Tips for recruiting the right drivers

When looking to take on new drivers its important to take the time and put some effort into finding the right employees. By doing so you are not only taking steps to improve your companies growth financially, but also you're also ensuring that the vehicles involved are kept secure when in the hands of new starters. So during the interview process and when sifting through applications, here are four sought after skills and traits which you should pay particular attention to when establishing the best beginners available for the benefit of your organisation: Honesty The first characteristic which you should look for and encourage new drivers to have is honesty, where they will report anything that seems uncharacteristic or unusual even if it involves their own vehicle. Its not just beneficial when evaluating their own role, but it will also help employers obtain more of an awareness regarding the efficiency of their team. Ideally, all members staff should accurately report what they witness whilst working for you; this could involve speeding, unusual behaviour, a fault in your HGV tracking systems or other dishonest working practices which could get your business in hot water. Reliability Its important when you recruit a new driver that you are able to trust them, as depending on the assignments they are given they will be spending long periods of time on their own and left to their own devices. Along with honesty, drivers need to be reliable, being both available for odd jobs and short term tasks and performing them to the best of their abilities, keeping in line with current security measures and not procrastinating by taking the longer route or stopping frequently along the way for cigarettes and snacks. Having a reliable employee decreases the likelihood of slacking and its consequences, and increases the likelihood that employees will remain professional and concentrate on the job at hand. Reputation To ensure the safety and security of your organisation, its suggested that you follow up leads on application letters and CVs by contacting ex-employers and any other references to conjure up an image of the applicants work ethic. By contacting a previous employer, you can learn more about a drivers positive and negative traits, using them to establish whether hiring them will improve or jeopardize your companies productivity. The last thing you want is to learn of any unfavorable instances or criminal convictions a driver may have accumulated after you've hired them for your team, so double check their references to ensure that you decrease the likelihood of your security measures being breached by a potentially suspicious employee. Training When it comes to finding the ideal candidate for a driver in your business, bear in mind that you are more likely to find an employee with certifiable training from a reputable agency like the Recruitment and Employment Confederation (REC). Regardless of who they apply through however, its worth double-checking information to ensure that all qualifications and experience stated in their application are correct and up to date, particularly amongst employees with specialised qualifications. Its also worthwhile paying attention to an applicants educational background, as basic qualifications in English or Maths will demonstrate an industrious level of academic achievement alongside their ability to retain information, which will prove valuable when it comes to remembering your own companys policies and additional security measures needed for safely driving a large goods vehicle. With these recommendations you'll be in a better position to ensure all of your future employees practice what they preach when it comes to security and proficiency.