Pairing businesses up with drivers for truck driving jobs is an intricate balance of who is available when, and drivers who are qualified at the time. Truckers spend their life on the road, and unless you own your own fleet, you can't always rely on the same drivers to haul your materials because most drivers freelance and haul loads for other companies as well. They have families to feed, and rely on the work of other businesses to help keep food on the table. So that often may leave your most reliable drivers across the country when you need them most.

On the flip side of that, drivers are constantly seeking their next truck driving job placement. For those in that situation, you can easily find postings online for loads to haul from city to city.

To make the most of truck driving job placement as well as company information:

1. Look at job boards and placement sites. Answer ads or place one of your own.

2. Search for a truck driver placement by state or by category.

3. Fill out an application for CDL jobs through a particular recruiting company for either placement or access to their job boards for truckers.

Action Steps for Smart Hiring for Truck Driving Jobs
The best contacts and resources to help you get it done

Find truck driving jobs on job boards

Locate truck driving jobs, or post one of your own on available online CDL or LTL jobs listing boards.

I recommend: 1800Drivers can help place drivers to jobs, and vice versa help companies in need of drivers. Check out the postings on Big Rig Jobs.com. Take a look at the job board listing on CDLjobs.com.

Locate truck driving jobs by category

Search for truck driving jobs by category or by state to find your next load to haul.

I recommend: Find truck driving jobs by category through ClassADrivers.com. Find driver info by category at BigTruckDrivingJobs.com. Whether you are looking for company driver jobs, owner operator jobs or local truck driving jobs, they can help place you correctly. Search jobs by state through everytruckjob.com, a free service for professional class a truck drivers. Locate trucking jobs by state also through everytruckjob.com.

Begin truck driving careers through recruiters or placement agencies

Start finding CDL jobs through agencies that require that you submit an application and help you with your truck driver employment placement.

I recommend: Consider being hired out through HiringTruckDrivers.com. Truck drivers and owner/operators can apply through TruckDriver.com for more information on their next trucking job. Drivers can send in their applications to TruckFLIX to be considered by the recruiters on their team for placement with their many placement companies. Fill out an application at truckdrivingcdljobs.com to be put into their pool of drivers.

Tips & Tactics for Effective Recruiting for Trucking Jobs

Helpful advice for making the most of this Guide

• •  Trucking careers can be quite lucrative if you have the time to spend on the road. You look up loads from city to city, and simply keep traveling. Make sure that you are fully aware of the proper rules and regulations, though, of the number of hours you are allowed to be on the road. Make sure that you apply safe driving practices and courteous business manners to all businesses that you come in contact with. You not only represent yourself, but also the business for which you are hauling the load.

The most critical issue facing the trucking industry recently has been, shockingly, not diesel costs but driver shortages. Even if your business is not part of this industry, you can bet such shortages mean you’ll have to step up your efforts to recruit to fill trucking jobs. Hiring for truck driving careers through specific trucking Web sites – especially those with the “employer” option, where you can post listings – is the best way to minimize your time/energy commitment, while getting the most suitable candidates for your trucking jobs.

The top three things to know about hiring for trucking jobs are:

1. Ensure that drivers are appropriately licensed and otherwise qualified: Most need a commercial drivers license or “CDL”, especially those applying for any type of CDL jobs.
2. Hire drivers by specific driver type or trailer type.
3. Recruit drivers through local, regional, or national sources.

Action Steps
The best contacts and resources to help you get it done

Background checks and testing for truck driving jobs

Truck drivers do more than drive a large vehicle with your merchandise – they maneuver these huge, potentially-dangerous machines over hundreds and thousands of miles of road. The recruiting company you use should be one that puts their applicants through thorough background checks and testing.

I recommend: Go to MTS for their truck driver recruiting system, and have your trucking jobs posted in front of thousands of qualified individuals pursuing varied truck-driving careers. At BestTruckingJob, you can get help recruiting your truck drivers, and promoting your company to applicants.

Choose from a wide selection of truck driving employment applicants

Hiring the best for your truck driving jobs means you must begin with many qualified applicants, so find recruiting sites that offer plenty of applicant choices for your truck driving employment openings.

I recommend: At iHire Trucking, check out their “Employer” resources, offering flexible job posting options, multi-job discounts, top positioning on major search engines, and more. At TruckerGeek, your company can have a featured company listing, receive trucking applications in real time, and check out their 30,000+ truck driving employment applications.

Advertise CDL jobs in industry publications

When hiring for CDL jobs, list your openings in the top print and online trucking magazines and online job sites to attract quality drivers for truck driving employment.

I recommend: Advertise your truck driving jobs – and get the low-down on CDL jobs – at CDL Digest. Check out Business.com’s Trucking Publications to find magazines to list your job openings for national, regional, or local trucking jobs.

Recruit at trucking schools

Recruiting through trucking schools means finding people putting forth a sincere effort toward their trucking careers. Many schools offer placement in national or local trucking jobs, CDL jobs, and other truck driving employment.

I recommend: Business.com’s Truck Driving Schools is a terrific directory of truck driving schools and trucker training programs. At Associated Training Services Network (ATSN)’s official job placement site, The Job Site, employers can find skilled truck drivers and heavy equipment operators.

Hire for truck driving jobs at trucking events

A great place to fill your CDL jobs is at trucking industry events, where there are recruiting opportunities for businesses to fill their truck driving employment openings.

I recommend: Business.com is a great source of Truck Driving Event listings and Trucking Conferences. The annual Mid-America Trucking Show’s Recruitment Center is an event-specific resource to help you find those interested in trucking careers.

Tips & Tactics

Helpful advice for making the most of this Guide

• •  Check into placing company brochures – including the benefits of pursuing truck-driving careers with your business – in truck stop kiosks to attract attention.
• •  Hiring for truck driving jobs means finding the right applicant with the correct licensing; experience; a strong safe driving record; and the experience in driving the type of vehicle you’re hiring him/her to drive.
• •  Truck drivers’ most common complaints revolve around pay and spending too much time away from home. Even if you can’t afford more money, you can find creative ways to make sure they’re home most weekends.
• •  There are laws about how many hours truckers can drive in one day for a reason – drivers of any type grow sleepy and less alert after several hours of driving, putting themselves and others in serious danger after that time.

Many companies offer training for truck driving jobs internally within their own organization. Some, though, require that you come in fully trained and licensed before you enter their organization. Whatever the situation may be, prepare yourself to educate yourself before stepping into your truck driving job placement.

Trucking careers require you to have a Commercial Driver's License (CDL). This was enacted after the Commercial Motor Vehicle Safety Act of 1986. It was brought forward in order to only put trained qualified professionals on the road, and to keep our roadways safer. Your truck driving employment will rely solely on you passing your truck driving job placement training and you obtaining your necessary CDL.

To make the most of training for truck driving jobs:

1. Find out if the places that you are looking CDL jobs at offer on-the-job training and classes.

2. Determine if you will need to take outside classes before pursuing your truck driver employment.

3. Use a truck driving school search engine or directory to find the closest training facility near you.

Action Steps
The best contacts and resources to help you get it done

Look for truck driving careers with benefits

Primarily, seek out a truck driving job placement that offers onsite training as part of their recruitment package so that you are not out of pocket the training cost.

I recommend: Driver Solutions will not only help you earn up to $40,000 your first year, they will give you three weeks of CDL training. Prime lets you attend their "On-the-Job" truck driver training program.

Use a directory or search engine to find training for truck driving jobs

When starting your search for CDL jobs training or classes, use a directory or search engine.

I recommend: Find training for truck driver placement from TruckingTruth.com. Roadmaster offers training for truck driver employment in many states across the US. Look nationwide on a state-by-state basis for a CDL program through USTruckingSchools.com. The Truck Driving School Directory is another source to find listings by state.

Look for training schools that offer truck driving job placement

Pick training facilities that will help you with finding CDL jobs after you have passed their program.

I recommend: Use the DriverMatch service to not only help you find CDL training, but trucking jobs afterwards. SAGE offers nationwide accredited truck driving education as well as free job placement in the trucking industry afterwards. Speak to a recruiter at the Truck Driver Institute/ Commercial Driver Institute to find out more about CDL training and job placement.

Tips & Tactics

Helpful advice for making the most of this Guide

• •  Watch what you sign when applying for classes for trucking careers. Make sure what the reimbursement costs are if you for whatever reason end up dropping the program before the end of the time period. Are you responsible for payment in full? Is it prorated? What is the payment plan? Your trucking employment will be contingent on these classes, but if you have a change of heart, you want to make sure that the cost of the classes aren't more than you can afford.

If you're considering a career as a truck driver, you might start by becoming familiar with truck driving jobs key terms. From finding out what you need to be a truck driver, such as a commercial driver's license (CDL), to being knowledgeable about certain trucking terms and acronyms, such as LTL (less-than-truckload) and TL (truckload), you'll find it beneficial to learn truck driving jobs key terms before you get behind the wheel.

Action Steps
The best contacts and resources to help you get it done

Commercial driver's license (CDL)

A commercial driver's license, or CDL, is the type of license needed to land truck driving jobs. A CDL authorizes a truck driver to operate vehicles in a certain weight classification.

I recommend: The U.S. Department of Transportation Federal Motor Carrier Safety Administration offers an in-depth look at the CDL program, including classifications and restrictions.

Over the road (OTR)

You might elect to become an over-the-road (OTR) truck driver. OTR truck drivers haul and deliver freight in the continental United States, as well as Canada. OTR truck drivers may be away from home for several days or several weeks at a time.

I recommend: CareersinGear.com gives a brief description of OTR truck-driving jobs.

Less-than-truckload (LTL) carrier

LTL carriers take loads that are less than a truckload (10,000 pounds) and consolidate more than one of these loads on a truck to deliver to multiple local destinations or break them down into smaller loads for delivery on smaller trucks.

I recommend: Find a detailed explanation of LTL carriers at Hoover's.

Truckload (TL) carriers

Truckload, or TL, carriers transport full trailer loads from a shipper directly to a receiver. This can be for either local delivery or from state-to-state and even into Canada.

I recommend: IHS Global Insight provides a thorough explanation of TL carriers and how they're different from LTL carriers.

Common carrier

In the trucking business, a common carrier is one who transports a customer's freight from one location to another, either locally or between states. Common carrier will work for any company willing to hire them.

I recommend: Truck Writers of North America provides definitions of many truck-driving jobs key terms, including common carrier.

Owner operator

Owner operators are truck drivers who own their own trucks and take on independent jobs. Owner operators work under contract and are not employed by any single company.

I recommend: Everyowneroperatorjob.com explains what an owner operator is and how to become one.