During this week’s episode of the Oakley Podcast, host Jeremy Kellett is joined by Oakley recruiters Dustin Eagle and Kent Childers to discuss what’s happening in the world of recruiting from what recruiters want to how many owner-operators Oakley needs and more.
Key topics in today’s conversation include:
- Oakley Update: operating Geotabs, Dean Smith (3:05)
- The slowness of recruiting today (5:49)
- Recruiting in 2022 (7:59)
- Income consistency at Oakley (10:19)
- What truck drivers want (11:13)
- How many independent contractors Oakley needs (13:36)
- Where to live so you can be home on the weekend (15:59)
- We can meet your desires (18:21)
- Opportunities at Oakley (19:54)
Oakley Trucking is a family-owned and operated trucking company headquartered in North Little Rock, Arkansas. For more information, check out our show website: podcast.bruceoakley.com.
Transcription
Automated transcription – may contain errors
Jeremy Kellett 00:12
If they only knew if you just go get your truck and get over here, thanks start clicking man. You start seeing a whole different side of the trucking world and you and you go man, this is me time y’all heard I should have
Dustin Eagle 00:26
been and that’s where years ago that’s where you got to get them to focus on all the positives. Yeah, and they say on the few negatives not try because there’s
Jeremy Kellett 00:35
a lot more positive
Kent Childers 00:37
but it’s easy to focus on that negative and that’s where a lot of guys get hung up.
Jeremy Kellett 00:41
Yeah, and there’s there is more negative now than what we’re used to. You know, with the truck prices and the truck parks and can’t use they just can’t get that you know, type of deal like there is but there you know, some of the positive is more money now is ever ever. Welcome to the Oakley podcast, trucking, business and family. This show is brought to you by Oakley trucking headquartered in North Little Rock, Arkansas. The purpose of this podcast is to communicate with Oakley owner operators and their families by giving them up to date information concerning Oakley trucking in the trucking industry, from business advice to safety updates to success stories, also to give an insight to outside truck drivers that might be interested in joining the Oakley family. There’s Jeremy Killip, Director recruiting here at Oakley trucking and I’m your host for this podcast. This is episode 94. On today’s podcast, I’ll be joined by a couple of guys in the recruiting department can’t Dustin we’re gonna talk a little bit of recruiting today and what’s happening in the world of recruiting truck drivers. So from what you know, we’re gonna get into stuff from what these recruits want these days to how many Oakley needs right now and maybe where we need them to live. And some of the obstacles to the to get overcome to lease on with Oakley trucking, maybe some of that too. But before we get started on that, let’s get let’s get to our Oakley update and it’s sponsored by aero truck sales. Keith Wilson at Arrow truck sales in Springfield, Missouri is currently offering $1,000 off your first month’s payment when you finance with transport funding, or $1,000 off the truck price if you bring your own financing. They’re also discounting the cost of an extended warranty by $500. Arrow truck sales has been a longtime partner with Oakley trucking, and that’s because they specialize in first time truck buyers. They don’t do any leases. They have the best use trucks money can buy because use trucks is all they do. They don’t sell any new trucks. And the biggest reason that arrow and Oakley are partners in service after the sale. It is very important to us at Oakley, that when we refer you to a company, that they are a good company with good people, they do what they say and they understand our requirements. So give Keith a call at 573 to 166047 for a good use truck and tell him you heard about it on the Oakley podcast. Okay, on Oakley update today, I just got a couple quick things. I got some information from the safety department. And one of the things that they said with these new geo tabs that we’re putting in the login. So JP wanted to let everybody know to log in to the hours of service of the Geotab you use your email address, and the last four of your social class. So 12341234 your email in front of that. So that here won’t let everybody know that evidently, that’s a common problem. Common question I should say. And also second thing safety said is I now have a video on how to operate the new E log, and it’s on YouTube. So he said that he mailed it out to everybody. But be sure to check your email and see if you’ve got it but that will help you operate at a load a little bit better than new Geotab maybe answer some questions for you if you search that on YouTube. The other thing on the weekly update always like to recognize old brown wrappers. It’s been here a long time and this one this week is Dean Smith out of Longville Louisiana. He’s been with us 15 years this month he grabbed the 2013 Freightliner he’s I know he did he hadn’t done for a long time but now he’s currently doing a pneumatic tank and I asked the pneumatic guys about him and and what they thought about oh Dean, and I’ll just tell you what they sent me said this is actually Bradley I think you dispatch him he said I’ve never had any trouble with Dean at all. You give them something to do and he gets it done the right way. Easy going and represents Oakley whale about the only way you can make Dane mad is if you don’t let him take off to do so well. Mikey man. Alright, that’s your Oakley update for this episode. Now let’s get into some recruiting. Let’s talk about recruiting truck drivers at Oakley trucking recruiting truck drivers in general. And this this day and age with COVID, running rampid and all the thing that’s, that’s changed over the last two years. I mean, it’s it’s changed the record recruiting world for truck drivers. I know for sure. They said there’s a shortage. You know what, 510 years ago, there’s a shortage of truck drivers. And now like there’s even more of a shortage of truck drivers. Joining me I got Dustin ego and Kent Childers, or what I call us, Tom saying your recruiters, recruiters with Oakley trucking. And, you know, they’ve been doing it for a long time here at Oakley and to get some knowledge of this and talk to recruits all all the time. So tell me what you guys think is going on in a recruiting world of truck drivers today?
Kent Childers 05:49
Fine, I’m gonna say it’s a little tougher than I’ve, I’ve been in recruiting now. 15 years, and it’s about as tough as a as a stretch, as I’ve seen as far as movement. You know, there’s courses, you know, trucking side of it is extremely good right now. And, you know, not a lot of a lot of phone calls. Right now you’re getting on guys moving period. just seen. I’ve seen it.
Jeremy Kellett 06:13
We’ve slowed down, but we had it for this long.
Dustin Eagle 06:16
No, no, we haven’t. It’s, uh, I haven’t been done as long as kin, and Jeremy, but this is the first time I’ve really seen it like this. And they’ve always told me, you know, we’ve we’ve been through it before. And we’ll come out of it. And I’ve never seen it. But here we are, you know, it kind of started, you know, one COVID hit back in 2020. And it you know, you could see it gradually changing, but come about a year later, through halfway through 21. It really slowed down. You know, it seemed like everybody was busy. Truck prices have went through the roof, you know, on it getting a little strict financing companies are stricter. And I think generally, I think the trucking industry might be in kind of a, I don’t know, you’re getting one group of guy that’s done in a long time getting out of and here comes a new group of guys. And yeah, I think we had what, three retire yesterday. Yeah. So I mean, we’ve we’ve had a lot retire this year. And I think the trucking industry in the holes and a turnover now, in my opinion a little bit?
Jeremy Kellett 07:25
Well, it’s just, you know, we’ve never seen it this slow when it comes to, to being able to lease owner operators on it’s just, you’re not getting the leads that you used to get?
Dustin Eagle 07:35
Yeah, I think that goes with what Kant said, you know, everybody’s busy right now. And when everybody’s busy, you’re not going to get as many leads and phone calls as it used to do. So. You know, it’s the ones we do get, you’ve got, you know, you’ve really got to focus on because I must work with these days,
Jeremy Kellett 07:55
you think is gonna last all year or 2022.
Kent Childers 07:59
It’s, it’s not started out at a good pace, you know, and feed asked me this last year, I wouldn’t have thought it would make that whole year. Here we are, again. I was talking to some guys at a truck dealership today in new trucks or, you know, their third quarter new trucks as far as getting a truck.
Jeremy Kellett 08:21
I think you also dealing with talking about the shortage drivers a little bit, you’re dealing with all the other industries, not just transportation, but just you know, blue collar jobs that people are hiring to. I mean, you got that competition you’re going against to where guys are doing something else. And not getting into trucking like they used to, as many as I used to exactly, I think is used to not not only are we competing against every other trucking company for a truck driver, but we’re competing against every other area of the corporation. Yeah, every other place. You know, let’s hire people. And everybody needs them now. I don’t know. What happened, everybody. I don’t know that. It was like pre COVID. I mean, it was fantastic. You know, there was waiting lists going on. And then I mean, did people just quit working and stay at home? And that’s it. I mean. Yeah, yeah,
Dustin Eagle 09:16
that’s what I think you hit it. You know, right. There’s, you don’t have to drive a truck to make good money right now. I mean, everybody’s hiring. Yeah. And if you want a job where you can get one right now.
Jeremy Kellett 09:29
Yeah. And I just, you know, you think about the future of it. Boy, it’s just going to be hard for it to get better. It seems like to for people to get into trucking. And if they only knew how good it could be, though, I mean, I think you would have a whole bunch of getting there I think is just that gap that educating people will have good it can be in trucking it but you know, it’s it’s the way it’s been forever is is the mentality and the what people think of truck drivers? A lot of people thought, well, I’ll get my CDL. But that’s my last resort. Well, that’s, you know, if they only knew what the possibilities were, if they if they were a truck driver, they would, they would get after it a lot quicker. Yeah.
Dustin Eagle 10:17
And I think the guys that are doing it right now, if they actually knew the consistency, they’d have it Oakley trucking? Yeah. I mean, these guys would like. I mean, they would, they could see it over a year’s time. These guys would make more money in Oakley, I think, than any than what they’re doing now. But, you know, they have the these few big weeks. And, man, I’m making all kinds of money. Yeah, well, take 52 weeks. Together, try it and see what year and hopefully you get a year somewhere else and see what you got out. And I wish I could get that out there to all the guy owner operators.
Jeremy Kellett 10:58
What are these guys? You get them on the phone? What are they telling you they want these recruits that we do talk to? And you know, talking about coming to work here? What is what’s changed, you know, to what do they want now, compared to what they want it used to?
Kent Childers 11:13
I’d like to call it a quality of life is what they kind of thing to as far as home time. Dedicated home time home every day, you know, a bunch of a big majority of the guys I talked to her. That’s exactly what they’re looking for. And we’ve got some dedicated work here. Now, in some, you know, some places and not not all over, but we sure have some that works well for people. But I talk to a lot of guys that their first question is will you have a dedicated home every night? We may not know, random road? Or my dad ran road? I’m looking at
Jeremy Kellett 11:49
are you talking to more older people or younger people these days?
Dustin Eagle 11:53
I’d say steal more older people, in my opinion. Oh, by the way, thank
Kent Childers 11:58
you, mate. Um, I’m gonna say Not, not early 20s but 30 to 40 in the night crazy.
Jeremy Kellett 12:07
I mean, typically it’s 50 to 60s.
Kent Childers 12:10
Right. And that’s what I think he was talking about earlier. That was his.
Dustin Eagle 12:15
Well, I mean, older paper. I was thinking 40
Jeremy Kellett 12:19
Oh, come on, man. Yeah.
Kent Childers 12:25
Not even going to talk.
Jeremy Kellett 12:28
Yeah. Well, you know, it’s the reason I ask it is what they are wanting is just to let our listeners know how much it’s changed over the years to where, you know, when I was doing day to day recruiting, it was miles, can I get miles getting you some miles and miles? I mean, it was what it was for ever, was the miles. And now it seems like yeah, that’s not the
Dustin Eagle 12:58
and I think a lot of them want to know what they’re going to be doing every day before, you know, before and they don’t want to call in. And well, you know, they don’t they want to know what they’re doing every day before like, for like, come to work. You know, certain areas, certain lanes, hey, that’s all I’m going to do. You know, it’s when you call in. You know, you get unloaded, you call in? Like dispatch gives you a load. They don’t want to be surprised anymore, ya know? And can you blame? No,
Jeremy Kellett 13:29
no more plan out your day? Plan
Dustin Eagle 13:31
it out. Plan your weekend?
Jeremy Kellett 13:32
Yeah. What? So I mean, right now, I was gonna ask the stupid question that I put down on your sheet there. How many independent contractors do we need right now?
Dustin Eagle 13:44
We just talked about that. It’s kind of what I was saying. What kind of question is, well, you
Kent Childers 13:48
got a number over what you got your like top dollar any
Dustin Eagle 13:51
qualified driver.
Jeremy Kellett 13:55
So you can take 50 right now? Or more?
Kent Childers 13:58
Yeah, take 50. Tomorrow. I take 50 Next week. Yeah, next week. Next week. I’d like to get like to get things caught back up. Because it’s been you know, we’ve got the guys that are retiring. We’ve, we’ve got the gods with truck issues when no parts that have been down and you know, can’t
Jeremy Kellett 14:17
Well, that’s a whole nother podcast. Yeah. Not my air. And it goes
Dustin Eagle 14:23
along with and that hits kind of hit that all these guys look into Bottrop that you talk to? They’re hearing that stuff. Yeah. And they do not want to be a part of it. They’re thinking, why am I gonna get a DRO you can’t get no parch you know, truck prices are high. I mean, that’s stuff we hear on the phone, because I talk to owner operator, you know, and that’s just stuff we hear from I hear from recruits anyway.
Jeremy Kellett 14:50
Go Yeah, it’s if they only knew if you just go get your truck and get over here. Thanks. Start clicking my exam, you start seeing a whole different front side of the trucking world and you and you go man this is me time y’all heard I should
Dustin Eagle 15:05
that’s where years ago that’s where you got to get down to focus on all the pauses yeah in the stay of the few negatives
Jeremy Kellett 15:12
that dry because there’s a lot more positive in it but it’s
Kent Childers 15:17
easy to focus on that negative and that’s where a lot of guys get hung up
Jeremy Kellett 15:21
yeah and there’s there is more negatives now than what we’re used to I think you know with the truck prices and the truck parts and can’t get this can’t get that you know type of deal I think there is but there you know, some of the positive is more money now he’s ever ever you know, I mean yeah the trucks are a little higher but that so was the money you know, the making more money they ever have the podcast before this one and went over settlement some reason you wouldn’t believe I mean, some of the money these things people were making net money, you know, out of that gross and that goes a long ways. We’re getting
Kent Childers 15:59
these guys home now. A lot more often, most weekends in places it was an option 10 years ago. I mean, just
Jeremy Kellett 16:10
that’s a good okay, so go into that can’t wear you know, right now, where would be a good place for guys to live and they get home on the weekends? Because that’s exactly right. I mean, that’s changed over the
Kent Childers 16:22
years touring pretty much everywhere where the endo from Texas East life you get way up in the far northeast are way down south Florida, we you know that the Florida that’s kind of a pivotal spot there that they work with? These are guys and but anywhere in between there. Yes. I would say on a week Alabama, absolutely. Most of Georgia, up through the Carolinas, Pennsylvania, and back this way. You get home every weekend.
Dustin Eagle 16:53
Yes, you can. That has changed a lot. Yeah, this patch
Jeremy Kellett 16:57
is making a good, great job to try to do what they can for sure to, to attract more
Dustin Eagle 17:03
not to hoppers, I can get a guy home pretty much weekends, a lot of places these days, too.
Jeremy Kellett 17:08
Yeah, we’re doing something out there. Carolina. Wow.
Kent Childers 17:11
Yeah, they really stretched it out through the southeast. If you’re doing a good job there.
Jeremy Kellett 17:16
Yeah. Lots of opportunities. He just, you know, I wanted to do this episode with recruiting just so you know, give people or operators here, what we’re going through, and also recruits that are listening to this, you know, what’s going on in the reality of recruiting a truck driver, I mean, that’s what it is, it’s, it is more challenging than it’s ever been. For us. It’s a battle every day, it’s it’s challenging for the driver to for the company driver wanting to go to owner operator. It’s a challenge, you know, in the trucking world today, for sure. But, you know, it’s, it’s still a great industry to be into it’s great money to be made. I mean, it’s a great company to be with, to do that long term. So I mean, you know, it’s as many negatives as there is, like you said, it does, and it’s still a lot, the positives outweigh the negatives all day long. If you get with Oakley, you know, because you got to get really good with that any company that fits your needs. And I would encourage everybody to, you know, that’s even one if you’re at Oak, a current owner operator at Oakley, and you have some issues, or you have some you want to get home more, or, Hey, we had a guy in here this week that was going to retire. And we tried to get him. He said he wanted to be home more, you know, so he was just gone, hanging up. And this guy started coming up with low draft around his house so we can get you home all the time. Well, it was a little too late, I think for that individual. But what I’m trying to tell our owner operators to do if you if you if you’re wanting that now if your need man in your life, and man, ask us, you never know what we can come up with. In situations. I mean, we’ve got a lot of right now that it’s just a matter of us putting our heads together and putting you on it and making it happen and you get way more home time. You know, we got a lot of guys talked to me yesterday, and you know, you slowing down a little bit. You know, they’re that retirement age, we got a lot of guys working into that. And you know, you gotta let them slow down work whenever when you see a lot of that stuff. So anyway, anything else you guys want to add to? To the recruiting? So you got a few notes. Make sure you get it all in?
Dustin Eagle 19:48
Well, I think it’s important we get it out there to especially the recruits listening right now, you know, we’re very busy on all divisions here, you know, and we’re looking for Hopper guys we’re looking for end up guys pneumatic tanks. I mean other, they’re very busy. And we like, can’t say we’ve got some local work down in Baton Rouge, we’re looking for some, for some owner operator for some local or, you know, I wouldn’t say dedicated but we’ve got some local stuff out of St. Louis, we’re looking for some guys today, we really need to ramp that up. I wish we had three or four up there now. And we’re really need some gas for that. So we’ve got a lot of work. And we really need some guys to do it right now. Like you’re
Kent Childers 20:33
talking about a while ago, you know, all the positives for that company driver going owner operator. I mean, you do have some red flags there with what trucks and parking we still know some excellent dealerships to really help help those guys. You know, take that first step and cross that bridge and get in a good truck with warranty and get started over here with us.
Jeremy Kellett 20:54
Yeah, good stuff, man. You know, it’s always good to hear from the recruiting department. You know, us is there by Louis inside of what’s going on at Oakley trucking. So in the recruiting department, good stuff. All right, well, hey, once again, I appreciate it. appreciate everybody listening to the Opie podcast, be sure to like, subscribe and leave a comment. Those things do do a world of help to spread the word about Delphi podcasts and give us some good feedback too. And we appreciate everybody listens to appreciate all our owner operators out there. And y’all have a good week. We’ll talk to you next week. Thanks. Thanks for listening to this episode with Oakley podcast, trucking, business and family. If you enjoyed this episode, be sure to write or review the show in the podcast platform of your choice and share it with a friend. We love hearing from our audience. So if you’ve got a question, comment or just want to say hello, head over to our website, the Oakley podcast.com and click the leave a comment button. We’ll get you over spot soon and may even share some of the best ones here on the show. We’ll be back with a fresh episode very soon. Thanks for listening.