While ghosting has been around for a while, the practice has increased in recent years, and not just in the trucking industry. A survey conducted by Indeed between March 2020 and February 2021 showed that due to the COVID-19 pandemic, 77% of employers surveyed acknowledged that they had been ghosted by candidates.

The more drivers we lose, the more we have to spend to hire new drivers. And referrals are connected to hiring costs. The lower our referral rate, the more we spend to bring on those additional drivers. Turnover and referral rates are at the very least loosely linked. But is there more to it than that? Could those 2 numbers be more closely related?

Randall-Reilly and Michigan State University researchers worked together to try and answer the question, "where have all the truckers gone?" This is what they found. A full research breakdown is available in PDF form on the blog article main page.

What do I mean by a driver recruiting placebo? The main point I mean to make here is you can’t let your fleet fall into the trap of focusing solely on cost. Far too often we see fleets zero in on pursuing cheap leads. Cheaper leads = cheaper hires, right? Much like the patient downing sugar pills, fleets see low CPL and start to feel pretty good about their recruiting and never really dig into the other recruiting cost factors.

Understanding Lead Velocity Is Crucial (Audio Article) by Randall-Reilly Driver Recruiting

Right now is exactly the time you need to double down and do what you can to reach drivers and establish a relationship with them. Even if you’re not actively seeking drivers at the moment, you can’t afford to fall off the map completely!

What can your trucking fleet learn from the changes made because of the coronavirus outbreak?

Discover top questions asked by drivers linked to the coronavirus and how your fleet can adjust its driver recruiting practices during the outbreak.

Discover how trucking companies and others are giving back to truck drivers during the coronavirus and share how you are thanking our truckers.