Attracting And Retaining The Best Truck Maintenance Technicians

The people shortage in the trucking industry doesn’t show up simply as a lack of truck drivers. All across the country, we’re experiencing a shortage of skilled labor and a definite lack of programs designed to attract job seekers to our industry as both drivers and technicians.

As we move into the cold winter months, fleet owners are faced with a particularly chilling problem. Not only do they have to worry about inclement weather impacting their truck and driver health, the lack of skilled technicians could result in additional downtime and inefficiencies.

So, what can you do to hire and retain great technicians?

Wages and Benefits

Fine tune your wages and benefits packages. Drivers and technicians want to be valued for their skills, experience, and expertise so be sure to have an employment package that reflects that. 

Internal Recruiting Team

Consider investing in an internal recruiting team who have the knowledge and expertise to attract and retain the best technicians. They’ll know how to write proper job descriptions and how to communicate with and respond to applicants in a way that’s welcoming and friendly. Making great first impressions is more important than you might think. 

Training and Development Programs

Improve your on-boarding, training and development programs. In this way, the process of retaining and recruiting truck maintenance technicians will be integrated into a company’s entire hiring strategy — as opposed to being done ad hoc.  If you have the resources and expertise to create your own, great! If you don’t, consider partnering with an organization or a consultant that can help you.

External Staffing Company

Contracting out the hiring process to an external staffing company is also an excellent option. Having said that, make sure your account manager understands your needs, mission and vision so that they can find candidates that are not only a great match in the skills department, but also a good fit in terms of company culture.

Social Media

Have a great social media presence. You’d be surprised how important company review sites like Glassdoor are. The number of Google and Facebook reviews you have also make a huge difference in making a solid first impression. People want to work for organizations that are viewed positively by the public and by customers. Consistent content creation on your social channels also demonstrates thought leadership, which is always a good thing.

No matter what strategies you decide to employ, just be sure to research your options thoroughly and plan accordingly. The more comprehensive your hiring and retention strategies are, the more likely you’ll be able to attract and retain the best candidates.