Hire Truckers Podcast

00:00 - 00:16
Aaron Craddock: Welcome to the Hire Truckers podcast, where we interview experts in driver recruiting. We provide industry insights, marketing trends, and motivation to help you level up your recruiting game. Welcome to the Hire Truckers podcast. I'm your host, Aaron Craddock. And today, I'm super excited.

00:16 - 00:44
Aaron Craddock: We have Kimberly DeBoe with Dynamic Transit Company. I'm extra excited about the conversation today just because she has over 20 years HR experience, and and 19 of that is outside of the transportation industry. And she's hired anyone from, janitors all the way up to the CFO. And so we're gonna dive into just her strategies and what she's learned from being outside the industry and and jumping into the industry. So welcome, Kimberly.

00:45 - 00:46
Kimberly DeBoe: Thank you.

00:46 - 01:04
Aaron Craddock: So the first thing, I wanna dive into is that just experience all the way from janitors to that CFO you hired. And so how you know, you've been in the industry about a year, but working outside of the industry, like, how is that how is that helped you in this role?

01:05 - 01:38
Kimberly DeBoe: I think something that, doesn't always it's not always recognized in the transportation industry by those that have been in it for a long time is that recruiting is the same. Across many industries, it's got the same kind of ebbs and flows, it's got the same kind of requirements, you do the same kind of processes. There are basics. There's gray areas depending on what you're hiring for, so there's a little bit of change here and there depending on whether it's a trucker or janitor or warehouse worker. There's different things that you would different ways to approach it, but it all has the same baseline process.

01:38 - 01:58
Kimberly DeBoe: And, I think that's something that is really important for everyone to understand. Recruiting does involve a process, and it's not just about waiting for people to apply. It's about searching and sourcing and and reaching out and trying to figure out the best way to attract the the people that you're trying to attract.

01:58 - 02:12
Aaron Craddock: And so what have you kind of brought in as you've just brought in, you know, new ideas to dynamic transit? Is there anything specifically, like, you've kind of brought into the process or or different vendors or, things like that?

02:13 - 02:43
Kimberly DeBoe: Really, I think more of a, a streamline process. And not that there wasn't a process, but more of a, this is this is how recruiting is done, not just answering the phones all day or or or calling drivers all day. It's there's more to it. People forget about the back end side of recruiting, the sourcing, and the and the analytics, and the decision making on who are we gonna use or how are we gonna reach these people. Those things are forgotten about.

02:43 - 03:06
Kimberly DeBoe: Drivers are very forward, and they're always looking for new jobs. So there's there's never really a huge shortage of applications, but you don't want just want applications, you want to focus on quality as well. And so I think those are the 2 things that, I've focused on since I've been here is the quality over quantity and then, you know, doing more than just being a a phone answer.

03:06 - 03:12
Aaron Craddock: So it sounds like you ask your recruiters to be a little more proactive? Correct. Yes. That's awesome.

03:12 - 03:23
Kimberly DeBoe: And it helps. Being proactive, is always beneficial no matter what you're doing anyway, but being proactive helps with maintaining and managing the applicant flow.

03:23 - 03:35
Aaron Craddock: And so that's already kinda taken us into the section around marketing trends. And so what have you seen shift, with with job boards? That's one of the things in our pre call that came up.

03:36 - 04:15
Kimberly DeBoe: So, something I've noticed, you know, just since I've been here, every company you use different job boards, different applicant tracking systems who feed and, are scraped by different job boards. And Indeed is huge for everyone, but it not it's not necessarily the best for the industry, especially for truck drivers. The truck driving application is so different that, you know, Indeed may not always be the best route to go to attract drivers. Your mechanics or your office personnel, sure, but for drivers, something that everyone else uses, like Indeed, is not necessarily going to be the same thing that works to attract the drivers.

04:15 - 04:16
Aaron Craddock: Mhmm.

04:16 - 04:47
Kimberly DeBoe: And so that that's been really something that I've noticed. One of the huge things that works really well, is social media, and the drivers love Facebook and Instagram and making comments and and sharing their opinions. And then, you know, just getting that information, getting your brand out there so people know because drivers have a lot of opinions about their about the industry and what they do, and they look to see what businesses and what companies match their values that they are looking for.

04:47 - 04:59
Aaron Craddock: And so how are you seeing drivers leverage Facebook and Instagram? And then and then how are you, you know, as a recruiter, you know, speaking to them where they are and leveraging that as a recruiter?

04:59 - 05:43
Kimberly DeBoe: We have a, a marketing manager who works who I work really closely with, and she does a really good job of putting out content that attracts the attention that gets them to respond and things that they are interested in. So it's our our ads are not just about, you know, come work for a dynamic. We're so great. We have Facebook posts and social media posts that are about things like, you know, show me a picture of your pet that rides with you, or, you know, we just recently did one about when we were younger and we used to do the whole honk your horn thing to the semis, and do you guys still do that? And so just those kind of things that they interact with just so we can get our name out there.

05:43 - 06:03
Kimberly DeBoe: And then once the name's out there, then people start asking more questions. So they respond to whatever question is on that post, and then they also ask more questions about us, which is what's helpful. We don't just say, let me tell you about dynamic. We ask them about things that they would be interested in to get them engaged in our in our post and in our company.

06:03 - 06:17
Aaron Craddock: That's awesome. So what was the answer? So as a kid, I would go up and down the road, you know, doing this out out the window sometimes or in the window on every road trip even before I got into transportation. And so what was the answer?

06:18 - 06:41
Kimberly DeBoe: So a lot of them a lot of the drivers were saying that they missed that, that they don't see that as much as they used to, and they'd love it if people would do it. And if if they see anyone do it, they do go ahead and honk their horn, but it just is not as much as they used to before. Because I did too when we were on road trips as kids. I was always putting my arm out the door and out the window and and waiting for them to honk. It's it was part of the trip.

06:41 - 06:43
Kimberly DeBoe: It was a fun part of the trip.

06:43 - 06:53
Aaron Craddock: See, I haven't done that with my 4 year old. I don't know why. Mhmm. But I need to Yeah. I need to incorporate that again, like, for safety reasons when traffic is very spread out and Uh-huh.

06:53 - 07:12
Aaron Craddock: All that. But, yeah, that's awesome. I could see how drivers would engage with that. And so with that, are you trying to drive them directly? Like, do you wait until they ask something about dynamic before you try drive them into the recruiting conversation, or are you proactive sometimes as well with people that follow your pages?

07:13 - 07:38
Kimberly DeBoe: We are proactive, and then people tend to once they see something like that, they'll show us that they're interested. So we do get a lot of leads. Most of our leads come from the social media pages. So those types of posts are what engages them to come and ask us questions. So they'll fill out a form, and then we end up calling them, and and we end up talking more about our business and what we can offer and what they're looking for and if we can meet those needs and and together.

07:39 - 07:50
Aaron Craddock: Mhmm. So are you running this is just my marketing brain kicking in. So are you running those things like the honk the horn thing as ads, or is that just organic?

07:51 - 07:51
Kimberly DeBoe: Or is

07:51 - 07:53
Aaron Craddock: that just organic? That's just an organic post. Mhmm. Okay.

07:53 - 07:59
Kimberly DeBoe: We do have a couple ads, but those are just organic that that do bring a lot of interest.

08:00 - 08:23
Aaron Craddock: Mhmm. I've never even you know, we've never tried it. We're always trying to think of creating ideas, but I wonder if you just put, like, something like the honk the one thing as a sponsored ad because you're gonna get, you know, infinitely more traffic. And then if that would drive leads similarly because, you know, people are you know, drivers can get tired of just seeing the image of the truck and Mhmm. You know, come work for us.

08:23 - 08:43
Aaron Craddock: Here's our, you know, home time and sign up on this or whatever it is. And, yeah, it's it's an interesting I really like that approach. So do you leverage, like, going in to other, like, Facebook groups, like job groups, or is this all just with your your internal brand?

08:44 - 09:07
Kimberly DeBoe: It's just all with our internal brand internal brand. And I think one of the things that makes us stand out, as a company is our is our equipment, and people love those Peterbilts. And, we have the the 380 nines, and they're the long nose, and and people are interested in that. And so we do have a sponsor to add that. We have one of our recruiters walking through I'm sorry.

09:07 - 09:25
Kimberly DeBoe: 1 of our recruiters walking through the truck and saying, you know, this is what it looks like on the outside. This is what it looks like on the inside. Come work with us because we know you wanna be in this truck. And so the there are things like that that we do that just get their attention, and and people like the way they look. And I think that is a huge draw for us.

09:25 - 09:33
Kimberly DeBoe: It may not be necessarily be the reason that they come and work for us, but it is the reason that they call us or they show interest in us is because of our equipment.

09:34 - 09:49
Aaron Craddock: That's awesome. Yeah. The, love the way I love the way those trucks look. So how important are reviews and comments, like, around your brand that you see online, and does your team have any emphasis on reviews and comments?

09:50 - 10:06
Kimberly DeBoe: The comments, yes. Well, the reviews as well, yes. But I think the most important part between the 2, between the reviews and the comments, I would say the comments are more important. I make a point of interacting with every comment that is on there. If it let me take that back.

10:06 - 10:35
Kimberly DeBoe: I interact with most of the comments on Facebook. If they require a question being answered, or if it's something like I've been driving for this long and I have this many miles, you know, I'll at least say congratulations. But we don't we don't always engage with everyone because there are some comments. So the problem with social media is that people it gives people courage to say and do whatever they want to, and so there's not always a 100% positive comments. However, we do leave some of those out there.

10:35 - 11:01
Kimberly DeBoe: People have their opinions, and we wanna give them the full look of what we are. We do not try to make it look like we are this rainbow sunshine company and nothing ever goes wrong. So we do leave some of those things out there. Facebook knocks off things that use cuss words and things like that that are inappropriate, but we do make sure that we engage with all the comments. The reviews, not always, but we do get engaged with comments daily.

11:02 - 11:19
Aaron Craddock: Yeah. I I agree. I think when there's no negative comments because, like, we all have things we're frustrated about, it doesn't matter how well your operations is. There's just, you know, how well you do operations. There's so many things outside of your control with where where they're dropping off freight or equipment issues.

11:19 - 11:21
Aaron Craddock: You know, just things happen. And so I think

11:22 - 11:22
Kimberly DeBoe: Right.

11:22 - 11:31
Aaron Craddock: That by having those on there and then and then you'll have a lot of times you'll have other drivers jump in there and say, well, I that hasn't

11:31 - 11:32
Kimberly DeBoe: That's not the case. Yeah.

11:32 - 11:45
Aaron Craddock: That has been that hasn't been my experience. Yes. And I think that's where, you know, the fleets that that that really look out for their drivers that that that comes up because the drivers go to bat on some of those comments.

11:45 - 12:04
Kimberly DeBoe: They do. And I think it also shows transparency for the company. You know, to me, I would trust a company more if I know that they are 4 stars rather than 5 because 5 would make me a little bit nervous. Like, really, everybody loves it there. I really don't think that's the case.

12:04 - 12:28
Kimberly DeBoe: So, you know, you kinda let people speak their piece and then and just kinda see where it goes. Even sometimes sometimes, not all the time, sometimes bad press is is good press. Mhmm. Because like you said, it it leads those other drivers there. Some of our current drivers to say, well, that's not what happened to me, or I've been here for 5 years, and I've never had that experience.

12:28 - 12:28
Kimberly DeBoe: So

12:28 - 12:51
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12:52 - 13:06
Aaron Craddock: Visit truckingclix.com or call 512-982-0816 today. So so the next thing I wanted to dive in, Kimberly, is, dive into is how are you working with ops to improve retention?

13:08 - 13:37
Kimberly DeBoe: So, actually, we recently just amped up a retention. It's been a huge focus because we were losing drivers. And really, it's about partnership and collaboration and saying to operations, what things should we say, what things shouldn't we say. We don't wanna tell the candidate something, and then they walk in the door and it's something completely different. So what what is the story that we need to tell that aligns with what actually goes on here?

13:37 - 13:43
Kimberly DeBoe: And then what do we need to do after to touch these people once they've started to ensure that

13:43 - 13:44
Aaron Craddock: you

13:44 - 14:10
Kimberly DeBoe: know, just check-in, give them an opportunity to tell anybody about anybody about what's going on. So if they don't feel comfortable telling their driver manager, can they reach out to recruiting and say, hey. I've got this issue. We also have a person who his title is driver relations manager. So he also his focus is just kinda reaching out, making sure they have everything they're needing, that they're learning what they need to learn, that they don't have any issues.

14:10 - 14:25
Kimberly DeBoe: So we have a lot of drivers. We're completely we're reefer, and we have drivers that haven't had reefer experience, and so it's a change when they come over. And so just kind of helping them with that transition as well. We wanna make sure that there is a focus all around to not just hire drivers, but to keep drivers.

14:26 - 14:48
Aaron Craddock: Yeah. I think the stat is, like, most most turnover happens in the first 90 to a 100 days on average. And, like, with drivers and and, yeah, I've just seen I've seen some data that's, like, double the retention just by Right. You know, touching them once a week. And, like you said, like, letting them have that phone number or, an easy place to voice complaints.

14:48 - 14:54
Aaron Craddock: And and one of the things is if you open up the door for complaints, you have to answer those.

14:54 - 14:55
Kimberly DeBoe: Yes. Yep.

14:56 - 14:59
Aaron Craddock: Answer those and just get them a response.

15:01 - 15:26
Kimberly DeBoe: And I something I noticed that is very much industry specific is that, truck drivers will leave a company. If they don't if something's not the way they want it to be, they will leave a company within a day, within a month. They don't it's not something where they feel like they have to stay. And so it's very important to have that transparency and then to also tell the story that matches what is actually gonna happen when they get here.

15:26 - 15:47
Aaron Craddock: Yeah. One of our core values at our company is radical honesty. Yes. And it's I think in the driver context, the fleets that I've seen, like, you guys that just here's the good, here's the bad, and put an emphasis on that rather than saying, yeah, you're gonna be home all the time, and it's gonna be perfect. We never have equipment issues.

15:47 - 15:55
Aaron Craddock: Our our everything's perfect. Right. You're never gonna be stuck anywhere. You know? You're never gonna have challenges getting your hours in or parking.

15:56 - 16:20
Aaron Craddock: You know, I think Right. Getting it, yeah, getting ahead, like like, in this particular role, like, here's exactly what you're gonna encounter, like, like, the frustrations that we've had other drivers say, and then here's how we remedy it. It and and I think it also helps, like, in the close rate in the recruiting process too. Just because they're like, wow. If they're honest about this, that could drive me away.

16:20 - 16:25
Aaron Craddock: You know, they're gonna actually be helpful when I come on. So I love that.

16:26 - 16:52
Kimberly DeBoe: And there's also there's operations here with us in the building where the recruiting team is. So when we get those questions that we may not know the details to, we will stand up and just say, hey. This driver is asking me this. Is that something that we would possibly do or not do, or what do we need to do? Because we really wanna make sure we are up front with them and honest about what goes on here.

16:52 - 17:26
Aaron Craddock: That's awesome that they're in the same space that you can have those collaborative conversations. What advice do you have to peers in the industry? So so the the the the primary audience that we have for this, show is, you know, typically, you know, 200 plus truck fleets, a lot of 500 plus truck fleets, and people in the director recruiting role and all that to executive role and then down to recruiters. And then also just people that are interested in industry. But specifically for other, you know, peers in your role, what advice would you have for them do you have for them?

17:27 - 18:00
Kimberly DeBoe: I think the biggest thing that I would say is that, you have to step out, step away from the thought process that you just have to fill your trucks. Because when you're hiring for quality instead of quantity, you will fill your trucks. There's gonna be a little dip before you get there, but you will fill your trucks, and then they'll stay filled. And you won't find that you have that rotation, constant rotation. So I think that's one of the biggest things is not so much focus on hurry up and fill the trucks, but more focus on let's hire the quality drivers that are gonna stay with us.

18:01 - 18:09
Aaron Craddock: Mhmm. And so what makes a quality driver? Because I've I heard you say that say that a few different times. Like, what's your definition of a quality driver?

18:09 - 18:38
Kimberly DeBoe: I think it's different at every company. Every company has different minimum qualifications that they have. And so, one of the things that we do for our team is that we have those people that meet the minimum qualifications, but we want people and and that's like a if you're on a grading scale from a a to a f, meeting the qualifications is like a c. And we would like those b and a drivers that are just a tad bit more than what the minimum qualifications are. And so to us, that's what quality means is that you're not just meeting the qualifications.

18:39 - 18:41
Kimberly DeBoe: The minimum qualifications, you're exceeding them.

18:41 - 18:52
Aaron Craddock: So the next section I wanted to dive into, which I'm excited about based on your pre call and chatting with Ginger, is what are what are you reading right now or listening to?

18:53 - 19:11
Kimberly DeBoe: Right now, I actually just started reading. It's a Franklin Covey book called Get Better. Mhmm. It's practices to build effective relationships at work. And, I am a certified Franklin Covey trainer, and so I have I have access to Franklin Covey books.

19:11 - 19:36
Kimberly DeBoe: And that's one of the trainings I have, but there's also a book as well. And it actually is pretty it's a pretty interesting read about building relationships. Relationships at work are important. You don't have to be best friends with everyone. In in the industry, there's a lot of, oh, we're a family company, and that's not necessarily you're not family with them either, but you do need to make sure that there is a relationship built and that you're working with and not against the people that you work with.

19:37 - 19:38
Aaron Craddock: Mhmm.

19:38 - 20:04
Kimberly DeBoe: And and in that and we talked about this earlier, in that, emotional intelligence is very important. You have to be able to you have to be willing to learn. You have to be open to conversations. You have to be open to conflict as well because not all conflict is bad. And you have to be able to take feedback and grow and learn from that feedback, and then be able to give feedback in a way that people will accept it and grow and learn as well.

20:04 - 20:15
Aaron Craddock: Mhmm. So what led you to kinda go down the path of studying, you know, becoming a Franklin Franklin Covey coach and, like, focusing so much on emotional intelligence and things like that?

20:17 - 20:54
Kimberly DeBoe: I think years ago, I was in retail, and the CEO of the company I worked for wanted sent us all to 7 Habits training. And then once I had that training, then I really got interested in what was going on. And he was like, well, then you become an instructor and learn how to train everyone else about this. And then, I've had jobs since then that I've also done other Franklin Covey trainings. And and being an instructor, then you also get to go to programs every year or 2 and learn more more things about the programs that they have coming out.

20:54 - 21:17
Kimberly DeBoe: And I've always felt like empathy and, listening and things that they coach a lot in Franklin Covey are important in work as well as in your personal life. Those things bleed over, and it's very important to be able to interact with people and work well with people. You can't get your job done if you don't have those soft skills too.

21:17 - 21:44
Aaron Craddock: Mhmm. Yeah. Early in my career, and in my relationship, my marriage, I've been we've been married for 13 years and also been in trucking, coincidentally, about 13 years. And in both of those, like, early in my career, I've waited conflict, didn't like conflict, and I thought it was kinda negative when it was on my teams. And, like, when we like, when there was tension in meetings, I've viewed that as bad, where my perspective now is completely different.

21:44 - 21:56
Aaron Craddock: Like Yes. If we don't have some conflict, like, then, you know, something's wrong. And, like, we're not talking talking like, bringing things to the forefront, and I know things are building. And so

21:56 - 22:22
Kimberly DeBoe: true if there's not if everybody gets along or agrees with everything that everyone else says, something's not right. Because everybody has opinions, and and it's okay. Sometimes you don't have to tell share all of it, but, yes, there should be open conversations, and there should be an environment, a work environment, where people are not afraid to say, here's what I think and be comfortable with that and not think there's any repercussions. Mhmm.

22:23 - 22:41
Aaron Craddock: Yeah. The so what books like, it sounds like you've read, you know, decent amount, like, a good amount on this topic and and and I've learned a lot in terms of empathy and conflict and things like that. So what other books, like, would you recommend or or have you read that you really enjoyed?

22:42 - 22:47
Kimberly DeBoe: Anything by, and I can't I'm not gonna pronounce his last name right, but Simon Sinek.

22:48 - 22:48
Aaron Craddock: Mhmm.

22:48 - 23:19
Kimberly DeBoe: His thing is emotional intelligence, and that's really anything that he he does is is really good or I enjoy. Also, anything that Franklin Covey says, this is like, you know, how Oprah has her books and anything that's at Franklin Covey, that I picked up in those trainings that says, you know, anything about, you know, listening, active listening, and and and paying attention to behaviors and empathy. Those type of things, I think, are those soft skills that people ignore at work, but are actually very important at work.

23:20 - 23:33
Aaron Craddock: Mhmm. How how how has, like, with that emotional intelligence knowledge and training, how has that helped you come in and kinda hit the ground running as you come into dynamic transit and into the transportation industry over the last year?

23:33 - 24:04
Kimberly DeBoe: I think one of the huge things is that drivers wanna be heard, and and not a lot of people listen. And so just kind of stepping back and saying, what is it that you're looking for? How can I help you? It's it's a huge thing, and I think that's been something that's helped me a lot is just how can I help regardless of what it is or what you're doing, whether it's internal with operations or safety or whatever or with the drivers on the outside? It's how can I help make this experience better?

24:04 - 24:10
Kimberly DeBoe: And when you approach things from that angle, then it makes it makes your job easier and makes your results more effective.

24:10 - 24:23
Aaron Craddock: The one thing I struggle with on that is I'll ask, like, how can I make this better? And then when I notice, like, a a supporting phrase and I, like, I'll dive into it too quickly, I'll be like, oh, yes. And then here's my agenda. Like, let's do this.

24:24 - 24:24
Kimberly DeBoe: Right.

24:24 - 24:44
Aaron Craddock: Rather than something I've been trying to practice recently, sometimes successful, sometimes not, is asking a couple follow-up questions after that first question. So just, yeah, just, you know, how can I help you? And then keep diving in. And even when you think you know it, that's something I heard recently. I think it was on the Ed Mylett podcast.

24:45 - 24:56
Aaron Craddock: But it was even when you think you know what they're trying to say, like, ask 2 or 3 more questions or say, what I'm hearing is this, this, and this, and you'll almost always get something different.

24:56 - 24:56
Kimberly DeBoe: Yes.

24:56 - 25:37
Aaron Craddock: And I, Ginger and I were actually traveling, visiting clients in Tennessee and Alabama last week. And the you know, I used that a couple different times and just to try to listen better. And, man, it was amazing, like, what, like, my assumptions and what I was about to jump on and pounce on, like, with, like, oh, yeah. We should go this route. I got, you know, way better, more constructive information on how we could actually help the fleet by, yeah, just not not assuming, you know, and I and I I haven't yet applied that, like, in my marriage relationship with Lauren, but, you should like that.

25:37 - 25:44
Aaron Craddock: Yeah. That'd be really good. I mean, I have gotten better, over the years.

25:44 - 26:09
Kimberly DeBoe: Ask, how can I help and then shush and then listen? And then once you hear it because a lot of times people have they have some idea of how they want it to get done. They just need help making it come to fruition. And so if you say how can I help and you genuinely mean it, then you'll be quiet and listen? And then they'll give you all the cues that they all the things that they need.

26:09 - 26:55
Kimberly DeBoe: And even if they need more information, they'll give you that too if you just listen. They may not say it directly, but you still just have to listen, and I think that's one of the biggest things that I learned as a Franklin Covey trainer and just that I apply everywhere is lit is that act of listening because it's human nature for us to listen to respond instead of listening to actually help or assist. We really just want the next person to shut up so we can say what we have to say. And it's hard to train yourself to not do that, but it was it really is beneficial, and it'll help you be a better person in general, but it'll help you be a better person at work when you are a better teammate, a better employee, when you pause and actually listen.

26:56 - 27:20
Aaron Craddock: Mhmm. So I know one thing is actively listening and, you know, nodding and engaging and and things like that. Is there also an importance, like, do you try to say back to people, like, your understanding of it? Or because where I'm going with this is, like, with my, like, with my wife, she's like, I feel like you didn't hear me. And I'm like, I heard you.

27:20 - 27:33
Aaron Craddock: Like, I was sitting here listening. And but there's obviously a disconnect. Right? Like, I I'm not listening well in some way. Like, that's you know, listening well is also active and then how I respond with my words.

27:33 - 27:44
Aaron Craddock: And so is that yeah. Is there also a level of, like, repeating it back? Like like, here's what I heard. And and how would like, does that apply to drivers? Like, were you stating back to them what they've said?

27:44 - 28:05
Kimberly DeBoe: Yes. Because it it it seems corny at first. The first time I ever went to a active listening training, and they said, repeat what you heard. I'm like, that is the dumbest thing I've ever heard. However, my attention span is really short and it's gotten shorter in this technology age where everything is done in 30 seconds, and so it's I don't always.

28:05 - 28:42
Kimberly DeBoe: I hear it, but I don't always listen, And so it is helpful when you say, especially when you're not paying attention, complete attention, when you say so this is what I heard, and then they can say no, that's not it, or yeah, that's it. And so it is it seems corny, but it is actually very helpful to repeat back your your interpretation of what they were talking about to ensure that you guys are on the same page because you can listen to a whole conversation. Someone talked to you for 20 minutes and you did not get what they were saying. And you could say, so this is it, and they'll be like, no. That's not what I was talking about at all.

28:42 - 28:50
Kimberly DeBoe: And I'm like, crap. I do it with my husband all the time. I'm like, oh, well, that's what I that's what I heard. I'm sorry. Can you help me get where you're at?

28:50 - 29:37
Kimberly DeBoe: So, yeah, with the drivers, a lot of them will say something, and then it'll take them down a rabbit hole to somewhere else. And 15, 20 minutes later, you're like, so our issue was you're not getting paid when you're not rolling, and that and that was it. And so it's just like, after I hear about you stopping and then you had to wait and then you had to do this and then this happened and this it's let's go back to the beginning. You wanna know how many miles we have because you don't get paid unless those wheels are turned in, and that's pretty much it, or how much are your how long do you have to wait when you dock or how long those kind of things are the questions that we get, but it takes a minute to get there because there's all these experiences that they've had that fall into that. And when people are talking, their brain goes, and then they're like, yeah, and then this and then this and then this.

29:37 - 29:51
Kimberly DeBoe: So you have to repeat back to them because you'll get lost as well. Mhmm. And I personally will stop listening, but not all the time. But I'll I listen for keywords, but it's hard to stay focused when people go down that rabbit hole.

29:51 - 30:07
Aaron Craddock: Like, with your recruiting team specifically, so your your recruiters coming into dynamic, How have you trained them on these principles, or or what principles have you focused on, like, relative to emotional intelligence on their conversations with drivers?

30:09 - 30:31
Kimberly DeBoe: One of the big things is leading the conversation because everyone wants to tell their story. When you ask questions, you ask leading questions that'll get you to specific answers that we're looking for to see if they meet the qualifications that we have. And then, you know, if you get off track, kind of lead them back. Lead the conversation is the most important thing. As a recruiter, you have to lead their conversation.

30:32 - 30:49
Kimberly DeBoe: You can't be on the phone with them for 45 minutes and not get anywhere, and then, you know, at the end of the conversation, find out they don't even live in the hiring area. So those are the kinda like, get the things the good things out at the beginning. Lead the conversation. Let them know what we're offering. Recruiting is very much a sales job.

30:49 - 31:01
Kimberly DeBoe: You are selling that position. So you have to tell speak to the the benefits of the position and what we're offering so that then that allows them to say, yes. That's what I'm looking for, or no. It's not what I'm looking for.

31:01 - 31:11
Aaron Craddock: I like that. So leading questions towards qualifications and then also just finding out if it's a good fit, for what their personal goals are.

31:13 - 31:13
Kimberly DeBoe: Yep.

31:14 - 31:19
Aaron Craddock: That's neat. I love the book, book ideas. I'm such a nerd.

31:19 - 31:20
Kimberly DeBoe: We,

31:21 - 31:41
Aaron Craddock: love mine is mostly listening nowadays. Mhmm. I get about a like, an audio book in a week or so. But, yeah, I love it. Is there anything else that I should have asked that you think would be constructive for some of your peers in the industry or anything else or just anything else you wanna touch on?

31:43 - 32:23
Kimberly DeBoe: Yeah. I I think one of the one of the biggest things that I learned coming into this industry, unlike any industry that I've worked in, marketing, social work, retail, any of the other industries I've worked in, brokerage, as in, like, Wells Fargo, not like brokerage, transportation brokerage. But I think one of the things that I've picked up on is that people in the transportation industry believe that they are different from everyone else and every other industry, and there is no industry like the transportation industry. And although that is correct in some ways, there are things that are the same regardless of what industry you're in. Recruiting is one of those things.

32:23 - 32:48
Kimberly DeBoe: HR is one of those things. Marketing is one of those things. So those there are things that are continuous across different industries, and transportation industry is not much different than any other industry in those senses. The candidates are different. Some of the candidate the the way that recruiting is done is a little different as far as the information that you gauge and some of the questions that you can ask.

32:49 - 33:02
Kimberly DeBoe: But outside of that, it's not that much different. And I think it's okay to to say that someone who is not from the transportation industry can be successful in the transportation industry. So I think that's a big thing.

33:03 - 33:20
Aaron Craddock: Yeah. And and and as the industry continues to grow and and and just the need for drivers, like, we need more people, you know, crossing over into this industry. So Right. I think that might be encouraging for some listeners that are thinking, like, would I get into you know, I have an HR background. Should I get into recruiting, and transportation?

33:21 - 33:45
Aaron Craddock: Because because a lot of what we're talking about people, it's just different jargon and different language that people may not have heard. And so I think it can can seem scary. Because I I remember when I got into the industry 13 years or so ago, and I I was like, what the heck is an owner operator? Like, what is, like, like, reefer? Like, what are we talking about?

33:45 - 34:10
Aaron Craddock: Like, I mean, any, you know, there are so many terms that I didn't know. And so now, like, even when we bring somebody on our team now, that has marketing experience, but may not have it on in the industry. Like, we'll see, you know, spend a lot of time in the 1st few weeks just being like here, 30 terms you may not know. And, but once you get the lingo, like, it like, I love what you said. It's because kind of on the marketing side too.

34:10 - 34:43
Aaron Craddock: And and and job marketing, it's not not unlike other employment and industries. And it yeah. I mean, the difference is, like you said, just some of the vendors, some of the applicant tracking systems, things like that are a little bit different. Some of the compliance and legal stuff, like, for insurance reasons and and things like that when, you know, sometimes, you know, some of the people I'm talking to on the show are driving 60, £70,000 of flammable liquid and Mhmm. You know, you have to have a lot of rules.

34:43 - 35:16
Aaron Craddock: And, and I I'm just encouraged with what all the industry's done to just improve improve safety. And and again, like, even with you guys, like, you're like, I'm not not focusing on the minimum, the qualification like we're we're getting people as as experienced as possible and as possible in our trucks. And yeah. So I love it. And I love your passion when you get to talking about just like I heard it a couple of times in this interview and like the first time was like when you talk about emotional intelligence like you've lit up in the Franklin Covey stuff.

35:16 - 35:42
Aaron Craddock: And then and then also just the passion around just like, look. Like, this is HR and recruiting. It's not like, just because I'm from outside the industry doesn't mean I don't you know, people can't do it and that you don't understand it. So, yeah, I just appreciate the enthusiasm and I just thank you for your time today. I just, I think we added a lot of value just to the industry as people listen in and and continue to learn.

35:42 - 35:58
Aaron Craddock: So I know it took us a couple times to get you on, but I'm super super super excited. And, as I said, some of the best episodes come when we had to wait. I think this is a really good one. And so, I appreciate you rescheduling with me a couple times. And,

35:58 - 35:59
Kimberly DeBoe: Oh, thank you for being

35:59 - 36:12
Aaron Craddock: so flexible. And getting rolling. Well, Ginger kept on telling me, she's like, this is gonna be awesome. Like, you have to talk to Kimberly. And so, yeah, super super glad we had you on today and look forward to staying connected.

36:14 - 36:30
Kimberly DeBoe: So fun fact, like, my 2nd week here, Ginger called me, and, I had not been in the industry very long. And, I was like, I I have no idea. I can't I can't tell you whether I need this service or not. I I don't know. I just started.

36:30 - 37:00
Kimberly DeBoe: I don't even know what I'm doing. And she was so nice. She said, you know, even if you don't use this service, let me tell you, you can call me anytime and ask me any questions about the industry, and I will help you. And I thought that was the nicest thing because this that's not was not my experience when I first started, and she's I'm like, this is a vendor who is not even working with me, and she's not that she's not gonna get anything out of this relationship if I don't do this. But it she was so kind, and and I I really appreciate that.

37:00 - 37:09
Kimberly DeBoe: And and I believed her that she would give me and if I called her anytime and said, what is this? She would help me. So I really appreciate that.

37:09 - 37:11
Aaron Craddock: On the side of the road. Will you tell me? I mean, yes. Yes.

37:12 - 37:14
Kimberly DeBoe: She does seem like that kind of person. Yes.

37:14 - 37:27
Aaron Craddock: Yeah. So Ginger is my mom. Like, that's the same last name. And so the innocent friend working together, she came in, to the industry about 3 years ago and joined, Craddock Holdings, like our parent company. Mhmm.

37:28 - 37:53
Aaron Craddock: And yeah. But her her brand is, like, find joy in the journey. And and she has a couple different things like a coaching business, like expanding women and leadership. And, and, she's also, you know, Colby certified, like, as far as like, does some coaching and it's conative personality traits. So like like you're working, like, how you work.

37:54 - 38:08
Aaron Craddock: So like I'm a like I lead as a fact finder. That's why I have all these notes and questions. And then I go into quick start, and then I go into other things. So but, yeah, she I mean, she's genuinely only like that. And, and it yeah.

38:08 - 38:20
Aaron Craddock: And it's just so funny. Like, even leading with, like, like, she doesn't care about, like, money or finances necessarily. Like, she just doesn't. Like, it's just not how she's wired. She'll never think that way.

38:21 - 38:46
Aaron Craddock: But it it really fits our brand just in what we're doing. Because I think it even this podcast, like, I I lose money on producing this. But the but the thought is, like, what what do we like, if we add value to the industry and, and create community, like, that'll reflect back on our brand. Because like you said, you're not even, you know, doing business with us, like some of the fleets that are on the show. And and but yeah.

38:46 - 38:49
Aaron Craddock: And and and then I also think just people need community. And

38:49 - 38:50
Kimberly DeBoe: Mhmm.

38:50 - 39:03
Aaron Craddock: Yeah. Especially in a in digital world and and, yeah, just being connected and Yes. I appreciate you coming on today and Ginger will be encouraged. Because another thing is she, I know this took us on a tangent, but tangents are good.

39:03 - 39:04
Kimberly DeBoe: No. That's okay.

39:05 - 39:28
Aaron Craddock: So she yeah. She, like, reaching out to people is really hard for her, like, making calls. And, I mean, she's, she's changed in that. And, like if she doesn't know people, so that's kinda cool. Because when we started that would have been about when we started, when she started reaching out and transitioned more from, managing our client success department and to more outbound, sales and reaching out to people.

39:28 - 39:32
Aaron Craddock: And yeah. So she'll, yeah, she'll be encouraged by that. Just

39:32 - 39:45
Kimberly DeBoe: She she was a huge encouragement to me and was like, you're gonna be able to do this. Like, I could hear the coach in her, and she was very much, you've got this. Don't worry. It's gonna be okay, and I'll help you if you need it. And I was like, wow.

39:45 - 39:47
Kimberly DeBoe: Okay. Okay.

39:47 - 39:51
Aaron Craddock: Mhmm. Mhmm. She means it. Take her up on it. Yep.

39:51 - 39:58
Aaron Craddock: Yep. Well, thank you again for your time today, Kimberly, and we'll I look forward to chatting again later.

39:59 - 40:00
Kimberly DeBoe: Alright. Talk to you later.

40:00 - 40:12
Aaron Craddock: Thank you for joining us today. Our goal with the Hire Truckers podcast is to provide industry insights, marketing trends, and motivation to level up your recruiting game. If we added value, take a few seconds to share this with your network. Have a great week.