SAFETY DAWG Chris Harris
Saving Time! Wow, it is starting again. Here in Canada, we are starting to resume “normal” life. For those truck drivers crossing the US border regularly, you must be seeing the fundamental differences between Canada and the United States and how each handled the COVID situation. What does this all mean for trucking? I think that COVID-19 will have a longlasting impact on transportation. First and foremost, I believe that truck drivers have been acknowledged, saluted, and praised for being the Heroes that they are. You kept the shelves stocked and people outside of our industry, for maybe the first time, saw truck drivers as an essential component of the country’s survival. Good for you! You are reading this article in a recruiting magazine, so it is fair to ask you how the recruiting and hiring of truck drivers changed during the pandemic? In some companies, sadly, it has not changed. You, if you are an applicant, are still going into the office of some company and manually filling out the required paperwork. If you are hired, you are still sitting in a
18 • OVER THE ROAD
classroom and getting orientation with several other new hires. So that is one thing where not much has changed. What is new is that other companies are now using technology to hire. I know that some fantastic and very competent truck drivers struggle with tech, but even those drivers are now using smartphones and have been on a ZOOM call. Some companies are using technology such as ZOOM to perform an initial interview. Many companies have all the new hires’ paperwork available online for completion. So, between ZOOM and the online application process, you, the applicant, don’t have to spend all that time getting to the office, completing the paperwork and then being interviewed. Just the travel time alone is a huge time saver for many. For some, it may not be much of a time-saver as you spend time on the computer struggling to use the keyboard… But if this process is being done while you are on the road or stuck in a receiving door while working for your present carrier, it is a huge time saver. If you can apply for a position online, what else can be done without an in-person
AUGUST 2021
