As the impacts of COVID-19 unfold, one thing is clear—truck drivers will be in increasingly short supply. How can trucking companies keep up with demand? With closures of stores and many residents confined to home, truckers are on the front lines of supplying essential supplies. Demand for trucks has risen sharply above 2019 levels. Amazon plans to hire 100,000 new personnel. Intermodal shippers in particular are seeing disruptions, and other sectors of the industry may follow. How can RocketCDL’s automated referral platform support trucking companies to address upcoming challenges?

Challenge 1: Adjusting to Workforce Disruptions

The coming months will be turbulent, with ripple effects for the transportation industry over the better part of 2020. Adding to current driver shortages, truck drivers may fall ill or need to care for loved ones. Other drivers may need new jobs due to layoffs from business disruptions.

RocketCDL recognizes that referrals provide the fastest hiring channel, with drivers coming on average 55% faster than from job boards. Our referral-based hiring platform lets you reach out to drivers quickly and initiate an automated pre-qualification process, increasing your ability to grow and to fill vacancies of drivers who are unable to work.

All marketing for the referral program is online, sent via email to drivers. This allows identification and handling of new leads to be completed without person-to-person contact. It lets you reach out to specific, local drivers in order to target routes with critical shortages.

With economic uncertainties ahead, an efficient recruiting system can keep your business afloat while adhering to health measures. RocketCDL’s platform consolidates referral information automatically into your ATS, allowing recruiters to work from home with no delays in the hiring process.

Challenge 2: Communicating with your fleet

Protocols for social distancing and other health precautions means that trucking companies may not be able to rely on standard practices for safety meetings or speaking to drivers at the terminal. What’s the best way to share critical information with your fleet?

RocketCDL’s mobile platform can be used for company-wide messaging via email or SMS (text message). This allows you to rapidly send critical information to your entire fleet or to a specific group, such as drivers working within a specific metropolitan area. For instance, the closure of truck stops is already impacting driver safety and comfort. A more nimble communication system can get updates to drivers along a particular route so they can pull over to rest.

Your electronic logging device (ELD) may give you the ability to send short messages fleet-wide, but for more detailed messages, you want the ability to use email. For more urgent items, text messaging offers the advantage of speed, and allows you to reach drivers when they are out of the cab. RocketCDL’s versatile suite of tools facilitates communications relating to recruiting as well as safety, routing, or other instructions to drivers.

Trucking is keeping America supplied with food and medical supplies during this time of crisis. We want to help in any way we can, so we are waiving all integration expenses for the duration of the Coronavirus outbreak. Get in touch soon for a no-commitment consultation.

“We’re still moving America.” Steve Fields, Kansas City-based Driver, YRC Freight (Source: https://www.wired.com/story/covid-19-spreads-truckers-keep-trucking/)