Earlier this week Walmart announced it could be raising driver salaries to $90,000 a year in efforts to stress the importance of their dedicated fleet. Broken down into an hourly wage, the yearly salary rounds out at about $43 per hour – a rate most companies won’t be able to compete with. This leaves many fleets scratching their heads and asking: “How do I recruit drivers now?”

The good news is money isn’t the only way to attract drivers to your open positions. All drivers go through the same job search process, much like an operations manager or fleet supervisor. While a job candidate can be drawn into a job posting by the salary, they will likely consider the job description and company benefits before making their final decision.

A strong job description will help your job get noticed while attracting the best candidates. When posting an open driving position, consider these tips:

• Describe your culture: Drivers want to know more about the company they’ll be driving for. Let them know about everyday life at your company using testimonials from other drivers and even include photos.
• Clear job responsibilities: Responsibilities should be clear and concise, but they should also help candidates visualize what a typical day at work is really like.
• Highlight your company’s benefits: Money is an important facet to a job, but it’s not the only thing job-seekers care about. Truly sell you company: why should a driver leave their current position for your open position?

Highlighting your company’s benefits may be the most important part of your job description. Explore these benefits in depth:

• Health and Time Off: Does your company offer a competitive health plan? What about dental or vision? Paid time off or sick pay can also be enticing to drivers. Offering a low rate for health benefits or offering the ability to call in sick can make all the difference to a driver.
• Home Time: Home time is consistently listed as a way to make driving jobs more satisfying and fulfilling to drivers. Is your route local? Will your drivers be home every night? Let them know in the job description.
• Incentives: Do you reward your drivers based on performance or certain targets? With ELDs in place, data has become plentiful, making it easier to track key performance metrics. Consider using incentives not only to increase pay, but to help create a more efficient and safer culture amongst your drivers.

If working with a driver staffing partner like Centerline, consider discussing the specifics of each job and the benefits of your company with your Account Manager or Recruiting Manager. They’ll be able to use these insights to help find and place the perfect driver where you need them the most: in your fleet.