On this week’s episode of Taking the Hire Road, Tracy Rushing, executive director of safety and recruiting with R.E. Garrison Trucking and recipient of the Influential Woman in Trucking Award, sat down with host Jeremy Reymer, founder of DriverReach and Project 61, to discuss the importance of having the right mindset when it comes to recruiting and how staying focused on drivers is what sets the best carriers apart.
“I love talking about one thing that really matters, and that is how to keep our drivers working,” Rushing said.
“We laugh sometimes, because our whole industry is expected to be an invisible powerhouse that brings us everything we need, and by the way, we need to do that without any interruption to the rest of the world,” Rushing said. “A lot of times, we lose sight of the role of the recruiter in all that.”
R.E. Garrison Trucking is known across the industry for its commitment to supporting drivers.
“There are two types of people at RE Garrison – you will either drive a truck, or you will support the person driving a truck,” Rushing said.
“We’ve spent some time this year reflecting on how that sets us apart as a destination employer for drivers and staff around the country,” Rushing said. “I’m actually proud to say that it’s setting us less and less apart, because other carriers have picked up on our successes and adopted that mentality.”
At R.E. Garrison Trucking, Rushing says, every position outside of the cab of the truck has to support what happens in that cab for the business to be successful.
“Ultimately, to make all the superhero moves we need to make for this industry to do what it needs to do, we have to stay focused on that end goal, which is the backbone of everything we do,” Rushing said.
“I’m really proud to see the alignment that was born of us making that commitment,” Rushing said. “If I’m an accountant, a custodian or executive, I’m supporting the role of the driver. I love seeing how that mentality has come alive at R.E. Garrison. Everyone thinks about how what they do and don’t do each day impacts the cab of the truck.”
That focus has been one of Rushing’s primary goals in the course of her career. “I always ask how we can keep all of us outside of the cab focused on improving the job in the cab,” she said.
The by-product, according to Rushing, is that everyone at the company winds up with a more rewarding and more streamlined job.
“All of our jobs are improved, because we’re cohesively working toward that mission with a sense of purpose, and our drivers push us to make decisions about how we do our job in the supporting roles,” Rushing said.
“Because of the committed environment, we are a destination employer,” Rushing said. “When you come in with that simplified alignment of giving the truck or driver a more positive outcome, it puts all the challenges into perspective and keeps us focused.”
Evidently, drivers know that, because R.E. Garrison has no trouble recruiting drivers from the best carriers around the country.
“This is somewhere we all choose to be,” Rushing said. “We make intentional decisions that push all of us forward together. That really sets us apart, but as I’ve said, I’m tremendously proud to see other companies adopt our model.”
Click here to learn more about R.E. Garrison Trucking.
Sponsors: DriverReach, Lanefinder, The National Transportation Institute, Career Now Brands, Carrier Intelligence, Infinit-I Workforce Solutions, WorkHound, Asurint, Arya By Leoforce, Seiza, Drive My Way, F|Staff, Trucksafe Consulting, Seated Social, Repowr
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