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Explore the world of driver recruiting with the Hire Truckers Podcast! Join us as we talk to recruiting experts, offering industry insights, marketing trends, and motivation to enhance your recruiting skills. Whether you're a seasoned recruiter or just starting, our podcast is here to help you level up your game in the trucking industry.
This industry has turned into a profit over a profession. Right? The drivers become a transaction. You start treating that person as a person, not a transaction. I'll be 63 before long.
Jerry Curl:Sorry. It took me so long to say it, but I'm telling you, when you get to this age, it's more about time and people. And that's how I plan on leaving my legacy in the industry.
Ginger Craddock:Jerry, carriers spend millions of dollars every year trying to attract drivers. Yet you've often said the real work begins after a driver says yes. Why do so many companies mistake orientation for onboarding? And what does that mistake ultimately cost them?
Jerry Curl:You know, the instant you're able to connect with somebody, you're making an impact in their life. And when they're, when you're speaking with somebody about employment, you're asking them to not just come into a job, you're asking them to come into a family. Your employer, they will spend more time with you than with your family. And I often say that carriers spend millions of dollars trying to hire drivers, but I often look at the revenue that you spend trying to retain your drivers. It's these drivers have the toughest job, as far as I'm concerned in the country.
Jerry Curl:It is 100% on our leadership of our companies to selectively, to select the right driver right out of the box, because you have to get to know that individual. Your culture is everything. Nothing trumps culture. They can have the talent. They can have everything you need, but you have a culture in your company if you like it or not.
Jerry Curl:It's either default or developed. And in today's world, if it's on default, so is your hiring, so is your safety, so is your turnover, so is everything. You better develop your own culture. The one that's living, breathing, essence in what you believe and holds your standards. And that has to be on-site in your mind all the time when you're interviewing these drivers or any employee bringing them on board.
Ginger Craddock:Let's talk about the driver experience. It begins before day one. So when does retention actually begin?
Jerry Curl:The very first conversation or words I speak with someone, I wanted them to know that this is a relationship. And the instant I'm interested in hiring an individual, I am making phone calls. I'm reaching on a daily basis. I am building a personal relationship with that human being. That is a human being.
Jerry Curl:That is a person. It's a relationship. I wanna get to know them. I wanna know their family, their grandchildren, their children. Then when they come in for an interview, I say, bring your wife, bring your children.
Jerry Curl:Well, they'll run around the office. That's great. That's what I want. I got nine grandkids. I love it.
Jerry Curl:I want to see them in real action. I want them to know they belong something greater than a paycheck. They come here, they interview. I bring their wives. You got any questions?
Jerry Curl:I want you to know who I am because I want them to feel safe. And I want their, I want her to know where her husband's going to work because these professional drivers have the toughest job in the world, as far as I'm concerned. Only one next to that would be the spouses behind them upholding the houses and raising them children behind the scenes all on their own. And I want them to know that we understand that. I understand that.
Jerry Curl:And there's one thing I know is people. And great companies made of great people. I'll probably say that all day long. Great people do great things. So.
Ginger Craddock:And so I I hear in your answer that you are seeing that driver as an individual out of the gate. But even beyond that, you're seeing them and their family and inviting the wife and the children into the conversation, you're building trust before orientation in each of those conversations. So my question for you is when we think along that line, what separates companies that successfully retain those new drivers from those who lose them in the first few months?
Jerry Curl:Well, I can tell you a lot of companies will talk the culture, talk the processes, talk, but their actions and their words are not aligned. They do not do it. And the leadership lacks unity. I hate to say it that way, but the leadership is not in the same page that they don't buy in, you know? And you have to make sure your leadership has one job, culture.
Jerry Curl:Leadership is 100% responsible for culture. These people spend more time with these people at work than they do with their own family and home. And you, as a leader, have to know that talent doesn't trump the culture and you're responsible for maintaining the culture. That means you understand your mission, vision, and core values, your standards. Because when you weaken the standards, you weaken your culture and you have to nurture that culture.
Jerry Curl:I hear people say, I've been doing this for forty seven years. Well, like we talked earlier before, I've doing this for forty seven years and I'm still learning. And the instant I quit learning, when I'm through learning, I'm through altogether. You know? So when you're operating in default mode, so will everything else.
Jerry Curl:The companies that I've been in and had the most, every company I've been in, I, I, I have to rephrase that. I have a 100% success rate at helping increase culture, driver turnover, buying the health, because you get in there and you start building team unity and alignment. I'm telling you leadership will become unstoppable. You have to get to the highest level of that organization. I just spent the weekend at a truck show with drivers, drivers, owner operators at that level.
Jerry Curl:But you know what? You make your greatest impact in a company. You know why? Wanna They belong to wanna belong to something. They wanna belong to something greater.
Jerry Curl:They wanna be part of a community. We are all built for, we want two things in life, connection and clarity. We want community and clarity. And when you have them two things, you belong to something, you have a will to live. And when you have a will to live, you have a will to do great things.
Jerry Curl:Great companies are made of great people and people do business with people and great people attract great people. And I guarantee you, your numbers will go down. I've had many people tell me, I, I can't afford that expense. It's not an expense. It's an investment.
Jerry Curl:You're investing into your people. If you're afraid to invest, you know what? Somebody will be hiring your drivers or your people that's not afraid to invest. I can promise you that. I spent years, decades doing this now.
Jerry Curl:And I'm proud to say that I have a less than a 1% turnover rate. I don't brag on that, but I know one thing. If I was hanging on the end of a rope, we would go together. And if I was they were hanging on the end of that rope, we would go together. And that's the trust we have.
Jerry Curl:Because when you have trust, you have everything. You have, you have to feel safe where you go to work. And I guarantee you, I talked to countless drivers. They do not feel safe. What I tell you earlier, they, this industry has turned into a profit over a profession.
Jerry Curl:Right? The drivers become a transaction. And when you start treating that person as a person, not a transaction, and I'm I I'm not trying to brag, but I'm very good at it. And I love people. I'll be 63 before long.
Jerry Curl:Sorry, it took me so long to say it, but I'm telling you, when you get to this age, it's more about time and people. And that's how I plan on leaving my legacy in the industry.
Ginger Craddock:It is. And I love your point that culture starts at the top. And as that top executive leader, you're pushing that all the way through and it's showing up in your retention rate. And so for the fleet executive out there, where maybe culture, which is the buzzword right now, where culture feels daunting and they realize, hey, I don't have that retention rate. I hear Jerry talking about culture.
Ginger Craddock:What are one or two practical things that they could do to demonstrate that they're seeing the individual driver to build that trust so that the driver knows that they are seen, heard, and valued?
Jerry Curl:I believe in today's world, we have lost the ability to communicate with humans. We like pushing messages over e logs. We like having our phones answered by AI. We like hiding behind these cellular devices that seal our attention. And I say that because I call many companies and I will ask you, listen to this.
Jerry Curl:Have you ever tried to call yourself lately? How easy is it? Not very easy. So how easy is, do you think it is for your employee to get ahold of you? And you know who I'm talking to?
Jerry Curl:How easy for you to be high behind that as well and screen in and sometimes say, you know, I didn't get that message. And sometimes we did. And the other one I would like to say is, you know, we spend millions of dollars on truck tracking, trailer tracking, cargo tracking to find out where that equipment's at, the load's at, is secure. How much money or how much effort has you put in, have you really put in finding where your driver's at? And I don't mean physically.
Jerry Curl:I mean, mentally, emotionally, personally. Can you tell me how many children you have? Can you tell me you lost a loved one? Can you tell me the anniversary when their mother, father, wife, son, daughter passed away? Do you put it on your calendar?
Jerry Curl:Do you when was the last time you reached out to someone as a human being to let them know, Hey, I'm thinking of you. I don't ever end a phone call without saying I love and appreciate you. And now I got guys that they will not hang out without saying it.
Ginger Craddock:That's incredible. And trust and care are built over time, one person to one person.
Jerry Curl:Trust is a lifetime to build, a second to destroy, and forever to repair. And it never goes back to wherever it was. Don't ever give up trust. You build trust. You have an employee for life.
Ginger Craddock:And that's reflected in your retention rate and the depth of the relationships you have. The other thing that I heard in the opening in that you're bringing the wife in and the children in or the husband in, if it's female driver, like the combination. Checking in on them too. I have a fleet that we serve that they send welcome gifts to the spouse And they check-in, to your point, not just the tracking on the truck, but how are you tracking your driver relationally. And also just remembering their family members, to your point, who have one of the hardest jobs as well, supporting the home and running the home while that driver is out, especially if it's OTR.
Jerry Curl:Yeah. Dry you expect that driver to be a peak performance operating down the road and, and just in place and be present at that moment. He's gotta know everything's good at home. He's gotta, he's gotta know them boxes are checked behind them. Cause your next mile has to be your suck.
Jerry Curl:Your, your next mile has to be your safest mile. Your next decision has to be your best decision. Because you just got through this one. If you're here right now talking to me, listening to you, you just got through that decision. The next one's coming at you.
Jerry Curl:You better have your head up looking out that windshield because life shows up every second, all day long, every day that you walk this earth. And we have no idea what's gonna come, but you better be ready. You always gotta be ready and you better know one thing. My wife, my family, my children are safe behind. When you check that box, that's one big box checked.
Ginger Craddock:Yes. So beginning with conversations, now I wanna pivot to and and seeing the driver, seeing the family. Now I wanna kinda click forward into something that I've heard you say a version of. Orientation is an event. Onboarding is a strategy.
Ginger Craddock:So what are and especially if if onboarding is to effectively connect with the culture. So what are some common mistakes that fleets are making in orientation and in onboarding with this framing?
Jerry Curl:We all heard the phrase drinking from the fire hose. You know, I think a lot of fleas will bring them in and they want to door to seat as quick as possible. You know, there has to be a time where they come in and they get accustomed to your processes and all these things, but there's nothing more important than coming in and knowing the people. It's gotta be people first. I take one whole day, the first day I, I want them to get their paperwork out of way, while they're at home, bringing in now when they get here, I'm not handing them a stack of paperwork.
Jerry Curl:I made the mistakes. I've done all these things. I'm telling you, you, you bury them in paperwork. They're sweating. The wives fill this paperwork out.
Jerry Curl:The drivers don't, they drive a truck, you know, they come in and guess what? I want them to meet the payroll people, the customer service, the dispatchers, the shop, the tank wash, the, I, I want them not that they, not that they're gonna remember their names, but you know what? They're comfortable. They have human connection. They got a lay of the land.
Jerry Curl:I've been into places, drivers been there for a whole day and they've never been shown where the bathroom's at. You have to get somebody in board on board and get them feeling welcome. And number one, get them comfortable. If you're not comfortable in your environment, how do you think they're gonna learn or retain anything? Then you just can't take them in a classroom and just shove two, three days of stuff on them and think they're gonna measure because I learned that from our friend, Gina, you can't cognitively remember that you're gonna remember a fraction of it.
Jerry Curl:Then you know, you're gonna say, well, you didn't pay attention. No, there's no human being that can do that. The, the brain is so powerful. It's taken in everything else. And when you slow it down and give it to them, eat the elephant in one bite, right?
Jerry Curl:And let them absorb it. And, but you know what else? Don't lose sight of saying, Hey, Ginger, are we okay? Are you on track? Are you still on board?
Jerry Curl:Okay. Do I need to go back? Everybody learns at a different pace. And then, know what? I get them connected with other driver trainers people and just on them driving together.
Jerry Curl:They just sit in a truck and ride. And while they're absorbing the environment, they really don't know, they're learning the process by just by your proximity. They build a relationship with this guy. Now they're feeling comfortable. Now they, now they feel like they belong to someone because you know why they have trust.
Jerry Curl:They have trust. True relationships understand sincere thoughts. They have trust. They're they, they feel worthy about it. Now they know that they feel they have the right decision.
Jerry Curl:They have a level of comfort. And before you know it, they're just your peak performers.
Ginger Craddock:And I see how by seeing them and anticipating their needs and getting them comfortable, you're creating that confidence during the very first week. And you're helping the drivers feel connected with those other departments. So they're not just gonna be somebody on the other line of the phone or somebody at the end of a a message. So how do you measure onboarding success?
Jerry Curl:I do it personally because I am following up with every person we onboard. How are you doing? How how do you feel? What do you think? Tell me what I can do better.
Jerry Curl:I need to know where I can succeed. I said, now there's something that you've seen in your life I can do better. Jerry, you talk too fast. Okay. I need to know that.
Jerry Curl:Yeah. I, that it is feedback to me. It's not criticism. I want feedback, Criticism and feedback. The only difference is the way you decide to hear it.
Jerry Curl:For people that can't hear it, you, you need to tune your ears differently. That is poor leadership. We need feedback. Feedback nurtures your soil inside saying, okay. I need look at that.
Jerry Curl:You're right. I do talk fast. And you know, I wanna know how we can always improve a program. So we, we've got checklists. So what, Hey, did we miss anything on the checklist?
Jerry Curl:We've been doing this for years and you know what? Something came up the other day. How'd we overlook that? But guess what? We finally identified it.
Jerry Curl:And we have to just, you have that personal connection, you say to that person you've been onboarded. How was it? How was our onboarding process? They will be honest. They will be honest because you have enough relationship built with them already in that two or three week time that they feel enough to speak openly to you about it.
Jerry Curl:And you say, well, thank you because in a lot of places they're afraid to speak. I guarantee you. They're afraid to speak. And you can't have that. Can't have that.
Ginger Craddock:That's key where you are inviting that feedback loop and you're receiving it in the spirit with which it's being delivered. And even if it's not delivered in that spirit, by receiving it that way is how we grow and continue to elevate what we deliver to the next level. And so the thing that I heard that you also do is you thank them for the feedback that they gave. And that really demonstrates seeing and hearing the person and helps them feel heard. So that's a gold nugget there, is thank them for the feedback that they've given as well, as well as how you receive it.
Ginger Craddock:If you walked into 10 different carrier orientations tomorrow, what would you likely see that concerns you?
Jerry Curl:Bruce control, autopilot training, just training is on autopilot. They just set them in front of videos. Hey, I've got a job to do. I've I've just gotta get to this job. And that's that's the biggest concern thing to me because you, as that leader, you are one of the first individuals that is providing that new employee, new family member with the vision of the company.
Jerry Curl:They are going to base everything on that from that day forward. Interactions, your body language, your tones, your processes. And when you go through these things and you just want to check the box, that is the perception they're gonna build in their mind. People will never forget everything you told them, but they always remember how you made them feel and how you treated them. That's how that'll be carried forward.
Ginger Craddock:That culture is demonstrated by how you make them feel. I see that. And so just like it's not checking the boxes and you don't want you you know, the most concerning is the autopilot. Also, company culture isn't a poster on the wall. So how would you define this culture this connected culture that we're talking about?
Jerry Curl:It's a living, breathing essence of what you believe in and you do every single day, regardless of what goes on. It's your standards. It's your it is just your beliefs, your non negotiables. And you have to be able to make the tough decision that somebody's sheer talent doesn't trump the culture. It can be the most talented driver.
Jerry Curl:It could be the most highest grossing driver, but they don't trump the culture. Companies will sacrifice the culture for the talent and the, and the revenue. And when you do that, your culture is toxic. It will become toxic. You and the five closest people around you become the sum of one identity.
Jerry Curl:Your proximity is very powerful. You inject one negative person in that circle, you cut productivity 40%. You have to guard it for everything. Your proximity is everything. You have to audit it.
Jerry Curl:You have to remove people from your proximity and let new people in. When you're not growing, you're dying. There's only two stages of life growing and dying. If your culture is not growing, it's dying. It's up to leaders every single day.
Jerry Curl:Leaders have one job. Leaders are responsible for the culture. You are tolerating it. And if you're lowering the standards, you are just lowering your culture. You're going the wrong way.
Jerry Curl:I hate to say it.
Ginger Craddock:We talk about the hiring math and the data to make wise decisions. And so related to the company culture, when a fleet or an executive feels the rub of this is a top performer and revenue generator, but they don't fit the culture, it can feel like giving up lost revenue. But again, for the people in the back, Jerry, on one side of the math equation is the lost revenue. On the other side is that 40%. Share that again for the people in the back.
Ginger Craddock:That needs to be a part of the whole equation when evaluating top performers that don't fit the culture.
Jerry Curl:Yeah. You and the five closest people around you are the sum of one identity. When you inject one negative person in that positive culture, you cut it 40%. You can get your highest earner. He is more than the highest earner.
Jerry Curl:He is providing influence on all these other employees. I guarantee you when he steps out of the way and you remove them, you will see a whole group of people step up now and your whole revenue will come up as a company, not just one driver. You're, you're, you're looking at one driver. That one driver holding everybody back because of the culture that's created. We all know, put a little miracle grow on your flowers.
Jerry Curl:What happens? They take off. Guess what? I'm telling you, you wanna put your money on one guy or a bunch of people? No one is as strong as everyone.
Jerry Curl:No one's as good as everyone. No one's as smart as everyone. You wanna bank on the one? You wanna go on the team. You can have the highest.
Jerry Curl:You could take a team in the professional sports and have the most talent in every position. But if they don't play as a team, they'll never win a Super Bowl or championship, will they? No. Because they'll all be offered themselves. When you have unity, you have a lot of power.
Jerry Curl:You know, I compare it to the, the Belgium horses. We know what the, them, them horses, the pulling, brought over thousands of years ago, right? One horse will pull eight to 10,000 pounds. Two horses together will do 24 to 32,000 pounds. You get that power together.
Jerry Curl:And when them horses grew up together, they will do much greater than that. That's, that's a good analogy right there. Them horses will act differently growing up together, because you know why? I've known you for now for man, it looks like almost an hour, but I guarantee you we beat the same drum. You give me a week or two with you.
Jerry Curl:I would almost be able to say what you're thinking and saying, people know what I'm gonna tell them. They know I'm consistent. Consistency wins every single time. You cannot change your mood. You can't change your standards.
Jerry Curl:You can't change your processes. You know, I am stuck in this mode right here. My high gear, my standards, my disciplines, my consistency. The drip will either fill the bucket, the drip will drain the bucket. And we have to stay consistent in what we do and what we believe in.
Jerry Curl:And I hear many times I've gone into people and I've seen, I stand in front of this group of 40 people. I got the guy in the back with his arm crossed. You're not gonna tell me I've been doing this for forty seven years. You're right. You're on default.
Jerry Curl:You're on cruise control. So is your hiring. So is your retention. So is everything. So when we're looking at all these things, we need to start looking at the top and go down.
Jerry Curl:Don't look at the bottom and come up. Look at the top and go down. Where does it start breaking? Where does it start breaking? I deal with all leadership.
Jerry Curl:I've, I go to the, I will work with the drivers when we get there. My number one success is building teams at the leadership level. I do, I work for the CEOs, the CEOs, you name it. I'm telling you it's the higher it goes up, the higher you will raise your company. I know one thing I've, I've learned it in forty seven years.
Jerry Curl:I live, eat and breathe transportation, and I live, eat and breathe culture and people. When our daughter passed away, they flooded my house because I did not call one person. There is a community that knows what's going on. I, I, I will tell you a story. I had a driver, two drivers off work, both tragic life events in the hospital.
Jerry Curl:I woke up one morning at 12:24AM. My wife's like, what's wrong? I said, I don't know. She goes, what's going on? I go, I feel like one of the children's in trouble.
Jerry Curl:And when I send out messages, I send out a lot of audio messages. So you don't misread a text. You get my emotions. You hear my words. It's a person's voice.
Jerry Curl:I called each one of them. I said, I love you. I appreciate you. Don't worry. We're gonna get through this brother.
Jerry Curl:The number one's too small. Number to be great on. And so when I'm in your corner. And the one was passing away when I sent the message. Good friend of mine.
Jerry Curl:And his wife said, how did you know? She said, I literally was playing the voice and then they were trying to save his life. So I did know, But something was telling me. And when you are connected like that with your employees and your people, you know when things are going right, and you know when things are going wrong and quit ignoring when they're going wrong because we get very good at ignoring them. And that's the truth.
Ginger Craddock:Jerry, I'm sorry that you know that pain of losing a daughter. And I hear a lot of the why that you do love people and care for people well. And I can see how you've been able to push that through your culture because you can't fake care and concern over the long term. And the relationships that you built over time and that courage to just follow the prompting to check-in on people because we never know what they're going through allowed you to show up in the time, in this example, where they needed it and all the other examples where you don't know the tangible result, but that we do trust that the care and the concern arrived at the right time. So you knew to do that because of the hard place you And so I'm sorry you know that pain.
Ginger Craddock:I am encouraged for how you've leveraged that pain to serve others and love others at the next level and fill in the gaps where maybe they existed for you and others didn't, show up. You've really
Jerry Curl:And, know, we have
Ginger Craddock:do that for others.
Jerry Curl:Well, thank you. Thank you. Very kind. But we have to remember, these professionals get in there and shut that door and look out that windshield and do the same thing. You know, suffering produces perseverance.
Jerry Curl:It creates character, produces hope. And that hope is the will to live. And these people, these professionals, and I keep saying people, because I don't wanna lose sight of these people. They have a heartbeat. They've lost children too.
Jerry Curl:They've lost parents. They've had tough days. How does that feel to somebody who's listening to the dispatcher? Do you think about that? How does that make you feel the first time you're dispatching them?
Jerry Curl:Do you, do you have any thoughts in your mind? How they doing, how they feeling, what they're doing? Are they ready? Have you reached out and talked to them? Are you ready?
Jerry Curl:No, then don't worry about it. Call me when you're ready. And as a business owner, I'm gonna ask you, are you willing to pay that person? Why they're not working? How many people do that?
Jerry Curl:Because now they're worried about financial income. And now I gotta get back to work. Now they get in that truck by themselves, isolated, lonely, grieving, driving down the road to generate revenue. When you invest in the people, they will invest into you. You're invested into their future.
Jerry Curl:You're investing in your own future.
Ginger Craddock:What an incredible illustration that I hope every listener will never forget that company culture isn't a poster. Company culture is walked out one responsive moment, one empathetic, compassionate moment at a time. And so I wanna pivot now to hiring the right driver. So at Hire Truckers, we often talk about the fleet fit, aligning the right driver with the right opportunity rather than simply filling a seat. And I can tell because of how you're looking at the unique needs of the driver that you understand fleet fit.
Ginger Craddock:And so when hiring for long term success and thinking about character and qualifications, how do you find that balance and how do you coach and guide along that way?
Jerry Curl:That's why the initial conversation becomes very important. You have to be very transparent on what's expected of them. Here is our standards. Here's our mission, vision, and core values. Are you able to do that?
Jerry Curl:I mean, I'll give you a good example. I expect you to wear a uniform. Yeah. Wearing a uniform, people look at pretty simple. But do you ever see a professional team where their socks aren't matched, their shirts aren't tucked in, the color lot of people can wear a uniform, but are you really gonna wear a uniform where it's tucked in and it's collars ironed and looking, looking bright?
Jerry Curl:We have to be very transparent what's expected of them. We have to lay that job out. We have to give them as much as possible. I even put them through an aptitude test because it's a, we have a physically demanding job. I want them to work here.
Jerry Curl:They wanna work here. But if you can't do the job, you set your both, you, you, you set yourself both up for failure. And I would rather be able to tell somebody I'm sorry, the job is too demanding than sorry, I made the wrong decision. Because when you're asking them to switch jobs, you're asking them to make a big step in their life. You have to make sure they're ready to come on your team.
Jerry Curl:Because if they're not ready to come on your team, it's the wrong time for them. It's the wrong time for you. You're asking somebody to make a life change that affects their family. So if they're leaving a job after years and they're, they're invested in that job, isn't it our obligation to make sure that we paint the best picture possible for them as well? That's honest and true and what's expected of them?
Jerry Curl:You know, I I've talked to countless people that, oh, they told me I'd be home every night and I'm not. Is that a leadership problem? Yeah. Who was that just because somebody gets paid to recruit a driver, a, a bonus or something that the dispatcher gets paid on the load? How do you promise somebody to not do it?
Jerry Curl:Your promise is everything about you. If I promise you to be on here today and I didn't show up, what would you what would that tell you about my character? That would make you feel less. Right? Well, he didn't think much of me today.
Jerry Curl:And that's what we have to think about the other person. And when we're asking them to come on board, we have to remember that we're asking them to make a big decision in their life. In our company, it might be for some of us hate to say it, but it might, oh, well, there'd be somebody else. Not in that person's life. He might be, he might be leaving what he believes was his best job for the best job for the rest of his life.
Jerry Curl:Now, he thinks he won the super bowl right now. Us not giving him that information is wrong.
Ginger Craddock:And so I can see the connection of how you're focused to hire for long term success. Clearly, you're demonstrating the character within your personal life and the character that you expect to exist within your culture by clearly setting expectations, but also saying no to the wrong hires. Because at the end of the day, that's for them and for the company. It protects the culture. It works both ways.
Ginger Craddock:And so it's a reminder that every qualified candidate is not necessarily the right fit for your particular organization. And so thinking about recruiting and retention. So recruiting doesn't own retention. It's just one part of the retention piece. What are some of the other pieces within operations, dispatch safety, driver managers, executive leadership that help own that retention piece throughout the life cycle of the driver at your company?
Jerry Curl:It's everyday interactions. I mean, when they call the HR department, they have to, number one, can they get through the phone chain? Can they talk to a person? Check, hit 4 for payroll. Okay.
Jerry Curl:If you're a payroll short hit 2, how about a real person? And then how does that person greet you? How does that person treat you? How'd that person make you feel in every single department? You know, you're part of a team that, you know, let's go back to the, let's use this whole scenario here as a sports analogy right now.
Jerry Curl:85 people show up for training camp on football, For football. All 85 people got three things in common, don't they? They're know how to play football. They're very good, and they're all in shape. But only 11 are gonna start.
Jerry Curl:Them 11 got a different mindset than the other 74. And now them 11, there's usually one or two that really stand out. They just gotta hire. But behind the scenes, you have a head coach, you got a defensive coach, a defensive, you got equipment coach. You got all these other people.
Jerry Curl:Do you not think that that whole team staff is not collaborating and being in alignment and making sure that all their stuff that is connected together is not just firing together? What good dispatch, customer service, HR, safety, they are all just parallel. You're all in the same line of leadership. You're all answering to one guy that owns your company or board directors or something. That that's a parallel line right there.
Jerry Curl:And one of you, that's your proximity right there. Are you the 40%? Are you the 60%? Are you the a 100%? What part of the team are you on?
Jerry Curl:You know who you are right now. You know when you respond to somebody, oh, I shouldn't have said that, or I'm sorry I said that. Hey, I'm human. I apologize. I said, you know what?
Jerry Curl:I'm sorry. I'm sorry. I could have handled that better. My apologies for letting my emotions get the best of me. I could have handled that better.
Jerry Curl:And you know what? Every time I see that person, that comes to my mind. But every time I get in that situation now, there's a learning lesson. I become better. Even at the age of 63 almost, you become better.
Jerry Curl:You gotta keep learning. Gotta keep We're humans. We are humans.
Ginger Craddock:And that really does demonstrate humility that is necessary for every leader to really grow and flourish and continue to raise the lid of their leadership. And so, Jerry, if you could sit down with every transportation CEO tomorrow morning and leave them with one piece of advice about hiring and retaining drivers, what would that be?
Jerry Curl:Call me, please. Call me. Call
Ginger Craddock:Jerry.
Jerry Curl:Yeah. Please call me. I, I want them to understand obviously where you're at. You've done a fantastic job in your life and congratulations. You've conquered many things, and I'm sure you're a great individual.
Jerry Curl:And I'm sure that that company is like a child to you. It has a piece of you. You watch this thing grow. It's been there every day of your life. And I often put it that way is like a child to you.
Jerry Curl:Don't lose sight of that. You're putting your trust in people to, so to speak, watch your children, your grandchildren. You trusted people with your own children. We're all the same children in the same place. I'm gonna ask you, do you trust them?
Jerry Curl:The people you have in leadership. And unfortunately, sometimes there's people that they're just afraid to move or let go. I hate to say it that way. But you're holding back a whole lot of other good people too. Culture is not one thing.
Jerry Curl:Culture is everything. And if you own the business, it's everything to you. It's your brand. It's your DNA. It's who you are.
Jerry Curl:It's what you are. It's why you exist. And who you are is the most important thing in the world. It's your character. It's your, some of your habits, your identity, they are part of your identity.
Jerry Curl:They should be mirroring your identity exactly to a T. And when you have a culture that's thriving, I guarantee you, they are matching your identity. So if you're an owner, you're leader, and you're leading people. And I want to remind you, we're leading people and we're influencing people in this world if you like it or not. You're a mother, father, you're somebody.
Jerry Curl:I don't care where you're at. You're at the gas station, you're getting food, whatever. You're leading and influencing people if you like it or not. We have to remember that all day, every day, every word, everything we do. And that has become our cruise control in our life.
Jerry Curl:So hopefully that was a good answer for you.
Ginger Craddock:That's the perfect answer because, Jerry, every one of us as leaders can look into our business, we can look into our families, and we can ask the question of ourself, where is this not measuring up to my expectations and my values? And when I ask that question, that's where I need to grow and have the opportunity to grow. And so I thank you for that message and how you tied that all back to culture and our responsibility both at work as leaders and also in the home for those
Jerry Curl:Human beings.
Ginger Craddock:Yeah. As human beings.
Jerry Curl:Well, we don't and you said it. Well, we don't measure. We don't improve. You don't we measure fuel mileage. We measure oil analysis.
Jerry Curl:So we measure tire depth. We measure air pressure. We measure everything in this industry. Do we measure ourselves?
Ginger Craddock:Yeah. Let's measure the person that we look in the mirror at at the beginning of the day and the end of the day and keep leaning in and growing. Jerry, thank you for sharing your insights and most importantly for sharing your heart for the transportation industry. Conversations like this remind us that the future of driver recruiting isn't just about attracting more drivers. It's about creating workplaces where the right drivers can build meaningful, lasting careers.
Ginger Craddock:If you've enjoyed this episode of the Hire Truckers Podcast, I invite you to subscribe and continue along this journey with us. Go back and check past episodes and find encouragement within that from other industry leaders. Because together, we are each impacting this industry one conversation, one person at a time. We are changing the face of this industry for the good by caring for people and by having one conversation at a time. So cheers.
Ginger Craddock:Go be your very best version of yourself today.