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.
Welcome to the HireTruckers podcast, where we interview experts in driver recruiting. We provide industry insights, marketing trends, and motivation to help you level up your recruiting game. Welcome to the HireTruckers podcast. I'm your host, Aaron Craddock. And today, I actually have Ginger joining as the host.
Aaron Craddock:You heard her in a recent episode. And she will actually be hosting some different episodes this year with some of our guests, and we'll be kinda swapping back and forth and interviewing people and super excited to have her interview me today. And so I'm gonna pass it over to today's host, who is Ginger.
Ginger Craddock:And as Aaron said, welcome to the Hire Truckers podcast. I'm Ginger Craddock, and I am most excited to interview our fearless leader, Erin Craddock of the Hire Truckers podcast. And so with that, I wanna just jump right in. So, Aaron, would you please share with us your background in the industry?
Aaron Craddock:I'd love to say I got into this industry and knew everything about digital marketing and trucking, but that is not the case. I was having lunch with a friend a couple years outside of school, and he was telling me about this new job he had. And I'd had a couple jobs out out of school, working at an AT and T store, and then I was working at the license office with kind of a growth track there to potentially be the licensed commissioner. And I was having lunch with him, and he told me about this thing called paper clip marketing. So I thought he said, like, paper clips.
Aaron Craddock:That's how much I knew about digital marketing at the time. And, yeah, so I went home after he told me about this thing called paper clip marketing, and Google searched it and found out that it was pay per click marketing. And I knew absolutely nothing about it going in. Had an accounting undergrad background, but just found it interesting. I found the industry interesting, truck driver recruitment and trucking parts and services and construction and agriculture.
Aaron Craddock:Just just the several industries I started in. Long story short, after that dinner, got introduced to some different people and offered a position to come on to a small team. And we're very fortunate to have that team grow really quickly and have a lot of success in the transportation industry. And I just ended up in a random dinner conversation. You never know that one conversation with a friend that can change everything and took a risk getting into a new industry.
Aaron Craddock:And now I can't see doing anything else. Love the industry, love the people, and want it to continue to grow in it.
Ginger Craddock:So, Erin, I love the the humor with which you entered this space. And you mentioned that you started with a small team. So how long ago was that that you started with that team?
Aaron Craddock:Oh, I don't remember without looking at my LinkedIn the exact time. Twelve, thirteen years ago is my guess. But I came on on the team of three or four people, and then we grew that to over 65 people over a period of five years. And, yeah, it was just really cool to be a part of just a growing segment of the industry as carriers were really starting to get into digital marketing to, you know, be one of the first Google partners, in the space and then to test out Facebook before you could even natively do it through their platform. We had several failed tests.
Aaron Craddock:It's not always successes, but launched trying some different platforms that integrated with Facebook before Facebook launched it within their platform. Had some cool opportunities to go out to Google and meet with their head of the ad team in California and kinda inform them about our industry and and, yeah, just it was it was just cool cool opportunity, cool experiences, and, yeah, just glad I'm in the industry.
Ginger Craddock:And so I love how you paint that picture. You were way back in the very beginning when the transportation industry was just beginning to get in digital marketing. And I remember that shift from printed media to, oh, what's this new digital thing and is it really gonna replace printed material or is there space for both? And so the fact that you got started in the industry in that early window is interesting to me. So you figured out that it was pay per click.
Ginger Craddock:You were one of the first top 100 Google partners and that small team grew. What are some of the insights that you saw in that growth in the first thirteen years of your of the the business as the industry shifted?
Aaron Craddock:I think I was a little naive in my leadership in those early years. And when I think about that, I think about how I was so numbers driven and metrics driven, and and we had a lot of success as being one of being one of the leading providers in the space, like, in terms of cost per hire and and different things at the time. And, yeah, just had a lot of you know, was able to interview I think I interviewed over a thousand people in that in that time period and and added, you know, like, over 70 people to to build up to that 65. And through that process, I definitely had some gaps. I didn't value as much as I do today really listening and empathizing.
Aaron Craddock:I was really focused on just, hey. Here are the results. Here are the metrics that we need to hit as a team. And didn't take enough time to listen. I think I talked too much.
Aaron Craddock:But one of the things I hope I'm at better today, and I get told that I'm at a little bit better at today with a lot of room for improvement, is just listening and empathizing and not trying to rush a solution. Like like, in terms of if I'm already thinking about what I'm gonna say when the other person's talking, then I'm not in the right frame of mind. That means I'm not listening well. And so just yeah. I'd say that's the biggest area I've grown.
Aaron Craddock:And I think to get to the level that we have with our vision with Trucking Cliques and HireTruckers.com and and and other other sites, I'm sure, will launch, it it's gonna take empathy and teamwork and to be the best of the best. And that's our goal is to be, the best, most efficient cost per hire in the industry at scale. And then additionally, just to be a pleasure and a joy to work with and to have really exceptional client success and partnership with our clients and viewing them as we're an extension of their team, they're an extension of our team, we're a partner. And that's my vision. And if I'm purely numbers driven and focused on purely year over year growth rather than the people, then, yeah, I think I'll have some challenges.
Aaron Craddock:And but to the extent I focus on just what our clients are saying and what our internal employees and team members are saying, I I think that will be the biggest indicator of our success. And so I think at the point we quit listening to clients and I quit as a leader listening to our team, I think that's the point we fail and we flounder. And so I still have a vision of who I need to be to get get to that level. That's our plan and our vision. I've just gotta become that identity prior to us continuing to grow to that level.
Ginger Craddock:So you've touched on growth, and and I can tell that in your background, you've seen a lot of product development and a lot of product growth. And then you've also touched on the people dynamic, the personal development side of your growth as well, and how in product development and in personal development and team development, there are wins and challenges always commingle together. And I always see that as opportunity. You know, I see challenges as opportunities to grow and that leads us to this next segment, Erin, growth mindset. I know that growth mindset is important to you.
Ginger Craddock:And so as you have transitioned from, you know, working for another company to launching your own companies. What are some of the things that you've learned about growth mindset? How has growth mindset helped you in product development? How has growth mindset helped you in people and team development?
Aaron Craddock:Thinking to the most influential things in terms of just since the launch of Craddock Holdings a little over five years ago and then Trucking Clicks three and a half years ago and then Hire Truckers a year and a half ago. I would say kinda in that five year five and a half, six year cycle, the biggest thing, I think, first was creating a clear vision. And so Cameron Herold has a book called Vivid Vision. I'd had a few friends, write out visions and then, like, crazy visions, like, this is huge, and I can't ever imagine this happening, but I'm gonna dream and and write it out. And so we had our first one as a team a little over three years ago that I crafted, and that's really helped with getting the right talent on the team, getting the right partners, getting the right clients as we all know the direction we're going.
Aaron Craddock:And so that's been a big growth personal development thing. And then second, keeping on that vein of people centric is how we succeed and focusing on others. And even when it's our our industry competitors, peers, partners, other vendors, just how can we serve and and put their needs first too. And that approach, I've had to name two books in that space that are foundational. I'm actually gonna name three.
Aaron Craddock:One is Bob Berg's The Go Giver. We have everybody read that on the team right when they join, and we send it to people we see in the industry that are being go givers. That book is ever present. And, yeah, that mentality. I had a friend, Josh Hines, is a good friend and also mentor.
Aaron Craddock:And he I was about to reread How to Win Friends and Influence People. And he was like, hey. You you don't need to read that again. You need to read Bob Berg's and John David Mann's book, The Go Giver. And so that book just transformed what I thought about just sales because I I really struggled with how do you have exponential growth and not feel salesy, and and where it's, you know, at our core to wanting wanting to give.
Aaron Craddock:And and that book, it through a parable form helps describe how you can do that and paints a really good picture. And so Go Givers at the core. Another book I'm rereading right now is Good Leaders Ask Great Questions. And I've had, you know, multiple opportunities to hear hear Tom Maxwell this year. And I always keep going back to his books and and principles.
Aaron Craddock:He lives it out. I had an opportunity to speak one on one with John earlier this year, and, you know, we were walking down the hall, and he was just asking me, hey, is this good experience for you? Like, he like, he was, you know, living out that Go Giver concept of just completely focused on me, being successful, and he was asking questions. And so, yeah, the book the book that he wrote called Good Leaders Ask Great Questions. This is the fourth time I'm going through it and just thinking about what questions can I ask our clients and partners and team to be a better listener?
Aaron Craddock:Because when I look at my worst days, it's when I talk too much and cut people off. And one way to avoid that is can, you know, create an opportunity for other people to speak through through thoughtful quest questions that still get you to your desired goal and where people feel heard and supported. And then the last one is Think Again by Adam Grant, and that we we just have a core principle in our company of thinking like a scientist, and and it and it comes from Nadia in that book. It's in campaign execution, like, how can we take a percentage of the budget every month and be testing new things? Because what works today in our industry might not work tomorrow and most likely won't six months from now.
Aaron Craddock:Like, how can we implement the newest things and just test, test, test? And and same thing on in every area of our company is, like, in client success. Okay. We don't need to keep doing things the same way in in sales and outreach. Like, how can we rethink and take 20% of our efforts and repurpose them?
Aaron Craddock:And so I think those are three really influential books. Just looking back, then Vivid Vision by Cameron Harrell, I I had mentioned that earlier. Honestly, all the books behind you have had a had a big influence.
Ginger Craddock:Thank you for sharing that. When I when I think about that concept of being a go giver in the industry as the industry as a whole, What was your vision? I've heard I've heard you say a little bit about this, and I'd like for you to share that today. What was your vision in actually launching this podcast? Because I think it it's rooted in that spirit of the go giver.
Aaron Craddock:One thing that I've I believe about our industry is that most people are very willing to share ideas. Some people thought we were crazy and we're like, hey. We're gonna bring directors of fleets on and executives and have them share their their best strategies. And, like, why are they gonna share with their peers? Our experience is kind of as anticipated.
Aaron Craddock:They share what's working and want to because I think the general consensus is we'd much rather keep people in the transportation industry than than see them go into another another field because there's definitely a driver shortage and likely over the next, you know, decade or so that's gonna increase. I think we can all share ideas and then it like, I get really uncomfortable posting on social media and being like, look at what I did, and because it just seems incongruent. And so it's a lot more fun to go on social media and look at what this carrier is doing and this carrier is doing and and celebrating them. And, yeah, the vision was just a cool platform to celebrate directors recruiting and highlight what's working for them and and and have fun with it. And I'm like, we're gonna launch this, and we're gonna do it for at least two years.
Aaron Craddock:And then we'll kinda look back, but I can already see a year in just the ROI of being able to celebrate people and encourage them and and just the value that it's added. People involved in recruiting drivers and where recruiting drivers has a big impact on on their business and their position. We just wanted to be super focused and add the most valuable information possible, and it's just cool. There's been a number of people that it was their first podcast that they were able to be on and and just just providing them that outlet is just it's just a lot of fun. And, I think I came into it initially a little stressed, like, the first few episodes and, like, putting undue pressure on myself.
Aaron Craddock:And I've just had a few people along the way just encourage me to have more fun with it. So now I have fun with it. And so that's how the Hire Truckers podcast was born. I hope it adds a ton of value to you guys and, anything you can ever think that would help us improve it, just shoot it over. For ideas of guests, feel free to reach out.
Aaron Craddock:Like, when you're like, oh, you need to have this person on, and they're gonna add a ton of value to that specific audience you mentioned, That's been cool to see it evolve. You know, year in now, we see, like, people reaching out to us wanting to be on the show where where initially in the beginning it was, you know, our our reaching out and and asking people.
Ginger Craddock:Well, congratulations on completing your first year. And I wanna tie two things together in a way that will be most helpful to those out in the field recruiting drivers or building internal safety teams because those make up, people in those positions and roles make up our, a large segment of our audience. And so, on Tracy Rushing's podcast, I love what she said, and I've heard her say this many times, that there are two roles in the trucking industry. You drive the truck or you support the driver. And so when I think about driving the truck or supporting the driver, when we're talking to recruiters or safety specialists or other people that are serving in the industry, How important is it based on your experience for that company, that individual leader to have a vision and to have growth mindset?
Ginger Craddock:How do vision and growth mindset help develop teams no matter where you are within our industry?
Aaron Craddock:I think vision and growth mindset are only important if you want to be the best. And so that that's, you know, who we're looking to talk to as we want to work with fleets that want to be the best and do things with excellence. And so it's not going to be for every fleet. You know, some people just wanna keep things the way they are and and continue. I would say there's risk with that because, you know, one of the things I've learned is you're either going forward or you're going backwards.
Aaron Craddock:You're never static, And and I really firmly believe that. And so I think if you think you're static, you're probably going backwards, and you may just not ever realize that yet. I'd also think if you look at the statistics, most people aren't gonna do it. Even if we can motivate one person, one team to, again, you know, put put people first, and drivers first, that's, you know, the the the core of it even when we're talking about growth mindset is is propelling other people, not just not just our personal growth. Because it doesn't work if you're just focused on your own growth.
Aaron Craddock:It works if you're focused on others and and outwardly aligned. Like, that's how you have the team success and the fleet success. I think everybody can have a growth mindset, and that but it doesn't mean everybody will. Sometimes people have sparks of, like, wanting to grow, wanting to do things different. Like, I kinda wanna grow my fleet, but that seems risky.
Aaron Craddock:And, like, so maybe we have a conversation with them and and encourage them on what they're doing well. I think a growth mindset is and and focusing on others is one of the biggest opportunities to to set yourself apart.
Ginger Craddock:I love that. I love that.
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Ginger Craddock:When we think about you've been on the front lines just from your initial introduction into this industry of innovation and change. And I think with as technology continues to evolve literally at lightning speed, Innovation is going to continue to be, I think, the cornerstone of business and those businesses that continue to move forward. And so when you see the innovations that have happened over the last twelve to fifteen years since you first entered the industry and you've been a part of product development, you've been a part of team development, What marketing trends are you currently seeing?
Aaron Craddock:Marketing technology, which is, you know, one of the main areas we focus on with our HireTruckers platform. Everyone is getting more automated and efficient just with different tools, and that's one of the things we help with. And with that, there's also, you know, AI chat bots and and different AI applications of all sorts. And where I think it's going, it isn't necessarily like, hey. AI is gonna come in and replace everything, and these automations are gonna come in and fix everything and are the end all solution.
Aaron Craddock:My word for this year was community. And where I see the industry going is community and close relationships is the differentiator, like, paired with leveraging technology, efficient cost per hire solutions. I think because of the automation and and AI implementation, there's more of a need for personal connection and not less. Automation is only good to the extent it drives people to communicate in their preferred way of communicating, whether that be messaging with an actual person, calling with an actual person, having a video call with an actual person, that's where I think everything's going. And and I think even the desire to have community, like, touch points in person And then within companies, like, how do you have better community with your drivers?
Aaron Craddock:And so how does our technology help, you know, not only get the driver to fill out an application, but help get them plugged into community? And that, you know, that may change six months, twelve months from now. That's kind of been our vision for the last eleven months, and it looks like the vision going into next year as well.
Ginger Craddock:Yeah. I do believe the differentiator is the people and how well we execute on our relationships with those that we serve both internally and externally as clients. As I look over the past several decades, you see highs and lows in the economy, and you see highs and lows in people's personal lives, and you see highs and lows in business. But the consistent thing that I see in each of those areas is the people who are other focused, who are solutions oriented, They find a way to overcome. They find a way to move forward.
Ginger Craddock:And there's something about the changes that really allow for growth, And it it may be necessary it may be a struggle to work through that growth and, actually, I think it always is, at least in my experience. But it takes that wrestling and that struggle to get to the the better outcome. I appreciate you leading the way, Erin. I I appreciate how you are thoughtful in putting people first and looking at products that make people's lives better from a better driver experience, a better fleet experience. And so share with me briefly as we wrap up.
Ginger Craddock:What is it that drove you in working with the developers to develop HireTruckers? What were you looking to improve in the driver experience and in the fleet experience with HireTruckers?
Aaron Craddock:So when when I was thinking about just the brand Hire Truckers, I was thinking back to, like, I was involved in a previous job and position and acquiring several different job boards, you know, investing $7.07 figures and building out job sites. And, you know, sometimes they worked really well and whether it's the acquisition or the development project, and other times they didn't work well. And so in thinking about the application when I was able to purchase the the domain hiretruckers.com and just thinking that's a really good domain that that clearly denotes what we do, we help large fleets hire drivers. And thinking about the application, we came up with a three pronged approach, and so that's the podcast that we're doing right now to add value to the community, which fits with the go giver mindset, and then community, which we're facilitating now in a non formal way, but that'll be more formalized over the next year. And then the beta test leading to the full client production mode that we did throughout this whole year, where we provided a lead solution that can provide high hires at scale where where your leads aren't going to a ton of other fleets.
Aaron Craddock:And so, you know, direct leads for your carrier, because that you know, thinking through just the different complaints people have had with different offerings in the space and and pain points, we tried to build a solution that that aligned around those pain points, and so the leads go directly to the fleet from the driver. The driver knows that it's that specific fleet they're applying for, and then we leverage technology and automation and SEO to to maximize that so that the carrier gets a better return on dollar that they invest. It's been cool, and it's been cool to see certain companies, grow to over 50,000 a month in in marketing to that platform. And and I honestly think, you know, we're just getting started, because our goal is to be a provider at scale. We're not looking to be a solution for just one driver a month.
Aaron Craddock:Like, we're really looking to be the solution for the majority of drivers for the biggest fleets in the country. And we're already one year into this specific platform able to work with and have helped some of the largest fleets in the country cut costs significantly and boost hires at the same time. And so it's encouraging to see growth the last couple years when a lot of a lot of my industry peers just haven't seen growth. Just feel extremely blessed. And then also just super thankful for our team, like, from the developers building out all the product to client success to operations to managing the accounts.
Aaron Craddock:Yeah. That's kinda what I said in the initial vision. We're gonna have the best talent in the industry. And so yeah. And it's kinda cool.
Aaron Craddock:We have a deck of 10 or 20 people that really wanna be a part of our team. Then as we grow, we'll be able to bring them on. I'm just just excited, and I'm always networking with people that wanna be a part of a team doing something cool and being the best in the industry and and having fun doing it and growing. So if you're ever interested, reach out.
Ginger Craddock:I love that, Erin. And as we wrap up, we started with your vision and your growth mindset and your background in the industry, and I just wanna tie all of that together for our audience today. I had opportunity to participate as I know several of our team did in an impact leadership event that Highlands College did. And Chris Hodges, in his segment, said that in the bible, the original Hebrew word for dream can also be translated health in the English language, that that original Hebrew word can either go dream or health, and that it could literally be interchangeable. And what I found about about that is that when you have a dream, it not only makes your life healthier and gives you clarity, but it helps bring alignment and health to team development.
Ginger Craddock:It helps give clarity on who you serve, who you are, and who you're not. And so, Erin, I wanna thank you for leading with vision, not only in how you've built our team, but also in how you're developing products. And I hope that people can see today in the things that you've shared that it originates with that heart for people, that spirit of the go giver, and how can we make their lives better. Whether we are sharing positive content on the podcast that lifts people up in their jobs, their roles, their responsibilities, or whether we're using our vision to attract the right talent to work on our team. You've gone a long way from what was that first job you thought you were, being hired, asked to apply for?
Ginger Craddock:Pay?
Aaron Craddock:Paperclips. Pay
Ginger Craddock:You've come a long way from paperclip marketing.
Aaron Craddock:Some type of office.
Ginger Craddock:So much, Aaron. I've enjoyed our time together.
Aaron Craddock:Yeah. Thanks, Ginger. Thank you for joining us today. Our goal with the HireTruckers podcast is to provide industry insights, marketing trends, and motivation to level up your recruiting game. If we added value, take a few seconds to share this with your network.
Aaron Craddock:Have a great week.