The Driver Shortage: Recruiting & Retention Strategies That Work

If you’re in trucking right now, you don’t need a headline to tell you what’s happening—you feel it every day. Good drivers are harder to find, harder to keep, and more expensive to replace. And while “driver shortage” gets thrown around a lot, what most fleets are really dealing with is a recruiting and retention problem: drivers have options, they’re comparing experiences, and they’re choosing the companies that respect their time, pay fairly, and run efficiently.

The good news? There are proven strategies that consistently work—especially when you stop trying to “sell” the job and start building a driver experience that people want to stay for.

Below are recruiting and retention strategies that fleets, dispatch teams, and driving schools (like ours) see making the biggest difference.

1) Start with the Real Problem: Turnover Costs More Than Recruiting

Recruiting is expensive. But turnover is even more expensive.

Every time a driver quits, you lose:

• Revenue from missed loads and downtime

• Recruiting costs and sign-on incentives

• Time spent onboarding and training

• Dispatcher stability and customer service consistency

Retention is the cheapest growth strategy in trucking. The best fleets treat driver retention as an operations priority, not just an HR task.

2) Recruit Better by Being More Honest (Yes, Really)

Drivers aren’t looking for perfect. They’re looking for truth.

The fastest way to waste ad dollars and recruiter time is to overpromise—then have drivers quit once reality hits. Strong recruiting means being clear about:

• Home time and schedule expectations

• Average weekly miles and realistic take-home pay

• Freight type (touch vs. no-touch), routes, and equipment

• Detention, breakdown, and layover policies

Honesty attracts the right fit and filters out the wrong fit. That alone improves retention.

Pro tip: Put your “real job preview” on a single page or one-pager your recruiters send every time. If a lead can’t accept the reality up front, you just saved everyone time.

3) Speed Wins: Respond in Minutes, Not Days

Most fleets lose drivers before they ever speak to them.

High-performing recruiting teams:

• Contact new leads within 5–15 minutes

• Text first (then call), because drivers are often on the move

• Offer a simple next step: “Quick 5-minute screening or schedule a call?”

If your process takes multiple forms, multiple calls, and long gaps between steps, you’re not competing with other fleets—you’re competing with boredom. Make applying easy and fast.

4) Build a Simple, Repeatable Hiring Process (That Drivers Actually Like)

Drivers don’t want a “journey.” They want a decision.

A strong process looks like:

1. Quick screen (5–10 minutes)

2. Clear offer + expectations (pay, home time, route)

3. Fast onboarding (documents + start date)

4. Day 1 support (who to call, what to expect)

Drivers should never wonder: “What happens next?”

Simple improvement: Send a “Welcome + Next Steps” text/email immediately after the first conversation. Confidence goes up, ghosting goes down.

5) Retention Starts with Dispatch (and Communication)

Ask drivers why they leave and you’ll hear patterns:

• “I couldn’t get answers.”

• “Dispatch didn’t respect my time.”

• “Home time wasn’t real.”

• “I felt like a number.”

Great fleets train dispatchers and driver managers on:

• Clear expectations

• Consistent check-ins

• De-escalation and conflict resolution

• Ownership mentality: “Solve the problem”

Retention is built one interaction at a time. A driver can tolerate a bad week. They won’t tolerate being ignored.

6) Fix the Friction: Detention, Breakdowns, and Pay Confusion

Drivers leave when life becomes harder than it needs to be.

Three of the biggest retention killers are:

• Detention that isn’t handled (or isn’t paid fairly)

• Breakdowns without support

• Pay that feels unclear or inconsistent

If you want retention, reduce friction:

• Publish clear detention/breakdown policies

• Communicate pay structure in plain language

• Provide a real point of contact during problems

Drivers don’t expect zero problems. They expect you to help when problems happen.

7) Give Drivers a Reason to Stay Beyond the First 90 Days

Many fleets focus incentives on hiring—then stop investing once the driver starts.

Instead, consider retention incentives that reward consistency:

• 90-day safety bonus

• Quarterly performance bonuses

• Referral bonuses paid out over time

• “Preferred routes” or schedule perks for tenure

The goal is simple: make staying feel like progress.

8) Make Your Company Easier to Choose with Proof

Drivers trust drivers.

Use real proof in your recruiting:

• Short driver testimonial videos

• “A week in the life” content

• Transparent pay examples (real ranges, not hype)

• Reviews and social proof

If you’re a CDL school, this matters too—students want to know they’re choosing a path that leads to stable employment and real outcomes.

9) Partner with a CDL School to Build a Pipeline (and Train for Your Operation)

When recruiting is tight, the best fleets don’t just fight for experienced drivers—they build future drivers.

That means:

• Partnering with a reputable CDL school

• Hosting hiring events and interviews with graduates

• Offering tuition assistance or reimbursements

• Providing mentorship for new drivers (especially the first 90 days)

New drivers can become loyal long-term drivers if they’re supported properly. If they’re thrown into chaos, they’ll exit quickly.

10) The Best Strategy: Treat Drivers Like Customers

This mindset shift changes everything.

Drivers evaluate a company like consumers:

• How quickly you respond

• Whether your process is simple

• If you tell the truth

• If you fix problems

• If you respect their time

Recruiting and retention improves when you build a driver experience that you’d be proud to recommend.

Bringing It All Together

The driver shortage isn’t solved with one magic ad, one sign-on bonus, or one recruiter script. It’s solved by building a system:

• Fast response + simple process

• Honest expectations + strong communication

• Dispatcher alignment + fewer friction points

• Real support during the first 90 days

Fleets that win long-term aren’t just hiring drivers—they’re earning loyalty.