During the past six months, the driver shortage has gone from an afterthought to a major constraint on capacity.
Competition for experienced drivers is intense, and to compensate some motor carriers are directing recruiting efforts toward CDL students – even high schoolers.
Paper Transport, Inc. (PTI), a truckload carrier headquartered in De Pere, Wisconsin, has refined its three-week driver finishing program, Accelerator, and opened nearly all jobs to new CDL holders. Currently, about one-third of all driver hires are coming through Accelerator, said PTI Recruiting Operations Manager Mike Ruminski.
The foundation of the new recruiting strategy began in 2018 when PTI added a job assessment tool to the recruiting process from JOBehaviors.
[Related: CCJ Innovator Paper Transport takes 'leap of faith' with driver behaviors]
As part of the application process, drivers have to complete a 15-minute assessment online that uses a scientific method to evaluate human behavioral psychology. Recruiters receive an email instantly with results showing where a driver ranks within a five-star system. Each star corresponds to the driver’s percentile rank in behaviors that predict job success.
