Anyone who’s in the distribution business will tell you that your company will only run as well as the drivers you hire—and that statement couldn’t be more true. After all, it’s not the managers or the supply chain experts who drive the trucks. Without excellent drivers, no distribution would get done and logistics would be a nightmare.

That’s why it’s so important to us to hire the right drivers for our distribution services. And in our commitment to excellence, we believe we’ve come up with a few time-tested rules of hiring excellent drivers which we’d like to share with you now:

• Finding drivers with an excellent safety record. The record, in many ways, speaks for itself: does a driver have a history of commitment to safety, or is their record spotty? It’s easy to say that you’re committed to safety, but when a driver is able to accurately demonstrate a history of this commitment, it makes our decisions as the hirer much easier. Finding drivers with an excellent safety record is a must—period.
• Looking for experience. Yes, it’s important to cultivate an expanding force of drivers that are getting experience as they grow into the role. But it’s also important to hire drivers that have the experience to demonstrate a consistent track record in the past. This is the quickest way to discover whether or not a driver is right for the demands of truck driving and distribution.
• Promoting an excellent work culture with the right attitude. It’s not only important to hire excellent drivers, but to keep them around. That’s why you should facilitate and promote a work culture that fosters good work, rewards dedication, and promotes the commitment to excellence on a daily basis. Yes, it can be difficult to always live up to these standards, but in the end the difference it makes is well worth the commitment.

Building a great distribution service isn’t complete until you have the right truck drivers manning the trucks. With a commitment to excellence in every aspect of their work – especially safety – it’s the truck drivers who ultimately “drive” the success of a logistics operation.