A new set of tools to help recruit and retain professional drivers has been launched by the Canadian Trucking Human Resources Council (CTHRC). ‘Your Guide to Human Resources:
Practical Tips and Tools for the Trucking Industry’ is matched with ‘Human Resources Essentials’, a related three-hour interactive seminar that will be hosted across Canada.

“These resources offer practical answers to the recruiting and retention challenges that emerge every day,” says Linda Gauthier, executive director of the CTHRC. “This guide is for the person who wears many hats in an organization, including human resources. They do not need to be a human resources expert to apply the lessons.”

The content of the guide and seminar addresses topics such as the way driver turnover affects profitability; the importance of ‘fit’ when recruiting drivers; effective recruiting strategies for hiring the right people, the first time; and how to incorporate driver retention strategies.

Each guide, priced at $75, also includes a CD ‘toolbox’ packed with checklists and sample HR forms that can be customized for use in any fleet, while the practical application of the lessons is explained through stories that involve a fictitious company.

Content for the guide and seminar was extensively tested in real-world environments. The guide’s author teaches industrial relations and negotiation skills at Queen’s University’s Industrial Relations Centre.