The challenge of finding and keeping good, long-term employees will only grow more difficult in the years ahead, notwithstanding the current downturn in America’s economy. The principal reason is that an increase in the number of retirements and other demographic workforce shifts during the next ten years will create a situation where the demand for experienced talent will outpace the supply of available workers. Recruiting seasoned, skilled labor and managing supervisors will be more time-consuming and expensive than ever.

Although employees in the private truck transportation/distribution field tend to stick with one company for many years, the job market in this segment of trucking will remain brisk, especially since it is seen as a growth market. Consequently, corporate distribution spends considerable money each year hiring search firms to find the right people and many companies are turning to online recruiting services for help.

In a recent CitiGroup survey of recruitment spending, corporate hiring managers across the country projected an increase in online recruiting spending to 35% of their 2002 budgets, up from 24% in 2001. In fact, 93% of U.S. corporations now use the Internet for recruiting purposes.

The survey found that 72% of companies use two or more third-party sites that offer either reach-and-scale or sector-specificity in which there is a distinct industry or geographic focus. Corporations are seeing results; last year they sourced 29% of mid-level positions from such sites. Staffing and recruiting firms also sourced 36% of mid-level positions from these sites.

NPTC can now contribute to this growing trend through the “Fleet Career Center”, a service designed specifically for the private truck industry. This valuable recruiting resource, which can be found on the web at www.nptc.org, will assist both employers and job seekers in making connections to fill positions.

Employers will be able to post jobs in numerous categories, from vice president of operations to supervisor or dispatcher. They will also have the satisfaction of knowing that their targeted ads will reach thousands of candidates looking for positions in the private fleet transportation/distribution industry.

Employers may register online. For the first month of service, they can post jobs at half-price and search what will eventually be thousands of resumes for free.

Through NPTC’s Fleet Career Center, employers can:

• Post and manage job listings 24/7;
• Have immediate access to an entire resume database of qualified candidates;
• Look for candidates who match their needs, whether as full-time, part-time or contract employees;
• Receive and respond to resumes, cover letters, etc. via e-mail
• Use three job-posting options — 60-day single job, four-job package or ten-job package posting.

Job seekers can:

• Have free access to job listings specific to the private fleet transportation/distribution industry;
• Post a public or confidential resume in a searchable database;
• Apply for positions online;
• Manage job searches around the clock;
• Upload additional resumes for free.

Employers and job candidates can contact any of the Fleet Career Center’s customer service reps for quick answers to their questions.