Hire Truckers Podcast

00:00 - 00:09
Ginger Craddock: Welcome to the Hire Truckers Podcast, the show for fleet executives, HR leaders, and recruiting professionals. I'm your host, Ginger Craddock.

00:09 - 00:23
Aaron Craddock: And I'm your host, Aaron Craddock Each week, we share actionable insights, market trends, and proven strategies to help you grow and thrive. Welcome to the Hire Truckers Podcast. I'm your host, Aaron Kraddock. So a cool story to share with you guys.

00:23 - 00:54
Aaron Craddock: The world's top leadership expert sang happy birthday to me this weekend. And so, yeah, I ended up being in a small room in Dallas where we did a Q and A with John Maxwell and in the same day that he was traveling to three different cities. And somehow when I asked a question to him, somebody said it was my birthday. And so that was a pretty cool moment where the world's number one leadership expert sang happy birthday to me. It was a cool a cool moment, turning 38 on Saturday.

00:54 - 01:34
Aaron Craddock: And so today, I'm gonna talk through just some of those insights from being around some of the world's top speakers and leaders this past weekend and just seeing how they show up. And so John Maxwell's schedule last on Saturday, he spoke on the East Coast that morning. And then he spoke in Dallas around 4PM on Saturday. And then he was headed to Arizona to speak again for a third time. And yeah, my biggest takeaway from that is that we all have more capacity than we think, like when somebody in their late 70s is showing up that way.

01:34 - 02:04
Aaron Craddock: And he 100% was where his feet were. Like, he was with us in that room, shaking hands, really focusing in on each question and giving the best answer, being really thoughtful. And so another moment I had with John Maxwell was a year and a half ago. We did an event at Chick fil A, a behind the scenes thing. So I had a chance to talk with him in the hall on the way to our next spot.

02:04 - 02:35
Aaron Craddock: And the whole time I was walking down the hall with John Maxwell, he was asking me, hey, how could I have made this event better? Like, what could I do differently? And yeah, was just amazed at here's the world's number one leadership expert and he's focused on others. And not just in what he says and what he writes about, but just in how he shows up. I really appreciated that about John.

02:36 - 02:53
Aaron Craddock: And then my observation in Dallas this weekend, my Dallas revelation is, like, saw how Tim Tebow showed up. I saw how Nick Boychette showed up. I saw how Craig Groeschel showed up. I saw how John Maxwell showed up and some of the other speakers. And they're giving it their all.

02:53 - 03:37
Aaron Craddock: Like, they had clarity, focus, energy, and just pouring out. And I know I travel a decent bit, but nothing compared to these guys. And I know how travel can wear on you and just how they showed up and how much they care about other people. And so my biggest takeaway from that is like capacity increases like when you have a clear mission and vision. So some industry context and why this conversation is relevant, like why do we need more capacity, why do we need to be having this conversation, Is recruiting departments if you're not already busy, more busy, you're going to get busy.

03:37 - 04:05
Aaron Craddock: And so as the need for drivers heats up and fleets add more trucks, recruiting departments get more busy, and it gets harder to execute. It gets harder for executives to add things. So that's to add positions fast enough, add leads fast enough, add quality hires fast enough to fill the trucks. Those all become constraints. And, yeah, it's just it can be a harder time.

04:05 - 04:42
Aaron Craddock: It can mean more hours. And some of the things we're seeing is the tender rejection rates go up. So as more loads are being rejected, like flatbed has had one of the biggest spikes, but also in, you know, reefer, multiple different freight types, like we've seen these tender ejection rates increase. And usually, that's a leading indicator for needing more drivers and more capacity. And then another sign that capacity is tightening is seeing that spot rate continue to creep up.

04:42 - 05:26
Aaron Craddock: Not just creep up, but move up pretty fast. And so fleets may not have been profitable the last three years and it was a real challenge to get by, there's now opportunity, opportunity to grow. And so with that, there's more demands on recruiting departments, retention departments, fleet executives, managing the dollars well across your trucking company. And so that's why we're having this capacity conversation about you can do more than you think is because of those different industry dynamics and industry changes that we're seeing. And another takeaway, so I stayed at the same hotel that the speaker stayed at at the event.

05:27 - 05:49
Aaron Craddock: And both times I was in the gym, I saw one of the speakers. And the first time was for thirty minutes. And then the second day, one of the guys popped in for a seven minute workout and just talked about literally he's like, yeah, Aaron, I got seven minutes. I'm going to get in here and get out. Better than doing nothing.

05:49 - 06:29
Aaron Craddock: And so just thinking about as we'll have more constraints on our time. Like if you're in transportation leadership in any way, when you enter a different cycle, there's just more demand on our time. And yeah, so how can you get that seven minute workout in? Another thing I noticed is these leaders show up regardless of how they feel. Because think about throughout the day, John Maxwell probably doesn't feel like being 100% present or feel like speaking.

06:29 - 06:47
Aaron Craddock: And not just doing it, but doing with excellence. And a good example for me is we're coming up on the end of the day. And yeah, I I didn't think I had energy to record this podcast. And then I'm getting on here with you guys because it's commitment. Like, I had this commitment to getting these out every two weeks and and doing it well.

06:47 - 07:07
Aaron Craddock: And so even though this is coming out in a month, my team really wanted us to go ahead and get this this done, and I told them I would. So I'm getting it done. And so and as a business owner, throughout the day, like, there are multiple times where I'm like, I can't do this or, like, I'm overwhelmed. And then there are other times I feel like I can run through a wall. I'm like, let's go.

07:08 - 07:52
Aaron Craddock: And I can conquer anything. And the differentiator with the highest performers and highest achievers is they execute regardless of how they feel. And they don't just not show up because they feel like it. And so that's what I'm really one of the areas I'm focusing on is showing up regardless of how I feel or my energy level and just doing the thing, getting it done, and getting done the things that I promise for our clients in a timely manner, getting on new fleet partners in a timely manner, just all the things. And I commit to do different things to members on our team and just trying to honor those commitments and do those when I say I'm gonna do it.

07:52 - 07:57
Aaron Craddock: So example is this podcast. I'm trying to get on here and, yeah, I'm getting on here and getting it done.

07:57 - 08:15
Ginger Craddock: Hiring CDL drivers isn't about more leads. It's about better ones. That's why serious carriers partner with Hire Truckers by Trucking Clicks. We don't sell ads. We bring clear strategy, straight talk, and a relentless focus on quality drivers.

08:16 - 08:46
Ginger Craddock: Even in a tough market, our clients see improved performance month over month by optimizing smarter and making every hiring dollar work harder. For honest insight, sharper targeting, and results that you can trust, visit truckingclicks.com or call (512) 982-0816. Hire Truckers by Trucking Clicks. Clarity, courage, results.

08:47 - 09:15
Aaron Craddock: So one of the ways you can create capacity is by cutting things. And so I'm I'm here saying like, you have 10 x capacity, But I can hear also and things off and things is like, man, we have twenty four hours in a day. Like, can't. And I can't work all the time and burn out. And so this season where we need more capacity in recruiting and trucking leadership, I would encourage you to cut things out.

09:15 - 09:34
Aaron Craddock: And so some examples for me, like I have cut down just my social media consumption, which is kind of ironic because I'm in marketing and advertising. And yeah. So I cut that down. At one point, set it to thirty minutes a day where I can be consuming on my phone. You can set a cap on your iPhone.

09:35 - 10:05
Aaron Craddock: And more recently, I set that to fifteen minutes because I'm like, if I'm looking at my day, I'm like, how can I get minutes back? A lot of times it's scrolling social media. And so I want to be doing that with intention, and I want to get in and get out. Another thing I've done to free up capacity is cutting out television. So it was a few years ago we, as a family, decided to watch less TV and not have the TV on by default.

10:06 - 10:28
Aaron Craddock: And a lot of times, we're working on things in the evening after the kids go down and or we have other meetings or obligations. So now, do I occasionally watch a movie with Lauren or watch a show? Like, yes. But that might be one or two times a week and for a limited amount of time. And so kind of like the speakers, Lauren and I are on mission.

10:28 - 10:52
Aaron Craddock: She's working on her book and business owned with intention, and then we're really working on growing the Hire Truckers platform and helping more fleets and more drivers. And with that, we've got to cut a whole bunch of stuff. And then the third thing we cut out is just the news. And so that was something where I heard recently that news is all or not recently in the back. This was probably three, four years ago.

10:52 - 11:20
Aaron Craddock: News is all focused on just the negative headline that can get attention, and that's what drives eyeballs. And so just just consuming news media. Like, don't have the TV news turned on all the time, and then we don't pull up news apps every day. And really, you know, thinking through how are we gonna consume and consuming with intentionality. And so I might get on to check a particular story, but that's not something that we're looking at all the time.

11:21 - 11:54
Aaron Craddock: And so cutting news, cutting social media time as far as a consumer, and then cutting out TV time. So those are kind of the three main buckets that I think a lot of people spend time on that you can gain some freedom back. Next thing I want to talk about is protecting what matters. And so it's not just about being more efficient in the work hours, we entering a busier season in freight, we're probably going to work more hours. It's not only about that, but being more intentional with time outside of work.

11:55 - 12:13
Aaron Craddock: And so a couple of things that we do is we do Lauren and I do weekly date night. And so we're in the March when I'm recording this. And so we've done more than eight date nights like we do try to do one a week. Sometimes we get more than one in. And really protecting that time, scheduling that ahead of time.

12:13 - 12:42
Aaron Craddock: And then the second main thing that I'm focused on is with my five and a half year old and my three year old boys that we do a weekly adventure. So that might be going to lunch, going on a hike one on one, going to some new place they've ever never been, exploring something new, just having conversations at one on one time. That's something when I look back on my year, whether or not it was successful. Like, it's did I do date nights? Did I spend one on one quality time with my boys?

12:43 - 13:14
Aaron Craddock: And so as I'm traveling more and speaking at more events, doing more media, those things become even more important. How do I spend time in a busier season on the most important things? Like, not just being passively around my boys, but being very active and and having those intentional moments. Another thing I do is that, like, in the evenings, like, if I'm around family and talking, like, not having the phone out, I would just encourage you guys to not let your phone own you. Own it with intention.

13:14 - 13:37
Aaron Craddock: My closing challenge to you guys as we enter this season where it seems like freight is picking up all the indicators and recruiting is getting more challenging, I challenge all of you to cut one thing. So what is one thing you can cut out of your busy schedule? So is that social media? Is that news? Is that television time?

13:37 - 14:01
Aaron Craddock: How can you limit that to free up more time on the things that matter? Don't let your phone rob you of the future. So don't let it creep in there, rob you of the present, and then ultimately rob you of the future because you're not moving towards your goals. Live with intention, and you have way more capacity than you think. On that closing challenge to cut one thing out, it's progress, not perfection.

14:02 - 14:32
Aaron Craddock: Like even when I set the thirty minute social media cap, I think I still averaged an hour because I would hit the add more fifty more minutes. And then same thing on go into fifteen minutes. I think on average, I add another fifteen minutes, so I'm at thirty minutes. And so, yeah, progress not perfection, like slowly but steadily cut things out. And then, yeah, just for me, it's focusing on working out, eating healthy, spending time with those people I want to spend time with, say no to the wrong things.

14:32 - 15:10
Aaron Craddock: Another thing we have to do in the business is we say no to certain fleets. So we say no to more fleets than we partner with, like, just in terms of people that wanna run on our platform. And and some of that is a function of just our vision and and how we work with enterprise, some of the largest fleets in the country and want to grow with them and help them scale. And so that takes saying no to some smaller fleets that we may even want to work with but may not have the need the recruiting volume that we can produce of hires. And, yeah, thank you for joining me on the Hire Truckers Podcast.

15:10 - 15:11
Aaron Craddock: I'll see you in a couple weeks.

15:11 - 15:19
Ginger Craddock: Thank you for listening to the Hire Truckers Podcast, the show for fleet executives, HR leaders, and recruiting professionals. I'm your host, Ginger Kratock.

15:20 - 15:32
Aaron Craddock: And I'm your host, Erin Kradoch. Each week, we share insights, trends, and strategies to help you grow and thrive. If you found value today, please share the show and leave a review. Until next time, keep building top performing teams.