Hiring drivers isn’t like it used to be. Very rarely these days can you offer your most popular trunk driver a packet of pork scratchings and a pint to get their mate from the pub to come and work for you. In 2019 you need to be a little more strategic. Companies are crying out for drivers with a shortage topping 70,000 workers. Today we look at how to hire HGV and LGV Drivers for your UK based business.

After a quick chat with my dad (lorry and HGV Driver for 39 years) he told me of how he landed his first driving job. My grandad took him along to map read on a few runs where he met the “gaffer” from time to time. Once my grandad moved on from that job my dad was simply offered his position. Comparing this process to his most recent HGV role, it is very different. More recently he applied online for various positions, registered with a number of agencies and attended a handful of interviews before being taken on. Describing the process as far more rigid and formal than during the early parts of his driving career.

Professional Driver Training Partnership

Driver training, especially HGV and LGV training and tests can be a hefty investment. Often costing upwards of £2000 to become a fully qualified Class 2 HGV Driver. Fortunately this can easily be made back once a job is secured and you’re on the road. But what if you can’t get a job straight away? It is a large sum of money to fork out without any guarantee of a career at the end of it.

Distribution companies all over the UK are partnering with driver training course providers to take on newly trained licence holders at slightly lower salaries than the more experienced drivers. A partnership like this will provide a steady flow of staff where needed and encourage more people to chip away at the driver shortage this country is currently facing.

With drive and navigation assisting technology available in most vehicles and on all phones it is no longer essential to employ somebody with years of experience on the road. New HGV certificate holders are just as capable as my dad, mentioned above, despite how much he would deny this.

Hire HGV and LGV Drivers On Your Website

Does your website receive a lot of traffic? If so, it makes sense to advertise any vacancies you have here too. Kill two stones with one bird! Adding new roles to your website is usually effortless and free to do so. Not only that, it also adds new content that will contribute towards your Search Engine Optimisation (SEO).

Did you know that your website can automatically publish live vacancies to Google for Jobs, Indeed and other large job advertising platforms? This is achieved through use of something called an XML Feed. These feeds allow job listings from your website to scrape onto some of the largest websites aimed at jobseekers in the world.

If you are unsure as to whether or not your website does this we can take a look for you. Click here to email our developer or call on 01603 415 100 and ask for any member of the marketing team. The same applies if you wish to discuss adding a career portal to your website.

Fixed Fee Recruitment

Fixed Fee or Fixed Fee Recruitment is our most popular tool for providing volume to large transport and logistics companies. But don’t be put off if you are a smaller business looking to hire HGV and LGV drivers. Fixed Fee Recruitment allows you to build a talent pool by utilising powerful online platforms at a fraction of the cost vs going direct.

Companies like our own purchase large quantities of credits from websites such as CV Library, Reed.co.uk, TotalJobs, JobSite and more. Due to the size of the orders placed we receive large discounts. These discounts are then passed onto our clients and so is our knowledge of what boards to use and how to use them.

A Fixed Fee Recruiter should always look to optimise your listing before posting and advise on any content that may hinder or improve the ad’s performance prior to posting. Through a single Fixed Fee Recruitment package many of our distribution clients have been able to hire HGV and LGV Drivers in large numbers. Completely slashing the cost of recruitment advertising vs going direct to the job boards.

i4 Resourcing has a dedicated Transport, Logistics and Distribution job advertising department. With over a decade of experience advertising for the driving sector we have a proven track record for filling roles through advertising. Should you wish to discuss any of the above methods with the team please feel free to call today.