Research shows best practices to recruit, retain young workers

July 12, 2022

The American Transportation Research Institute found that company culture and training structure are important to adults ages 18-25, according to a new report.

FleetOwner Staff

A new report from a leading trucking research firm has found that while millennial and Gen Z drivers are partially motivated by pay, the majority of them consider other factors equally or even more important when it comes to joining or remaining with a motor carrier.

Eighty-four percent of younger drivers in the American Transportation Research Institute (ATRI) study consider company culture important. The report goes on to describe initiatives, such as rewarding veteran drivers for informal mentorship, which can build the community-centered cultures that younger drivers seek.

ATRI's new report investigates how to best integrate younger adults ages 18 to 25 into trucking careers. This research, a top priority of ATRI’s Research Advisory Committee in 2021, synthesizes a variety of data and analyses, including younger driver surveys, carrier interviews, and the latest workforce statistics. The research also documents motor carrier perspectives on participating in the new FMCSA Safe Driver Apprenticeship Pilot Program.

Structured feedback was found to be a key factor in successfully training millennial and Gen Z drivers, who desire coaching—a continual process of short, frequent, and more personal meetings—in addition to more traditional evaluations. Similarly, younger adults are more likely to enter the industry when fleets produce transparent recruitment and marketing materials that highlight both younger employees and expanded career paths, according to the ATRI research.

ATRI's research also outlines three pathways toward creating high school trucking and logistics clubs to promote industry awareness among teenagers who are still exploring their career interests.

“ATRI has provided a one-stop resource for creating work environments where younger employees are both productive and fulfilled,” said DriverReach founder and CEO Jeremy Reymer. “Carriers looking to increase their number of younger employees or participate in the new Safe Driver Apprenticeship Program will find this report very useful.”