Q1 that might pick up steam in the following quarter. “Hopefully, we will begin to see a turnaround in Q2 that will lead to 2024 being a positive year, when all is said and done.”

For carriers to be able to take advantage of this recovery, however, they first need to ensure that their hiring needs are met. And to hire effectively, Horton argues, they need to be fully transparent with their hiring partners.

“Just because you are needing to hire a Class 1 CDL driver in Indianapolis,” he states, “does not tell the whole story.

“Why are you needing to hire this driver? Is it due to growth? Is it due to attrition?” These types of questions, Horton notes, open a conversation that could ultimately maximize driver retention.

When putting together hiring strategies with carriers, it is vital to recognize the simple truth that different approaches will meet the needs of different carriers. 

Nevertheless, Horton does see some broader trends at work as the industry continues to modernize. For instance, an increasing number of carriers need their drivers to be more technologically savvy in order to navigate their different operating systems and safety equipment.

This need for tech-savvy drivers could be easily met by recruiting from a younger generation of candidates. To do so, however, Horton contends that recruiting firms need to meet them on their turf.

One of the most popular methods of reaching out to younger generations is through social media, wherein a company might post or repost a funny video with its logo visible.

Whatever the strategy, Horton stresses that it is important to cultivate positivity when recruiting. “You can have the biggest dumpster fire in the world, the rails are coming off, the whole nine yards, but — when the day is said and done — you can still maintain a degree of positivity and walk away from a negative experience with a positive outlook.”

Part of this positivity can be found in recognizing how success in one sector of this industry is linked to success in another.

“We win together and we fail together,” Horton asserts. “Personally, I am absolutely a fan of winning.”

Click here to learn more about JobsInLogistics.com.

More from Taking The Hire Road:

Reshaping the perception of trucking for a new era

Sleep smarter, drive safer

Lesson on reaching trucking’s next generation