What is one recruiting strategy you recommend to employers who want to hire dozens or even hundreds of early career candidates into transportation jobs?

Introduce training-to-hire programs. Better if you offer a guaranteed job placement. Our conversion rate from trainee to long-term employee tripled when we did this. We partnered with some local driving schools and sponsored students. Our company caters to their licensing and passenger endorsement training. In return, they commit to working with us for at least 12 months. These programs remove barriers. The upfront licensing cost filters out a lot of good candidates. Taking care of that for them gets us from being just another employer to a place they desire to work at. Tie job placement to the end of the training and people show up with the right attitude.

I'm Ford Smith, founder and CEO of A1 Xpress, a courier and trucking company operating across multiple states. If I were to recruit college grads into transportation roles at scale, one thing I'll do is to match them with problems and not job titles. In my opinion, a lot of early career hires don't know what logistics coordinator or route analyst really means. What they do know fresh from college is how to solve problems, how to manage moving pieces, or bring order to something. And for me, putting it in front of your Job listing is how you'll get their attention. Instead of posting by department, I'd build outreach around the actual challenges they'd get to solve. For example, "Help us reduce delivery delays by rerouting high traffic zones in real time" or "Own the customer handoff process from dispatch to doorstep." Now, when you frame the role around outcomes, you will attract those candidates who want to make an impact (even if they've never worked in the field before).

At LAXcar, we recruit successfully by working with local trade schools and community colleges. We don't expect students to come to us; we bring the conversation to where they learn. We began by opening the door to this transportation niche with a guest lecture series on logistics and event transportation (which invited hundreds of students into the world of ground transport they had never considered as part of their career futures). The impact was immediate. In just three months, we had a 30% surge in applications from fresh blood, who were sick of having to wait years to ever get into the passenger seat. They just knew so much more about how we worked; they came in with the right expectations and were even more invested, and this brought our early turnover down by nearly 50%. The key for employers is to consistently show up in educational spaces, not just at career fairs once a year. Provide ride-alongs, site visits, or micro scholarship programs for intern possibilities. If you can demonstrate to youth they the road from classroom to career is one lined by your company, potential competitors become less attractive. It is for someone you have been investing in for months and years before it was ever time to consider hiring anyone.

After 30+ years in transportation-logistics and working with thousands of companies through AFMS, I've seen what actually works for mass hiring: **gamify your recruiting process**. Most transportation companies bore candidates to death with traditional interviews and paperwork. I helped one of our Fortune 100 clients (think major shipping company) create warehouse "challenge days" where 50+ candidates compete in teams doing actual job tasks--sorting packages, operating scanners, basic logistics puzzles. They hire entire teams on the spot based on performance and attitude, not resumes. Their hiring went from 6 weeks to 6 hours with 78% better retention. The secret sauce is making it feel like winning something rather than begging for a job. Set up monthly hiring events where candidates earn points for speed, accuracy, and teamwork. Top performers get immediate job offers with signing bonuses announced publicly. We've seen companies fill 200+ positions in a single quarter this way. Early career people want to prove themselves through action, not talk their way through interviews about experience they don't have yet. Give them that chance and they'll remember who believed in them first.

Based on my experience in the transportation industry, I recommend implementing skills-based assessments like driving simulators and customer service simulations instead of relying solely on traditional resume screening. This approach allowed us to hire 40 qualified drivers, with 60% coming from underrepresented groups who might have been overlooked in conventional hiring processes. The results speak for themselves - we achieved an 80% retention rate and saw significant improvements in customer satisfaction metrics, proving that practical demonstration of skills is often more valuable than work history alone when hiring transportation professionals.

One effective strategy for recruiting large numbers of early career candidates into transportation jobs is to invest in employer branding that actually reflects the modern realities and benefits of the industry. At Truck Parking Club, we often speak with drivers and industry professionals who say younger workers overlook transportation roles because of outdated perceptions. They think long hours and limited upward mobility, but that's no longer the full story. If you want to recruit at scale, you need to reframe the narrative. Highlight the tech-forward tools drivers use, the independence the job offers, and how critical these roles are to the economy. Leverage social media, short-form videos, and even employee testimonials to bring the job to life. Create a campaign that says, "This is what your first year in transportation could look like," and make it relatable to a 22-year-old exploring options. When candidates can visualize the lifestyle and see a path forward (not just a job, but a career) your hiring pipeline fills up a lot faster. Transportation is evolving, and recruitment strategies need to evolve with it.

Partner directly with motorcycle training schools and riding academies instead of just posting jobs online. Most transportation companies focus on general job boards, but the best early career candidates in our space are people who are already passionate about motorcycles and just finished their training programs. We started working with riding schools across Spain and Italy about two years ago. These instructors know which students have good judgment, mechanical aptitude, and genuine enthusiasm for motorcycles - exactly what you need for transportation roles. Instead of sorting through hundreds of generic applications, we get referred candidates who already understand vehicle safety, basic maintenance, and customer service in our industry. The key is building real relationships with these schools, not just showing up once with flyers. I visit training programs regularly, let instructors test ride our newer bikes, and sometimes hire their graduates for seasonal work before offering full-time positions. That TRUST means they send us their best people instead of just anyone looking for a job. For companies hiring at scale, this approach gives you a much better candidate pool than traditional recruiting. These people chose to learn motorcycle skills, which shows initiative and genuine interest. They're not just looking for any transportation job - they specifically want to work with motorcycles, which means better retention and performance.

When employers need to hire large numbers of early-career candidates for transportation jobs, the key is a sourcing plan designed around how people actually look for work. Go where the talent already is—high schools, trade programs, community colleges, and workforce (WorkSource) training centers. Build real connections with advisors, teachers, and program leaders so they can point students your way. Show up in their space with short, eye-catching videos or posts on social media and local/community job boards. Make it easy to take the next step—just one tap to RSVP for a hiring event or start an application on a phone. And when you host an open house, make it an experience. Go beyond handing out brochures—offer facility tours, Q&A sessions with current employees, on-the-spot interviews, and, if possible, a short demo or ride-along. That way, candidates can picture themselves in the role and get a real sense of your culture. It's super important to follow up quickly. Get back to everyone within a day or two, even if it's a no. Quick responses show respect and keep top candidates from drifting to another offer. I've personally done this many times across my career for clients and companies I've worked for. Done well, this approach doesn't just fill jobs—it builds a reputation that keeps quality people coming back.

Introduce vocational courses in high schools, and certificate paths in community colleges before the students complete their schools. A lot of employers will wait until the candidate is job-ready but there is normally training involved in transportation positions. We found a local trucking school and offered those students employment contingent on graduation 6 months prior to taking the test. That provided them a clear channel and us a dependable source of hiring without having to go into the open market. What made it successful was arriving early, and positioning the work as a next step in what they were already being taught, not a sales pitch. There was a better loyalty, reduced attrition, and expectations set by the applicants. In order to have long term hires, it is time to forget about job boards and get presence where career paths are still in their infancy.

Get people to compete with one another on a place that they go anyway (new TikTok or YouTube Shorts), and make it something productive: route planning, simple safety knowledge, spatial reasoning. Do away with the resume and turn participation into the application. This will then enable the top 10 percent of scorers to be fast tracked into either interviews or training slots. This was implemented at one of the logistics companies that I worked in so as to fill 200 entry level positions as dispatchers. In two weeks they had had 8,000 answers, ninety per cent of whom had never had any training whatever, but of good natural ability. It was more efficient and affordable compared to campus fairs or job boards and it brought to the surface candidates who would have never applied in the traditional manner.

To connect with the right candidates use social media to show more than job openings. Share short videos highlighting the team, delivery routes or daily training activities. This helps applicants see the real work environment and understand your company culture. It builds trust and gives your brand a strong presence where candidates already spend time. It is also important to discuss your efforts to reduce your environmental impact. If your business uses clean technology or makes delivery routes more efficient share those updates. Younger applicants look for companies that care about sustainability. These small messages help you stand out and attract people who value purpose in their work.

I would establish a training-to-hire program where the candidates can have a straight pathway to employment after certification and this would be paid. The licensing or accreditation cost can be paid in advance by the transportation companies with a strict understanding that the participants will be obliged to work a specific amount of time after the process. This will be able to attract hundreds of young career entrants who will be unable to fund their own industry training. To ensure the pipeline is flowing, I would collaborate with secondary schools, TAFEs and community employment programs making visits to classrooms and job expos and bringing recruiters who can discuss the reality of working in the field, anticipated earnings and promotion timeframes. This is because the cost barrier is eliminated, the promise of a job is created, and the recruitment process is integrated into the educational system so that employers can be guaranteed of a constant supply of new drivers or operators who enter the occupation prepared and with the motivation to last past their first year.

I would suggest developing a formal program of partnership with vocational schools and community colleges with transportation related certifications. Rather than job posting, you can develop a pipeline where your recruitment process is incorporated in their training plan. Promise to pay the cost of certifications of best students with one year employment agreement. This provides the candidates with a direct access to the workforce and eliminates financial obstacles. In conjunction with this, have an on-site preview day at your facilities on a monthly basis. Ask students who are close to their graduation to spend a whole eight-hour shift shadowing existing employees. Allow them to be involved in activities under observation so that they can learn the job before they can be hired. The nature of transportation work may be quite challenging and therefore this level of transparency will enable you to find candidates who are ready and willing to work. I have found these candidates to be more effective, stay longer and need less retraining thus turnover is reduced and overall consistency in operations is better.

For transportation companies aiming to expand their workforce, think of recruiting as a marketing effort. Young job seekers grew up with the internet, so reach out to them on social media, specific online groups, and job sites that work well on phones. Craft targeted ads and share real stories about career advancement, company culture, and the impact your employees have on transportation. Monitor interest like a sales funnel by tracking clicks, applications, and hires to see what is most successful. This approach, combining data analysis with genuine storytelling, helps you draw in not just a larger number of applicants, but the qualified candidates you need, quickly and on a big scale.

When we were working on high volume recruiting, one strategy that worked really well was using QR codes to simplify the application process for transportation roles. We placed the codes in high traffic areas, making it easy for potential candidates to scan and jump straight into a short mobile-friendly application. It only took about two to three minutes to complete. This approach led to a 27 percent increase in applications and helped us cut our hiring time by 30 percent. It was especially effective for reaching early career candidates who are used to fast and easy digital experiences. Research shows that QR codes can help modernize the hiring process and boost engagement by making it simple for job seekers to apply on the spot using their phones (QR Code Generator, 2024). https://www.qr-code-generator.com/blog/qr-codes-for-recruiting/

I've had great success running 'Day in the Life' events where we invite students to our facilities to see real-world operations and meet current employees. After starting these monthly tours last spring, our application rates from early career candidates doubled, and the quality of candidates improved since they already understood what the job actually involved.

Provide a clear licensure route, with a compensation to unlicensed applicants, who do not have commercial driving qualifications. Most of the early career applicants would like to work in transportation-related jobs but are unable to invest in the initial cost of a CDL program which normally ranges between $3,000 and $7,000. Training contract with employment releases a far greater pool of applicants, which covers that cost. Rather than sort through those who already hold a license, find (and ensure that you will train) those with clean records and a solid employment history. Associate job offers with milestones e.g. permit, driving hours, final road test to keep them engaged and responsible into the process. This allows you to start a pipeline with no drivers, and scale hiring without fighting over the limited number of already licensed drivers.

The use of data-based targeting enables companies to significantly shorten the time needed for large-scale workforce acquisition. We studied the locations of our best performers to create targeted recruitment efforts in the same regions. The resulting applicant pool exceeded expectations in terms of quality and arrived much faster. Employers should implement this strategy by identifying successful employee traits and backgrounds to create targeted recruitment advertising.

Virtual hiring events focusing on mobile-first applications have worked wonders for reaching younger candidates - we hired over 200 entry-level positions last quarter by making the process super accessible on smartphones. I made sure to include short video testimonials from recent hires in our outreach, which really helped candidates picture themselves in the roles.

My mass transportation hiring approach depends on referral networks. Employees received escalating bonus rewards for successful candidate referrals who maintained employment for 30 days then 90 days and finally 180 days. The initiative produced two important outcomes: it developed a channel of qualified employees and it improved workplace spirit. Employers need to structure their referral programs to provide benefits for sustained employment duration rather than focusing only on initial hiring success.