Drivers of innovation Commercial vehicles of the future will be connected and communicate constantly with their immediate environment while at the same time being linked to the digital ecosystem via the cloud. Recognizing and Advancing Excellence in the HR Profession. NAHR Class of 2020. Dave Ulrich Distinguished Fellow. Steve Fry Fellow.
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Does it seem as though we’ve had a truck driver shortage since the diesel engine was invented? Where did all the truck drivers go?
This shortage actually began back in October 1986, which is when the Commercial Drivers License (“CDL” for short) became effective. The CDL program was enacted to prevent drivers from holding several licenses from different states. It also required that drivers be able to read, write, and speak English well enough to communicate with law enforcement officers. The CDL also required a medical certification that prohibits drivers with some medical conditions from operating a commercial motor vehicle.
- Innovative organizations have processes that drive innovation. Their individuals and teams use a structured creative process. There are many out there, such as Lean Six Sigma, Design Thinking, TRIZ. We find the most robust process is the Universal Creative Process.
- INNOVATIVE DRIVER SERVICES Innovative Driver Services was founded in 1995 and has always worked to be the best provider of leased CDL drivers. Hiring, retaining and placing Commercial Drivers is all we do, and our business is built around you, the professional driver. We strive to treat you with respect as a vital IDS Team member.
At about the same time, in November 1986 to be exact, I-9’s became effective. I-9’s were part of the Immigration Reform and Control Act of 1986, which prohibits employers from hiring workers who are not authorized to work in the United States.
These two changes created a real challenge in the trucking industry. Many truckers couldn’t pass the CDL exam, couldn’t pass a medical exam, or couldn’t prove that they were legally authorized to work in the United States. Since then we’ve had a slew of other regulations come into play that also limits the number of available of drivers and the hours they can work:
• FMCSA enacted a Pre-Employment Screening Program that scores drivers based on their driving record
• Sleep apnea and other medical conditions are more closely monitored
• Hours of service limitations means we need more drivers to move the country’s freight
• Career truck drivers are aging out of the system as boomers retire
So how do we recruit the next generation of healthy, happy truck drivers? Here are three strategies for placing your recruiting collateral:
1. Differentiate yourself.
If you listen to country radio anywhere in the US, you’ll hear ad after ad for truck drivers. What do they all have in common? They require navigating to a website to complete an application. According to Snagajob, lengthy desktop employment applications have a 97% drop off. If you're using a long form application, this could be one of your recruiting bottlenecks.
Drivers are busy and keep tight schedules. Since they’re always on the go, almost all have mobile devices or tablets, but they rarely carry computers with them. It's a real nuisance for many driver candidates to go to a desktop version of an application. Make it easy for them to apply by advertising a text number instead of a link to a website. Then make sure that the link takes driver candidates to a short form application with just the basic information you need to see if he or she will be a good fit.
Finally, don't ask for a drivers' license, social security number, or date of birth right up front. Many candidates — including truck drivers — are rightfully wary about giving out sensitive personal information. Asking for this on an employment application is like trying to kiss someone on a first date before you even buy them a drink. So slow down and build a relationship with the candidate before you ask for this sensitive information.
By asking for limited information on an application and deferring sensitive, personal information until after you actually speak to the driver candidate you'll be doing something a lot of other companies don't do: treating the truck driver applicant like a real, live human being. You will differentiate yourself in the market just by making this simple change.
2. Get creative with QR codes.
Local drivers are often the hardest to recruit since their jobs require so much physical labor. Soft drink and beer distributors are always looking for help.
I recently attended a festival and was surprised to see our local beer distributor pouring craft beers. I’m sure they won a few new customers, but they certainly missed an opportunity to recruit drivers and warehouse employees. It’s easy to build a recruiting campaign around a great product. Simply put QR codes and/or text numbers on cups, coasters, business cards, and other and promotional items.
3. Appeal to spouses
Don’t underestimate the influence a spouse or significant other has on a driver’s decision to work for your company. Drivers may be too busy to find your ad, but you can recruit them through their spouses.
Appeal to spouses by placing flyers at day care centers, car washes, laundromats, grocery stores, churches, and other places that people visit to take care of their basic needs.
If you offer local or regional work, stress that your drivers are home every night or every weekend. If you offer over-the-road work, make sure you advertise that you have a family ride-along program.
4. Get Social
Don’t forget about social media. Drivers and their spouses often spend a lot of time on Facebook, Twitter, Instagram, and other platforms. Manage your social platforms thoughtfully and regularly. If it’s done right, these platforms can become an excellent communication tool for your employees, customers, and potential candidates.
Social media advertising can also be quite effective. We have resources that go far beyond typical social media targeted advertising, so please contact us if you would like some innovative methods to recruit truckers on social media.
Summary
It’s increasingly difficult to recruit truck drivers as the regulatory environment continues to evolve in the trucking industry. Employers need to think outside the box and become more creative in their sourcing strategies. Many drivers love technology, so don’t be afraid to use QR codes and texting in your sourcing efforts. Think about a driver’s family life in your recruiting efforts, and place your recruiting collateral at places they’re sure to visit. Finally, social media advertising, if done effectively, can also help you fill those empty seats.
Image credit: Scania Group
Over the past 30 years, we’ve worked with 100’s of international companies. We’ve seen that the most innovative companies drive innovation at the individual, team and organizational levels. They enjoy two benefits. First, they are more successful at creating and implementing new ideas. Second, their employees are more engaged. This means that they are more productive and committed to the organization.
So, what’s their secret? In this article, we’ll share our top 10 innovation drivers.
1) Make Everyone Responsible for Innovation (Individual)
Make innovation part of everyone’s job. No matter where they work in your value chain, they can contribute to new value creation. To do their job well, they need the skills and tools for innovation. Provide that training. When they use these skills, they need to be supported. Even when they fail! Think of innovation as productivity. Everyone strives to be productive. They are taught skills and tools to be more productive. Managers evaluate them on their productivity. Treat innovation the same way. When everyone is responsible for innovation, innovation happens.
2) Develop Innovation Processes that Everyone Can Use (Process)
Innovative organizations have processes that drive innovation. Their individuals and teams use a structured creative process. There are many out there, such as Lean Six Sigma, Design Thinking, TRIZ. We find the most robust process is the Universal Creative Process. Its seven steps help you choose the right problem to solve, generate lots of ideas, improve those ideas, prototype the best ideas, create a plan for implementation, and monitor progress. Also, innovative organizations have processes to select and fund new ideas. You can learn more about how to select and fund innovation. When there are processes to develop, select and fund new ideas, innovation will follow.
3) Go Beyond Developing Products (Offerings)
BIG innovations are more than products. Big innovations transform services, processes or channels. For example, the iPod was more than a cool-looking gadget that allowed you to buy and load music. It was the relationship between Apple and the music industry that made the iPod a big innovation. It transformed how people consume music. So, if you want to drive innovation, you need to look beyond just product innovation.
4) Create Teams that Support Innovation (Team)
While individuals are responsible for innovation, they cannot do it alone. People need to be part of an innovative team. Being an innovative team is hard work. Everyone must remain curious, humble and tenacious. If someone is not following these values, they should be called out. People need to accept feedback from others on the team. This is not easy, but there are tools and methods to make feedback non-threatening and an integral part of the work flow. Highly performing innovative teams make feedback part of their iterative process.
5) Welcome New Ideas (Psychological Climate)
When you welcome people’s new ideas, they will generate more ideas. Now, this does not mean that all their ideas are good. That’s ok, great solutions start with generating lots of ideas, then evaluating and picking the best. Innovative leaders understand how to evaluate new ideas. We find the most powerful way to evaluate ideas is using the tool POINt. This tool teaches people to start with praise first, which helps deflate any defensiveness. You’ll find other ways to evaluate ideas in our tools library. Do this and your team will more quickly create innovative solutions.
6) Leverage Diversity (Geopolitical Climate)
Every individual, team and organization have strengths and weaknesses. Embrace these. There are things that we can learn from each other, but first we must seek to understand each other. Take time to understand other individuals and other groups. Innovation leaders ask: “What strengths can I leverage? Also, what differences might make collaborating more difficult? A good tool for working through these opportunities is Assisters and Resisters. Once you answer these questions, innovation will accelerate.
7) Build a Culture of Innovation (Enterprise)
Creative people and teams need to be part of a culture of innovation. Innovation cultures support individual and team creativity. Our research and experience show that there are four dimensions to a culture of innovation. They are people, processes, policies and climate. When an organization supports these four dimensions, people have the right ecosystem to innovate. Learn more about building a culture of innovation in our ebook, Demystifying Innovation Culture Efforts.
8) Show that Innovation is Important (Organizational Culture)
It’s not enough to say innovation is important! What leaders say is often drowned out by what people know is really going on. Invest in your employees. Here’s a few ways to show that innovation is important:
- Train all employees in creative problem solving skills
- Give them the time to explore new ideas, even when they fail
- Train managers on how to lead innovation
- Reward employees, managers and business units for innovation with accountability measures
When you do this, everyone will know that innovation is important. They will be motivated to improve their skills, support innovation, and create new solutions.
9) Design Spaces for People to Be Creative (Physical Environment)
People need to work in a space that fosters creative collaboration and innovation. This doesn’t mean companies need to invest in couches and coffee bars. In fact, there is no ideal environment for innovation. But, creative spaces have some things in common:
- It’s easy for people to get together to share ideas and build solutions
- People have space to escape and think in peace and quiet
- There’s room to spread out and dig into information to create solutions
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When people work in the right space, they can more easily collaborate and get into a creative mindset to drive innovation.
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10) Fund Innovation Even During Tough Times (Economic Climate)
Drivers Of National Innovative Capacity
It’s easy to support innovation when the economy is strong. But, innovation leaders fund innovation even when the economy is weak. They can do this because when business is good, they set aside money. When budgets are tight, they use this money to fund innovation. Research shows that organizations “in distress” can be the most innovative. This makes sense because the pressure creates focus. When a company is in distress they need to innovate to survive. So, companies that support innovation even during the lean years can make great changes.
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Every Organization Can Be an Innovation Powerhouse
Regardless of your company’s size, industry or location, it can be an innovation powerhouse. It won’t be easy. This list is a guide to get you started. If you’re interested in learning more, let us know. We’d love to help.