TransForce Group is tackling the driver shortage problem head-on through its nationwide CDL schools, annually graduating about 4,000 drivers, of which 70% are military veterans.
Dennis Cooke, president and CEO of TransForce Group, joins DriverReach founder and CEO Jeremy Reymer on this week’s episode of Taking the Hire Road, to lay out the headway the company is making.
Through its education and training, staffing and recruiting, as well as compliance and safety solutions, TransForce Group, a tech-enabled solutions provider, aims to match companies with the safest and most qualified drivers.
Cooke said TransForce Group has worked to overcome certain requirements carriers have that new hires have at least one year of driving experience by detailing a recruit’s experience while serving, what he calls a military occupational specialty. In addition, TransForce Group places its students in four to eight weeks of finishing school upon receiving their CDLs so they receive an additional 160 to 180 hours of training customized for each carrier.
“We can provide an instructor, we can do a train-the-trainer [program] — however the carrier wants to do it,” Cooke said. “Several of our carriers had problems initially getting coverage from their insurance carriers. When we presented our program and the military background of our students, eight out of the eight carriers that we’ve talked to reversed their opinions and decided to cover the drivers, which is fantastic.”
Cooke also detailed the TransForce One smartphone app that enables truck drivers to search and book jobs based on their preferences. Carriers also can digitally match their demand to what they’re looking for in a driver.
“It’s leading to a better match than we’ve ever had, a faster match, which is so critical in this environment where you’ve got such a tight supply and high demand for drivers,” Cooke said.
Cooke said oftentimes carriers don’t realize the full extent of the benefits a staffing company, especially a tech-enabled one, can provide. But he ensures his clients are aware of all the solutions available when partnering with TransForce Group.
“Of all of the solutions that we have, ranging from short-term to long-term needs, of all the digital solutions that are available and new sources of supply like CDL schools, as well as access to military veterans, there’s just so many opportunities here for our carriers,” Cooke said.
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