Finding truck driving jobs can prove to be difficult.
You wouldn't think so, given the national shortage of truck drivers. In fact, the turnover rate of trucking jobs is a steep 90%. Most truckers leave their positions within their first year.
Regardless, the job search is tough. One of the main reasons why it's so tough is due to the high number of applicants per position. When there are so many candidates vying for the same job, it's difficult to get a hiring manager to notice you.
Candidates who can't find jobs in their fields will look to other fields for work. Those other fields include trucking.
How can you hope to find a job when the competition is so fierce?
Read on to find out.
8 Tips For Finding Truck Driving Jobs Online
Truck driving jobs are posted all over the Internet. For that reason, you need to cast your job hunting net long and wide to find the trucking job you want.
Perhaps the biggest obstacle to finding truck driving jobs online is the traditional mindset. Many people still think of finding a job as "looking in the newspaper and checking company websites." And in the early days of the Internet, that mindset held true.
But that is no longer the case. Now you have far more options than finding companies online and checking their official websites.
1. Job Boards
Job boards function much like the jobs portion of the classified ads in newspapers. They list job postings made by companies looking for new talent. Popular job boards include Glassdoor, Indeed, and Monster.
Many job boards require you to start an account. In order to start an account, you'll need to enter your basic information as well as your work and education history.
Most job boards require you to upload a resume to use as a basis for your information. Even though you have to upload a base resume, many boards let you upload different resumes when applying.
Once your account is set up, you can start finding and applying for jobs.
There are two ways to search for jobs on job boards. The first is by job title or description. The second is by geographic location.
Truck driving jobs are scattered throughout the country. Nearly every industry has a need for drivers. To increase your chances, you should apply to as many jobs in your general area as possible.
2. Dedicated Sites
Dedicated sites are job boards dedicated to one specific industry. In this case, you want to focus on trucking-based dedicated sites.
Popular trucking dedicated sites include JobsinTrucks.com, EveryTruckJob.com, and TruckJobSeekers.com.
Since these sites are still job boards, they work much the same as regular job boards. You start an account, upload a resume, and start applying for jobs.
An added bonus of dedicated sites is many of them have apps that you can install on your phone. That way, you can stay up-to-date on the latest listings even while on the go. Truck Driver Job Search and Truck Driving Jobs are two common apps.
3. Government Sites
The state and federal governments occasionally look for truck drivers to ship government property. Typically their truck driving jobs are contract jobs.
Still, a contract job is work to do while looking for a full-time job. Plus, hauling for the government is a great past employment experience to list on your resume.
4. Company Sites
Job boards are so popular now that many job seekers don't bother looking at company sites.
However, if there is a particular company that you want to work for, it's wise to keep an eye on its website. Companies don't post every single opening that they have on job boards.
A trucking opportunity for a company you like might pop up, and you won't know about it unless you check the company's site frequently.
5. Search Engines
Looking for a job via a search engine is often rough. So many results pop up, and many aren't even links to jobs.
However, you can use search engines for other job-seeking purposes.
For instance, you can use search engines to find a local company that you're interested in working for. Many times, companies stay out of the public light unless they want to network or advertise their services. You may get lucky and find a hidden gem in your backyard.
Some companies also post on job boards anonymously or through a staffing agency. Doing so makes it hard to establish contact with a company.
However, if you copy and paste the job description into a search engine, you might get lucky and find the company's listing.
6. Craigslist
Craigslist has gained an unsavory reputation as an unsafe haven for thieves and scam artists. That reputation only worsened with the emergence of the Craigslist Killer in 2009.
It's true that anyone using Craiglist should exercise precaution when posting and answering ads. After all, Craigslist doesn't monitor the content posted to its site.
However, many companies use the site to anonymously post ads for free.
Again, exercise precaution when turning to Craigslist. But the same can be said of all interactions you make on the Internet. That includes ones that you make as a result of job boards and other job-hunting sites.
7. Resume Builders
Resume builders help you build a resume and upload it onto the Internet. Popular resume builders include VisualCV, SlashCV, and Uptowork.
Best of all, these sites are often operated by people who know people in the industry. They can keep you in mind for future trucking positions that come across their desks. Better yet, they can act as a reference for those positions.
8. Social Media
The importance of social media cannot be understated.
Many company employees have professional Facebook, Twitter, and LinkedIn accounts. They use their accounts for networking with professionals in their industry.
Additionally, there are groups dedicated to different industries on all of these platforms. Many times, employees will use these groups to network and post jobs in their companies.
By maintaining a social media presence, you can meet contacts in companies you want to work for. You can also reach out to those contacts about the jobs they post.
Need More Trucking Industry Advice? Check Us Out!
At ComFreight, we keep on top of what's going on in the trucking industry. We report all the changes in employment, technology, and other aspects of the industry as they happen.
For more advice on the trucking industry, please feel free to check out our blog reel!
