Hundreds of companies rely on truck drivers to transport materials they need on a daily basis. Whoever you hire must be reliable and be skilled at operating trucks and similar vehicles. A few precautions during the hiring stage can ensure you pick quality drivers.
Request A Background Driving Check
It may not tell you everything you need to know about a driver’s ability, but a driving record background check can show you any misdemeanors or major driving violations your candidate has on record. Obtaining driving records is a fairly easy and standard procedure in just about every driving job.
Test Their Skills
While a candidate may have the correct license to operate a truck and no priors, the best way to get a feel for their skills is to see them in action. Include a short road test in the interview process, either as part of the initial meeting or as a follow-up. If they do well enough to get hired, take the time to evaluate their driving even after their training is complete, e.g. by having an evaluator tag along in a separate vehicle. For this form of evaluation, it’s best not to tell the new driver about it until the run is completed. That way, the evaluator can see how the hire drives when they believe they’re not being watched.
Add a “How’s My Driving?” sign
The one way to ensure new and seasoned employees alike always drive at their best is constant accountability. A “How’s my driving?” placard on your trucks, along with the phone number of your company, keeps your drivers in top form by allowing the people they share the road with to weigh in on their performance.
Hiring new truck drivers doesn’t have to drive you up a wall. These steps alone can make a positive difference in the quality of people you employ.