The transportation industry is in a unique bind: a nationwide dearth of skilled truck drivers, further compounded by high-turnover rates, makes this industry one of the toughest in hiring and keeping talent today.
The American Trucking Association estimates that the U.S. is short 30,000 truck drivers and only 15% of employment demand will be met by 2022.
An ERE article published last year explains the situation:
“More than in the labor market overall, employment in transportation related occupations are highly attuned to economic fluctuations. Acting as a bellwether of the nation’s economic health, that employment fell dramatically during the Great Recession. As the economy began to recover, transportation hiring outpaced other industries for two years starting in 2011. Now, consumer spending continues to improve and the energy industry is booming, meaning that demand for drivers is higher than ever.“
AIM NationaLease is the largest, privately owned truck leasing company in North America, and AIM is just one of many companies facing this unique talent challenge.
In CareerArc’s most recent case study, AIM shows what is possible through social recruiting: AIM doubled career site traffic within the first six months of the partnership.
“Like many, we list our openings on the major job boards,” said Shenika Oliver, Director of Recruiting, AIM. “But after integrating with CareerArc, we saw a sharp difference in our site traffic:
CareerArc is responsible for driving about 80% of the total visits to our career site. We are receiving tons of exposure at a fraction of the cost.”
Truck Drivers: A True Mobile Audience
According to the same ERE article, a majority of job seekers in transportation search on mobile — 68% are using their smartphones to find jobs, up from just 22% in 2012. Since about 60% of social media time is now spent on smartphones and tablets, social recruiting inherently delivers a mobile reach and advantage.
“We are seeing a lot of traffic come from mobile, which could mean that candidates search for jobs while working for another company,” Oliver observed.
“Hiring in such a competitive climate, we needed to raise employer brand awareness to attract and keep talent. CareerArc helped us stand out to potential hires through striking visual content like Twitter cards and inline images. These branding opportunities allow us to tell our story, rooted in a deep understanding and pride for the trucking profession.”
Read the case study to learn more about the transportation talent shortage, as well as how AIM NationaLease found new online talent sources for qualified drivers and strengthened employer brand identity and awareness through social recruiting.
By Tallulah David
