I recently asked a large group of truck drivers what I should write about when it comes to driver recruitment and retention, and many suggested the topic of “The lying recruiter”. There appears to be a large gap between what the driver is told to get them through the door, then what the job entails once they actually start. Is this because a recruiter will tell a driver anything just to get them hired? Sometimes. But not always.

I have come across many recruiters over the years who are willing to greatly exaggerate what working for a company is like, just to get a driver hired. Time and time again, this has proved to be the worst way to recruit.

It will not take the driver long to find out that they have been misled, and it will not take them long to leave your company and go elsewhere. This damages your fleet’s retention numbers, your fleet’s reputation, and your reputation as a recruiter.

It is very difficult for a company to shed the reputation for being dishonest and can be even harder for a recruiter to do so. Drivers are used to being burned, so it doesn’t take much for them to lose their trust in you. And it is nearly impossible to gain it back.

Why the lies?

Why would a recruiter take this approach, knowing that it almost always results in a failure? For some, they are focused on short-term goals. They keep track of how many hires they make, without much consideration for the more important stat: how many drivers they retain.

I imagine that some recruiters are paid a flat rate for every hire that they make, which incentivizes recruiting but not retention. Other times, recruiters feel the pressure from operations to fill unseated trucks. Once again, they act on short-sighted thinking, hoping they can just hire any available body to fill the seat.

Other times, the recruiters give the drivers false information because they simply do not know any better. When asked a question, instead of researching the correct answer, they will just tell the driver what they want to hear. This benefits no one.

To be fair, sometimes recruiters are unaware they are giving out the wrong information. Many recruiters rely on feedback from dispatch or operations to know what to hire for. If this information is inaccurate, the recruiter will look like they intentionally misled the driver, when that is not really the case.

Avoiding the trap

How does one avoid the trap of being a “lying recruiter”? The recruiter must know what type of role they are hiring for and what type of driver it will attract.

Ask your operations team lots of questions. A good recruiter should have the correct answer for just about any question that a driver asks them. Share with your operations team the job description that you have made and make sure they approve it. If possible, have the driver talk to the dispatcher/planner before they are hired. Before the driver signs their contract, have them go over “mutual expectations” with their dispatcher and have them both sign it.

While all recruiters want to highlight the positives of the position, it is important to point out the less attractive features of the job. The drivers will be more accepting of these features if they do not come as a surprise.

Above all, be honest. Not every driver that you speak to is going to be a fit for the position that you are hiring for; at least at this point in time. I have had great success not hiring someone, only to hire them months or even years later when a position better suited to them becomes available.

There you have it; the way to avoid being the “lying recruiter” is to tell the truth. Pretty simple, isn’t it?