FORMER DRIVERS: AN UNTAPPED RESOURCE?

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Tom Kretsinger Jr., president of American Central Transport, appearing at the most recent Driving for Profit event, also spoke of a couple new strategies the company has employed to find qualified drivers. One of them, the aptly named ReACTivate program, allows for previous drivers with no experience in the past year to get another shot. Prior to the recession, ACT required driving experience in the past year. But it has since loosened that requirement and has landed some good drivers as a result.

The company does subject these hires to some additional scrutiny, pairing them up with a mentor for two weeks to ensure their skills have been retained and that they’re able to get back up to speed and contribute as safe, professional drivers. These folks, who had left the industry for one reason or another, have gone on to be “great” drivers for the company, Tom said. Like some other carriers, ACT has also reached out to military veterans. However, Tom said there’s been little interest among returning soldiers. “We can’t seem to find an interest (among) those folks,” he said, adding they may not be inclined to go out on the road just after returning to their families from a stint overseas.

We’ll have more on the Driving for Profit seminar in the March issue of Truck News. In the meantime, you can read Motortruck Fleet Executive editor Carolyn Gruske’s coverage here and here.

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  • This Tom dude must not get much sleep at night. He is lying awake thinking of ways to stiff more drivers.Every month another way to screw drivers.