The Top 10 Qualities to Look For When Hiring a Truck Driver

You want your motor carrier business to attract and retain the right drivers. But hiring good drivers requires knowing which character traits and professional qualities are most valuable.

As Haulin Assets Ep. 83 suggests, a good driver shows professionalism, takes proactive steps to get a job done, solves problems effectively, takes initiative to help other drivers, and goes above and beyond when the moment requires it. Basically, a good driver is more than just a driver because they need to successfully represent these company values at all times.

If you want to know the technical steps on where to find great drivers and how to hire them, check out Haulin Assets Ep. 51. But before you start hiring, here are the top qualities to look out for.

Certified Driver

Not everyone can manage a semi on the freeway or know the secret to getting a rig up a large hill. That’s why CDL drivers receive specialized training and why you need to hire someone who has the proper educational background and experience.

A CDL license is the most basic type of license your driver needs and a good program will teach future drivers the federal and state laws that apply to the industry. It helps to know if they went to a legitimate trucking school and spent time behind the wheel. Hiring someone with this type of background not only keeps your fleet professional but it can increase safety on the road.

Patience

If you’ve spent time behind the wheel, you know how many things out of your control can impact the best of intentions. To see a job through, you need an inordinate amount of patience when frustrations arise with shippers, receivers, traffic and the weather. This includes a driver who can manage their negative emotions when things go awry and replace the emotions with patience and flexibility. Hiring someone with patience can decrease the risk of road accidents as well.

Stress Management Skills

You need a good driver for stressful situations. Motor Carrier HQ owner Chris Vernon says there’s a difference between a good driver versus a ‘steering wheel holder and that managing a stressful situation can set a good driver apart from the others.

Delayed jobs, weather issues, flat tires – all of these can add to a driver’s stress. Just a few years on the road helps drivers understand how to react to stressful moments like this and find the right solution. To find good drivers, Vernon said he tries not to hire someone who has less than five years of experience.

Alertness and Awareness

This job is made up of long hours, so it’s crucial you find someone who knows how to work with the lifestyle, especially if they’re driving during one of the busiest times of the year.

Staying alert on the road is the difference between staying safe or being part of an accident. You can even measure someone’s alertness level by requiring a road test before hiring them and checking their Compliance, Safety, and Accountability Score (CSA) driving profile to see their safety rating over time. Both of these measures can help safeguard your company.

Drivers make more money by driving more miles, which is directly related to strong time management skills. You want to hire an employee who can share examples of how they’ve managed jobs in the past and what they did in a time crunch under a tight deadline. Good drivers give themselves more time to get a job done and continually analyze traffic patterns to see how busy roads could impact their travel.

Don’t forget to look for a driver who is wise enough to manage the right amount of time off the road, too. Making time for rest and quality sleep will impact behavior on the road.

Consistent, Dependable, Reliable

Getting deliveries on time is a skill – it’s not by chance. Look for someone who knows how to meet the deadline and doesn’t give excuses. Shippers want to work with a company who they can depend on to get things done, and drivers will be your first line of customer service to demonstrate your company’s reliability to do a job well.

Customer Service Experience
A driver’s personal customer service skills will reflect your company’s customer service skills, so hire someone who can reflect the level of professionalism you want to emulate. Whether your employee is working on the road or on the phone, research shows that customers want solutions more than empathy during a customer service interaction. So, look for hires who can use their expertise to help solve the problem more than anything.

Communication Skills

One of the best ways to keep communication clear in business dealings is to keep a paper trail or digital trail of each interaction so you can more easily track mistakes or misunderstandings. That’s why it pays to hire someone who communicates thoroughly – not just in person, but also through email or text messages, too.

Communicating with someone doesn’t happen just through words. You need someone who also understands how to communicate with nonverbals and visual cues. That means hiring a driver who considers their audience and understands how their body language impacts a customer service conversation.

Works Independently

Before a driver heads out, they need to be proactive about starting the right way. For example, they need to log in to their Electronic Logging Device (ELD) system, make sure their equipment is working, complete a ‘start of the trip’ checklist, and know their plan to get to where they’re going. Good drivers do this without prodding or handholding – they know their level of preparation is directly related to how successfully they work on their own.

Mechanical Knowledge

If you hire a driver who has formal training, they’ll likely have a basic understanding of mechanical knowledge. Good drivers know what to do or who to call with a busted engine, a flat tire, or a mechanical issue. Even a basic foundation is better than no foundation at all. You can keep your drivers’ knowledge sharp by investing in continuing education or training classes – which also incentivizes drivers to stick around longer.

A Motor Carrier HQ post introduces a few more ways you can keep good drivers on your team. This includes:

• Updating your recruitment strategy
• Continually looking at how you can improve your driver benefits
• Establishing a supportive work culture
• Offering competitive pay (especially if you’re a smaller company)
• Investing in training
• Encouraging ongoing discussion around schedule changes and improvements
• Make sure you maintain the vehicles and equipment
• Provide newer trucks for them to drive

Once you hire drivers, it’s important to retain them, to do so, you have to pay attention and regularly evaluate your processes and work culture. It’s important to treat your drivers (and every other employee) well, continually strengthen the relationship, look for ways you can give more than take, and be willing to put in the work to keep them happy.