How do you find truck drivers? The driver recruiting space is a competitive one and carriers often turn to industry partners to grow fleets and decrease open seats. To find the best partner, carriers have an important decision to make: will a staffing agency and/or advertising agency best meet their needs? Here we break down what you need to know about these industry partners:

Advertising agencies advertise your fleet on your behalf. They aid in developing your brand, building awareness, creating strategy, driving leads for your organization, meeting hiring goals and much more. With your ad agency, you’ll plan your overall media strategy based on your budget, driver types and high-need markets.

Once the agency begins running your campaigns, the driver leads that come in will route to your team, where internal recruiters will work them and make job offers. While your recruiters will take ownership of hiring drivers, the advertising agency will continue to aid throughout the process. They’ll report where successful hires came from and offer strategies on how carriers can get the most effective cost per hire (CPH).

On the other hand, staffing agencies work to source drivers, finding potential leads for the carrier. Staffing agencies may use an internal database provided by the carrier or make a find driver leads through advertising and other avenues. These staffing agencies act as the first point of contact for truck drivers and will identify open positions that may fit the leads that come in. They’ll act as an extension of your recruiting and human resources team, working to help place truck drivers in your fleet.

Both agency types serve to help carriers better recruit CDL-A drivers. While advertising and staffing agencies work towards a number of common goals, some core differences set them apart:

● Outreach: Staffing agencies reach out directly to your leads, working as part of your recruiting team. In contrast, advertising agencies will build strategy and make ad placements on your behalf, but the carrier will do the work the leads and process the applications.

● Long term vs short term goals: Staffing agencies often find temporary or contract-to-hire drivers for a company. Carriers can then decide if they want to offer more permanent positions to the drivers based off performance. Meanwhile, advertising agencies tend to be more focused on long term drivers. They present strategies for carriers to find experienced leads and retain drivers.

● Industry expertise: While staffing agencies can make ad placements of their own, advertising agencies ultimately rely on best practices and industry data to make the most strategic placements. As industry experts, they have the marketing knowledge to make sure ads are fully optimized and carriers get the best ROI.

By taking a close look at your company’s needs, you can find the best agency partner who will help you meet your goals and beyond in 2019.