Transportation

How a Freight Company Bucked Trends to Recruit and Retain Diminishing Workforce

Focusing on sustainable transportation solutions, Fidelis Freight is a veteran-owned supply chain management company based in Jacksonville, FL.

Fidelis works with a vast network of safe and reliable carriers — and specializes in the movement of cargo by dry vans, flat beds, specialized transports, and more.

60K

Drivers (and counting) shortage of industry workforce

2016

Year of Founding

$250K

Cargo Policy

The Challenge: Recruiting New Prospects and Combating Turnover

Experiencing critical labor shortages, trucking and logistics companies are increasing pay, improving working conditions, and hiring non-traditional candidates… but still finding challenges in recruiting and retaining long-haul drivers. The American Trucking Associations (ATA) recently estimated a deficiency of about 60K drivers.

To combat industry-wide shortages and fluctuating demands, Recruiting Manager Haley Lanigan sought creative hiring methods. Seemingly effective outreach on social platforms like LinkedIn, email marketing campaigns, and other initiatives have become too time-constraining.

Even I was surprised at the high engagement rate text messaging delivered! Almost no opt-outs, lots of follow-up, and very positive impact on recruitment.

Haley Lanigan, Recruiting Manager – Fidelis Freight

The Solution

Text messaging provides an automated, streamlined system for communications and notifications, ranging from per-mile pay rate fluctuations to industry trends. It also helps you easily assemble an engaged subscriber base to target when opportunities arise and demand intensifies. With hiring needs always shifting based on Fidelis’ carrier and shipping partners, Lanigan must be able to immediately meet demands and contract new hires.

The Results

Geared to reaching a mobile workforce, SMS solutions are a perfect fit for transportation and shipping companies and their drivers, who live and work on their trucks. Candidates now independently reach out to Lanigan for next steps, requesting job applications, and joining the workforce at far faster rates than ever before. Additionally, by engaging their contractors with texts, Fidelis Freight has curbed the high turnover rate customary throughout the rest of the industry.