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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.
Welcome to the Hire Truckers 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 Hire Truckers podcast. This is Erin Craddock, your host. And today I have Courtney George with Reeves Across America.
Aaron Craddock:So Courtney is one of the most recommended guests on our show. I think I had 10 different women in the industry be like, you have to have Courtney on the show. And then I met Courtney back in her Saia days. A little bit of background on Courtney. So as our audience is primarily directors of recruiting, recruiters, and fleet executives, so Courtney has been in the industry almost 2 decades, which is kind of hard to believe.
Aaron Craddock:And with that, she's been with Saia and then she was with Hub Group. And then one of her most recent roles was director of recruiting at EVO. And so while right now she's in a nonprofit role, she really has a lot of context to add in terms of recruiting drivers and what's working, what are the marketing trends in the industry. So super excited to have Courtney on the show today.
Courtney George:I'm super excited to be here, Aaron. I know you and I have known each other for a while, and so to have the opportunity to get to sit down and talk with you again is awesome.
Aaron Craddock:Yep. Yeah. I really appreciate your time. And so, specifically, so we were at Matt's, we're coming off a crazy run, so at Matt's and then went into TCA. I think we both clocked around 90 hours in a 7 day period which is a little insane, even even for travel.
Aaron Craddock:So coming off of that, I wanted to go into just one of the things, like, when we sit down and chat at these events and then when I look at even your LinkedIn profile, which if you're not following Courtney yet, I'd recommend you follow her. Is at the top, you have live with purpose. And so I'm a big believer in doing everything with intentionality. And and so what does that what does that kinda mean to you, live with purpose?
Courtney George:So live with purpose is Race Across America theme for 2024. And a lot of you talking about living with intentionality, that really resonated with us this year when we picked out our theme of living with purpose. We wanna, you know, make sure that people understand that everyone's paying attention. You know? You're out there, and every action that you have, people are watching.
Courtney George:Especially, I always tell people, you know, kids are always watching what we do as adults. And so for me, you know, us living with purpose and getting out there and showing, you know, our veterans that we are out there living with a purpose, and what they did when they served for our country is something that, to this day, we still appreciate, and we want them to know that we're living the way we are because of them.
Aaron Craddock:That's awesome. Yeah. I think and I think some people don't even realize how how many, like, I think most people know you put wreaths on the graves of military people around the country and and I think they see Arlington National Cemetery and a lot of that media exposure. But, kind of walk me through like what the impact was in 2023. Like how many reads did you guys put out?
Aaron Craddock:How many fleets were involved? Just for people to get an idea on scale.
Courtney George:Absolutely. In 2023, we put out over 3,000,000 reeds. That was done through 4 barges, 675 actual loads, 45 intermodal loads. And there were over 332 carriers who were involved in making that happen.
Aaron Craddock:Wow. That how has that impact, like, changed, like, in scale since you came on with Reeves of America? Like, how many was it, I guess, the year before?
Courtney George:We did a little over 2,700,000 the year before. So growth wise, we're seeing anywhere between a 15 to 17% increase year over year. You know, one thing I saw is us grow from the previous year of 37 about 37 100 locations to 42 100 locations. Wow. So as Raised America gains momentum, you know, you have the opportunity to see this in your local community.
Courtney George:Most likely, somebody signed up to be a volunteer location coordinator near your community. And so it gives you somewhere that you can, can, you know, go participate or you know, for many families, they want to enter their loved one close to them. And so that gives them the opportunity to go visit, but, again, participate close to their home. Mhmm.
Aaron Craddock:So do you guys have all of your capacity covered for 2024, like what y'all are looking for, or do you still need some additional partners? Wish
Courtney George:I wish I had my capacity filled for 2024, but I'm anticipating an extra 100 loads this year. That is if I'm a betting person, roughly where I think the numbers are gonna land based off of what we're seeing donation wise, additional locations. So I tell everyone, I am constantly looking for new carriers. I'm constantly asking our current carriers to, you know, add some additional capacity. We definitely that's one thing that I'm looking at, anticipating and watching, you know, the stats.
Courtney George:I'm looking at the BI reports basically weekly to see where we are right now.
Aaron Craddock:That's great. And so what type of fleet would be a good partner with REITs Across America?
Courtney George:I'm gonna tell you any type of fleet is a great partner for us. We work with small private fleets, so small fleets that maybe only have 8 trucks, and we can work with, you know, a small fleet like that to a large public company that has, you know, 10,000 drivers, we can work with you on that. We even work with owner operators. We work with moving in storage carriers. I can load a Conestoga.
Courtney George:So the only things that I can't load are flatbeds or tankers. So if you are a carrier that has anything that is not a flatbed or a tanker, I'd love to talk to you about getting involved and what works and makes sense for you as a company. One thing, you know, I took from my director of recruiting and recruiting days was, you know, how do I make this experience not only the best experience, but also something easy for every carrier to get involved?
Aaron Craddock:Yeah. Since you came from the director of recruiting background with with, you know, even even your time at EVO as I think the number 2 mail carrier in the country. What's the benefit for the fleet, like, in partnering with you guys thinking from, like, a director of recruiting, or an executive perspective?
Courtney George:Absolutely. So I think the focus that I had on the candidate experience when I was a director of recruiting and their 1st 90 days was always really important to me that, you know, candidate experience through their 1st 90 days, because that's where I was focused on the retention. That's where I knew my retention numbers were gonna be. So similar to that, I take that approach into any fleet that participates. We've curated you know, in trucking, we talk a lot about final mile.
Courtney George:We've curated a first mile program for any of the drivers who come up and pick up in Maine. So I have retired drivers that take them out. They get to see the plant where the wreaths are made. They also have the opportunity to go out, and see our tip land. The tip land is where we tip the trees so that we get the fresh balsam to make the wreath.
Courtney George:We have a dog tag program so that every driver, if they've submitted their information, can place a dog tag. Maybe it's for a loved one. Maybe it's for someone that they served with. So out in our tip land, we've got 68,000 acres. And in those 68,000 acres, there are over 18,000 dog tags out there.
Courtney George:It's really very much a living memorial. We also offer 3 hot meals a day to the drivers that come in. We have showers. We have, you know, laundry facilities. All of those things that we have, are curated so that that is the best experience that the driver can have.
Courtney George:One of the one of the things
Aaron Craddock:you had mentioned, is the dog tags and how, you have a number of dog tags in in your tip land. So walk me through kinda what that looks like.
Courtney George:So each person that gets to come can submit to have a dog tag placed either by someone, or they can place it on their day that they come and basically pick up their load. As long as conditions are good, there's only probably twice I've ever said no, and it's because we were getting, like, 18 inches of snow. And I wanted to make sure that people were safe. But we have a program. So out in our tip land, which we've got 68,000 acres out there, they can take their dog tag and place it on a tree.
Courtney George:That tree can be theirs where the tree is tipped, you know, which happens about once every 3 years to get the blossom, and then they would replace the dog tag there, or they can choose for the tree never to be tipped. But it's very much a living memorial. And when I'm out there, it's really kinda neat. Columbia Falls is only a small town of about 360 people. So it's a it's a drastic, you know, shoot for me from Atlanta.
Courtney George:But what I think is really neat is that I've got 2 ways into the office. One way is the normal road, or 2, I can go through the tip plan. And what's really pretty neat is if I'm there early enough in the morning and it's still quiet out there. Got my coffee in hand. Just maybe have rolled the window down, taking a minute to breathe before we start the day.
Courtney George:Every now and then, the wind blows, and you can hear all of the dog tags that are out there. There are 18,000 of them out there right now, and it's kind of like a wind chime. And it's a reminder. Sometimes it, you know, it makes every hair on your body stand up because you realize you're probably not out there alone. Mhmm.
Courtney George:But it it really is a reminder of why, you know, we're doing those 90 hour weeks when we do them and how the impact that we're having. And especially for a driver, a lot of times, it makes them heal. It helps their healing journey. They saw things. They did things that many of them don't talk about.
Courtney George:And so for them, being able to remember someone that they served with and that they love so dearly, They are honoring by being up there, and that means the world to any driver.
Aaron Craddock:Mhmm. That's amazing. I didn't realize it was that many. That's so cool. So the next category I wanted to dive into, the next section is kind of a growth mindset which, it's been cool to just to see you grow, just since we met when you were at Saia and you moved into several other roles.
Aaron Craddock:So walk through just kinda how you've grown, you know, being in the industry a couple of decades now.
Courtney George:Absolutely. I think one of the most important things to do is surround yourself with mentors. Your mentors may work for your company, they may not. You may see somebody who's out in the industry that's a mover and a shaker and is is kind of someone who is showing that same growth pattern that you want to have. And so I tell people, it's really important to have mentors.
Courtney George:It's really important to have somebody you can call. I have plenty of former bosses that are out there that I still call and talk to on a regular basis. Whether it's someone that I partnered with in safety and to this day still talk with, I think that that's really important as, you know, being very intentional with what you want to do. I think many of us get bogged down and not focused as much on this is what I want my next move to be And always making sure that you have that growth. You know, Erin, you and I have talked about we met when I worked at Saia, And then, you know, I had the opportunity to move up into a management position with Hub Group from Hub Group.
Courtney George:Also, you know, got the opportunity to go into a director of recruiting role. These were all very intentional moves for me. All positions that, you know, were getting me to the goal because for many years, I wanted to be that director or VP of recruiting. I love recruiting. I love people.
Courtney George:I love working with people. I tell everyone the best day is when you get somebody that calls and says, you know, miss Courtney, thank you so much. I was able to take my family on vacation for the first time ever, or miss Courtney, thank you because of you and giving me the job here. I was able to buy a house, and I never thought I would be able to do that for my family. So you you get those those feelings of gratitude and knowing that what you've done has helped affect somebody.
Courtney George:And as you're, you know, getting mentored to be able to move up, one of the most important things that I find is that you make sure that you don't forget the people that you've worked with below you or that you've worked with next to you because you this industry is so small. They're gonna call you for help. They're gonna want to you know, especially if you're somebody that has, you know, set your goal, you're ready to be a director of recruiting or a VP of recruiting, they're people that along your path that you will run into, that you want to stay in touch with. And 2, you wanna be a good mentor as much as you want people who are great that mentor you. You've got to in turn take the time as well to invest in those others.
Courtney George:That's probably, you know, one of the biggest keys to success is not just having your mentors, but it's also having somebody you mentor because you're teaching as well.
Aaron Craddock:Yeah. I love that. So so one thing that sticks out about what you said is just the intentionality towards, like, growth in your career. I think so many people just, they're like, okay, if I work hard, I'm eventually gonna get this promotion and, but there's just so much power in what I've seen and what I've done in my own life is just being like, hey, look, this is where I wanna get. And so even in my time, at Randall Reilly, which I was there 7 years growing one of their digital groups, the I was very intentional.
Aaron Craddock:I was like, Hey, I want to move into management. And then, Hey, I want to lead a large team. And then, Hey, I want to lead a team of teams. And, you know, initially, I got got some noes, like, hey, no, there's this isn't the right time. But then when that opportunity arrived, kinda like you talked about when you had been casting that vision, you wanted to be the director of recruiting.
Aaron Craddock:And then at some point, somebody calls you and reaches out, and there's that opportunity. But if you don't state exactly where you wanna go, like with clarity, like here here is the area I wanna grow in and what skills do I need to get there, then then a lot of times you'll, you know, just just end up stuck just purely by not just communicating where you wanna go.
Courtney George:By people not knowing what you wanna do, you've not told them, this is my goal, and here's a piece of advice I give everyone. You're never gonna work for someone who doesn't want you to better yourself. If they can't offer that to you, they're not gonna be mad that you're leaving.
Aaron Craddock:Yeah. And I
Courtney George:think that that's something, you know, people really, you know, have to look at and wrap their head around as their times and possessions. And I I I lost people working for me that I didn't want to lose. But at the same time, I knew that they got their dream job, and they got the role that helped better their family. And how lucky was I to be somebody that could put them in that position and help them get set up so that they could achieve their goals.
Aaron Craddock:That's yeah. That's awesome. Yeah. When I looked back on my growth in previous roles and I was like, okay, was it the the the pay that meant the most, you know, you know, at one point my income tripled? And or was it, like just what was it?
Aaron Craddock:Was it the money? Was it you know, that and honestly, it was what you said of just the people around me and on my teams just being successful. And what success look like for some people was growing in their current roles and getting different opportunities within that organization. But oftentimes it was, they had a vision of leading some type of international nonprofit or being head of marketing at a Fortune 500 company. And then as a leader, like, you can just celebrate when they get those opportunities.
Aaron Craddock:And and then the cool thing, like you were saying, it's a small industry. Like, some of those people have worked for me in the past and then are back on my team now. And and I think there will be some more, that join me. And and that's why, you know, even though you're not in a direct, like, buying role, right, you're not in a director recruiting role that would partner with us. Like, I don't know.
Aaron Craddock:Like, you're gonna be in the industry multiple more decades, and I don't know what type of role you'll be in. And and that that's kind of the thing when I was thinking about being at Matt's this year versus 3 years ago. Just there are 20 people in the industry. They're well connected. They're in completely different roles at completely different companies.
Aaron Craddock:Like, you really you really never know. And yeah. And then the other thing that stuck out to me You
Courtney George:don't know and you never wanna burn a bridge.
Aaron Craddock:Never.
Courtney George:That's one thing I'd say. You never know. Don't burn the bridge.
Aaron Craddock:Yeah. And then the other thing that really stuck out to me that I really liked was the investing. Yeah. Just, the just the people centric approach that came across and everything you said than just pouring into people. And then I really enjoyed your story about the driver, the the different drivers, like, thanking you for the, like, hey, I got to go on this vacation or buy this house.
Aaron Craddock:It's just so cool. And I think a lot of times, like vendors and different players in the space, like lose sight of just the the millions of drivers that we serve, across the country and that we're providing just amazing careers and opportunities to them. And and so I love when it gets down to the individual just driver story and impact on family and legacy just for, you know, some of the most valuable people in the country that are taking, you know, I'm looking around this room, like this TV came on a truck, this table came on a truck, these chairs, like my water cup, like just everything comes on a comes on a truck. And and, none of that happens without just the drivers out there every single day.
Courtney George:It's so important for me to never lose sight of the people because people are what make trucking. And whether it's the driver, whether it's a dispatch, whether it's even if you're just an appointment clerk, you are just as important and vital as any other member in this industry. People are so important. You really hit on, you know, the nail on the head when you talked about stories and the humanization of what we do. We don't always remember to do that and always remember to tell the stories, but the stories that we have out there in trucking are so important.
Courtney George:And telling those stories, we've got to do, I think, as an industry, a better job. You know, I'm I looked at and think that, you know, as I'm getting older. Right? We've talked about how I've been in here about 20 years And TikTok. Right?
Courtney George:If you would ask me 5 years ago, I probably would have rolled my eyes. But it gives drivers the opportunity to tell their story in 3 minutes or less, and it gives them a unique perspective to put it out there. So what I would have thought coming from the office and what they experienced down on the road, you know, I get to see both sides of that fence, and it reminds me what I need to do better, how I can improve, how I can make the experience better.
Aaron Craddock:Mhmm. Today's sponsor. Do you hire truck drivers in hard to fill areas, or do you need help creating efficiency in your recruiting department? You're not alone. With 50 plus years experience, TruckingClik specializes in data driven strategies, industry leading customer experience, and custom solutions that'll get you to your goal.
Aaron Craddock:Trucking Clicks is your go to place for high quality direct leads at scale. Visit trucking clicks.com or call 512-982-0816 today. Yeah. What have you seen on marketing trends with drivers? Like, like as you do your, placing the wreaths around the country, like your big initiatives, like what do you see?
Aaron Craddock:Just like what's changed in the last year and what's changing this year?
Courtney George:I would say Facebook and Instagram are still big. I think reels are what where you're getting a lot of traction right now. And I'm just gonna say it. TikTok is out there, and the drivers are on it, and it is a platform. So as a company, I think how important it is to be there, to be making the content for TikTok, to be looking at your drivers.
Courtney George:You know, if you and I had talked 5 years ago, I would have never told you that carriers were gonna pay driver influencers.
Aaron Craddock:Mhmm.
Courtney George:And as you and I sat there in the TCA meeting last week and sat there with mother trucker, you know, he's a driver turned influencer with a huge following. And if you and I had said 5 years ago, this is what we were gonna be doing, then probably we would have been laughing. But, truly, he's somebody that's come into this industry and really disrupted in a in a way, and I don't use the word disrupt. That's probably not the way to describe it. He's somebody who's really walked in and forced companies and drivers to look at what they're doing.
Courtney George:And he's made some really great strides to help whether it's, you know, in the the detention area. All of those things, you know, he's bringing light to topics. Like I said, I think detention's 1. Talking about driver pay is another, where we're all really out there and making it happen.
Aaron Craddock:Mhmm.
Courtney George:And he's talking it every day.
Aaron Craddock:Yeah. Yeah. It was so cool, just getting to meet him and, cause I've I've seen just the influence of Mother Trucker News. So right now he's impacting, like reaching about 10,000,000 people a month. And again, that's not, you know, necessarily all drivers, but, I mean, predominantly, like, you could argue that pretty much every driver is seeing, his content on a on a monthly basis, which is which is just crazy.
Aaron Craddock:And that that that's just such a change from when I got to the industry.
Courtney George:When they had him sit down with
Aaron Craddock:you know, like legacy pub publishing and articles.
Courtney George:Yeah. Absolutely. That he sat down with the top 3 guys from Knight Swift, and they did, like, almost a 2 hour interview. And it was well taped, very candid. He really thought out his questions, and I thought that that was something that was really great is having someone from that perspective interviewing, you know, from the top down at a company.
Courtney George:I thought, you know, this is something that we wouldn't have seen 3 years ago. And here here they are probably about a year and a half ago doing that. And how cool is that that they were willing to take that risk?
Aaron Craddock:Mhmm. Yeah. And it it was just yeah. I saw all the different fleets and owners of truck stops and and different people meeting with him as he was there. And he was probably the most sought after person at the show, at TCA.
Aaron Craddock:And, yeah, it's just even, you know, I think we saw that coming a couple years ago. But I think what people aren't realizing is like that's here, The influencer marketing and getting in front of 1,000,000, like an organic content is here. And and, you know, and it it is hard, like, when you have corporate HR policies and different things, like, I think we can sometimes be too rigid and be afraid of exposure. But, again, getting back to the human to human connection, like, how can you, even as an executive, like, get real and talk directly to drivers. And there's just so much power in that and not being afraid to just get out there and, and and share.
Aaron Craddock:So, yeah, that that that was a really cool dynamic, like, this time around. Like, even cents cents per mile at Matt's and Charles Gracey. Like, it's been cool seeing just the content he's been putting out just even this week of talking with different, directors to recruiting and, different suppliers in the space and things like that. And, yeah, that that exposure is just just awesome. So one of the things I wanna make sure we touch on just while you're here, because I know you're talking even even though you're with a nonprofit, but you're still talking to because you're from the director of recruiting world.
Aaron Craddock:You're talking with owner operators. You're talking with, large fleets, small fleets. So what are you kinda seeing in terms of industry insights? Like, what what's going on as we're in in 202024?
Courtney George:Yeah. 2024, I think, is gonna be an exciting year. You know, 2023 really slowed down, specifically Q4. We are seeing in the industry a surge a surge in hiring. And so I say that surge in hiring that people are really focused on being able to hire more people.
Courtney George:You know, recruiting departments are back up and running at a 100%, and I think that that's really important to look at. I know that we, you know, as an industry, the transportation industry, economically feels things about, on average, 18 to, you know, 12 months before the rest of the country. And so for us to be seeing those positive upticks that are happening right now should give us, you know, a lot of a lot of hope, a lot of faith out there in the industry. You know? Hearing and being able to see, you know, how much everyone is back to recruiting is refreshing to me.
Courtney George:I know that we have an election year this year, which is definitely something for trucking that always has been a year that historically we've been guarded. But to see everyone out there is huge. I I think it's outstanding to see how many people are really pushing forward as much as they are in 2024.
Aaron Craddock:Yeah. Yeah. I was just amazed at Matt's, just the energy, just compared to the last little bit, like compared to last year, just the number of people, the number of the like, the amount of enthusiasm and excitement. I think it honestly it kinda surprised me.
Courtney George:It did. I I agree wholeheartedly. I I think this year, the excitement and the intentionality of the people who attended mats were not just your local run of the mill, you know, whoever walks through the door. You really intentionally had people and families coming in who were from trucking, who genuinely had an interest in trucking, and, you know, asked great questions, wanted to be involved. And that for me was something that was great to see because I think we haven't seen that as much as we have in the past.
Courtney George:Mhmm.
Aaron Craddock:Yeah. It really gave me a little pep in my step just being around it 7 days, like, well, like, while I came back exhausted and, you know, with 2 2 young kids at the house jumping right back into it and then right back into catching up with the team. Like, I think I'm able to carry some of that just emotion and enthusiasm, just from the industry back to the team. And then we've even started to see an uptick in marketing dollars going towards recruiting and, some more excitement. And more than anything, people just also just planning for growth and talking in that direction where, like, like, like almost in an emphatic way where 6 months ago, it was like, I think there might be, but there's just caution.
Aaron Craddock:And, yeah, I'm just I'm just excited when I see confidence, in the economy because it's gonna be cool just in like, if that continues to ramp up, we really don't know for sure. But just to your point, like 18 months down the road, the economy could be booming because we're kind of on the leading edge of that. And, yeah. So I'm just excited as, you know, a company that's newer in the space, with trucking clicks and hire truckers just to see this next round of growth in the economy and, just and getting moving again. Because it's, you know, after we saw that big spike after COVID and, in freight volume, it's just been, yeah, a long way down and then it stayed down for a while, like with spot rates still being down.
Aaron Craddock:And but, yeah, it's it's just, you know, I think the the sentiment I got was that, hey. It seems like things have bottomed out and then are heading back up. And I didn't really hear anybody saying they thought it was gonna go lower or anything like that.
Courtney George:No. I think everyone is so optimistic of where we are in trucking, where where we're going, and to your point, the optimism that was felt this year at Matt's and at TCA was something that for me was reassuring and refreshing because I know, you know, it it's sometimes a struggle to cover loads, for for REITs across America. And so to hear that optimism and to get, you know, those commitments from carriers And they're giving me commitments. I mean, this is early. This is Q1, that we were getting them.
Courtney George:I really appreciate it tremendously because that's something come Q4 that, you know, will will make our our life easier as well as it it makes my job of honoring even more very deserving souls, possible because of, you know, trucking companies, because of the trucking industry, and most importantly, because of drivers. Mhmm.
Aaron Craddock:Yeah. Well, thank you thank you again for your time today. And, if people are wanting to reach out to you, what's the best way for them to get ahold of you if they're wanting to be a be a part or grow their partnership with Rees Across America?
Courtney George:Absolutely. I'm really easy to get in touch with. It is my email is cgeorge@reeseacrossamerica.org, or you can always feel free to call me or text me. My phone number is area code 336-471-7555. I would love to talk to anyone who wants to get involved or wants to increase their capacity.
Courtney George:We'd love to talk to you. I've got time. Don't ever think that I don't. No one's ever a bother. It is my honor to get to talk to each and every person in this industry.
Aaron Craddock:Yeah. Yeah. It was fun, and and Courtney really means that. Like, she even let me plop down in the booth at TCA and chat for about an hour and just catch up even, even as we had fleets coming up and saying like, like, hey, how can I, you know, how many loads do you have left? How can I help?
Aaron Craddock:So yeah, that's that's one thing I really appreciate is she doesn't just talk about being available and looking out for people in the industry, but she, she demonstrates that. So yeah. Thank you. Thank you so much. Thank you so much for your time today, Courtney.
Courtney George:Thank you. I appreciate you all so much. And, Erin, you're doing great stuff out here in this industry. It's great to be on here with you.
Aaron Craddock:Thanks, Courtney. Our goal with the Hire Truckers podcast is to provide industry insights, marketing trends, and motivation to help you level up your recruiting game. Thank you for joining us today, and if we added value, please take 10 seconds to share this with your network.