It is crucial to have good drivers for a fleet company. But “good driver” isn’t really something you can just put on your resume. While a resume is useful in understanding a person’s experience and credibility, it doesn’t help with knowing if someone is a responsible and safe driver. A successful driver is important for your fleet company as they represent you and your business. Driving for a fleet company is a demanding and challenging job, so you want to be positive that whoever you hire is qualified with the right skills and background. There are a couple key points you should keep in mind when looking for drivers, so here is how to hire drivers for your fleet company:
1. Conduct Interviews
Since your driver is essentially the face of your company, it is important to conduct thorough interviews. An interview can give you a feel of their personality and also gives them the opportunity to further explain their background. You should conduct multiple interviews before hiring so that you can be positive they are a good fit for the position.
2. Test Their Driving Skills
Once you interview candidates and have a better understanding of their experience, then you must test their driving skills. This is a critical step to ensure they are a safe and comfortable driver. While they are driving, try to measure their comfortability and driving skills as best as you can. Once you conduct a driving test, you will have a better grasp of who is right for the role.
3. Run a Background Check
A background check is a crucial step to ensure that a candidate is credible. A background check will verify someone’s identity, as well as their employment history and criminal record. This is also the time you should check the MVR of a candidate. What is a MVR check? An MVR check is a motor vehicle report of an individual’s driving history and is critical for safety assurance. Failing to do an MVR check is dangerous and can end up costing your company a ton of money.
4. Ensure They Have Mechanical Skills
Your driver will be on the road for long hours at a time and should be able to handle any mechanical mishaps. If the car breaks down or something happens, they should know basic mechanical skills to fix it. You can have final candidates take a mechanical knowledge test to check their skills.
5. Make Sure They’re Tech Savvy
A good driver should be tech savvy and able to understand how to use GPS navigation. If they take a wrong turn or get lost, they should understand technology enough to be able to get themselves back on track. Having a GPS is very useful for long drives, so if the car isn’t already equipped with one, make sure they have one they can use.
6. Test Their Customer Service Skills
Part of driving for a fleet company is having to communicate with customers and suppliers. Since they are driving, they are the ones who your customers are going to remember. So, you will want to test their customer service skills, which you can do with online services. Strong customer service skills is key in upholding a good reputation for your company.
Hiring a good driver for your fleet company is undoubtedly difficult. It requires in-depth investigation and research so you can be absolutely positive they are a good fit for the job. Make sure you are thorough with all these steps, run a background check, and test their skills. And above all else, just make sure that they love to drive.
