March 2020 Trucker Job Preference Report

Last updated 8 April 2020. About 4 min read.

Written by Rick Acosta

In our first ever analysis of the figures obtained from the in-app activities of the drivers in the Lanefinder app, we’ll be looking at what 500 truckers reveal about what they’re looking for in a job.

In our first ever analysis of the figures obtained from the in-app activities of the drivers in the Lanefinder app, we’ll see what 500 truckers reveal about what they want in a job.

Let's dive into the cold, hard numbers behind the aspirations, preferences, and needs of truck drivers across the country. The results may surprise you.

All the data in the report has been kindly provided to us by our partner Lanefinder, and is based on the activity of 500 truck drivers on their app during the month of March. We will periodically publish new reports to keep you updated on the data as it changes and as the sample size increases.

The results obtained here are general, and are based on drivers that apply to OTR, regional, and local positions. These statistics could vary based on the type of route, location, driver experience, and other factors. Without further ado, let's try to answer the big question:

What are drivers looking for?

Dedicated drivers

Out of the 500 drivers, 18.8% were looking for a dedicated route only.

Almost 1 in 5 drivers are looking for a dedicated route only.

This number reflects the amount of drivers that absolutely insist on a dedicated route, and does not accurately reflect the number of drivers that may prefer a dedicated run over a non-dedicated one.

Cabin companionship

Turns out, bringing a buddy or family member along is a deal-breaker for 14.3% of drivers.

If you have a no rider policy, you could be losing 1 in 6 drivers when recruiting.

Out of the 500 drivers, 8.7% had a furry friend they needed to bring along with them.

Dog infographic driver statistics

To touch or not to touch freight - that is the question

Just how many drivers don’t want to do the heavy lifting? Take a guess.

About 20% of all drivers are looking for jobs that involve mostly no touch or no touch freight.

Out of those drivers, 11.7% will not consider a job that involves touching freight at all.

The transmission question

More and more new drivers are graduating school with an automatic license restriction. However, based on our sample size, the vast majority of drivers are still able to operate manual vehicles. Out of the driver applicants in March, 9.3% required their next job to provide them with an automatic transmission truck.

90.7% of drivers have no preference for truck transmission type when looking for their next job.

"Don't touch my hair!" say these drivers

Hair follicle drug tests are a sure-fire way to find out if someone's been using (some) drugs in the last 90 days. With the legalization of certain herbs becoming more common in the states, are drivers becoming more averse to getting a hair follice test? Surprisingly, most drivers don't mind - however 4.5% of all drivers demand a company that tests urine only.

95.5% are willing to apply to jobs that require a hair follicle test.

The big enchilada - Money!

We know drivers want to grab that cash with both hands and make a stash, but how much dough do you have to dish out to catch the attention of most drivers?

Well, combining the average expected weekly pay of 500 drivers, the weekly pay comes to $1,336, and that's on the conservative end.

Pay $1,336 a week to keep up your driver retention.

As stated earlier, these results are job independent, and results may vary depending on the type of route as well as other factors. It is possible that drivers may be willing to settle for less if the job gets them home daily, or require slightly more pay if the job requires them to be OTR for a few weeks at a time.

How can you use this information?

We're sharing this with you so you can better understand your hiring demographic. If you understand the behavior, preferences, wants, and needs of your drivers and future prospective drivers, you'll be able to recruit and retain them more efficiently. With this data in mind, you can rework your job offering and focus on what matters, while continuing to build a better, more functional company.

Thank you for checking out our first ever truck driver job preference report, and stay tuned for future insights and statistics. If you have any specific questions that you would like answered, or would like a free consultation to help you recruit truck drivers more efficiently, please reach out to sales@youcruit.com with your query, and we'll do our best to help you.