With summer just around the corner, millions of students across the country are tossing their graduation caps and preparing for the next stage of their lives. The latest generation joining the workforce are driven, entrepreneurial and resourceful – a huge opportunity for a trucking industry eager to raise its next generation of drivers. In fact, the American Trucking Association estimates the industry will need to hire 890,000 new drivers over the next decade to replace retirees and keep up with freight growth.
While Millennials and Gen Z are often passionate and resourceful, they’re also much likelier to change jobs multiple times throughout their career. Thoughtful recruitment and retention needs to be top of mind for all fleets.
In honor of graduation season, we’ll be sharing a number of tips from our experts with unique insight on how to engage with Millennials and Gen Z. Here’s a sneak peek at what we’ll cover over the next few weeks:
- Onboarding and training programs – Millennials and Gen Z are self-starters. They love to get their hands dirty and learn by doing. We’ll look at how to craft a hands-on training program that empowers them to hit the road running.
- Health and wellness programs – When employees enter the workforce, they’re in it for the long haul. With so much ahead of them, they’re increasingly health-conscious, looking for any opportunity to keep themselves on top of their game. Whether it be offering exercise equipment in cabs, guided mediation tapes or community incentives for healthy behavior, investing in their wellness always resonates.
- Appealing to new driver demographics – Millennials and Gen Z are among the most diverse generations ever, and they’re proud of it. With 76 percent of female high school graduates expected to directly join the workforce, transportation companies need to embrace that there isn’t a single hiring mold and speak to a wider range of potential drivers.
- Where technology can improve the experience – Like any industry, efficiency is key. Today’s technology can improve everything from routing to load optimization, increasing driver pay and ensuring greater work-life balance. We’ll also explore how fleets are using predictive analytics to support driver retention.
In the meantime, drivers, we want to know what would have improved your experience when you were first getting started. Share with us by answering our latest poll on Facebook or Twitter. Then, check out this post where Lauren Domnick shares other ways we can help millennials get into the cab.