In “Star Wars: A New Hope,” Luke Skywalker starts off as a restless farm kid searching for purpose, and eventually, grow into a hero we root for. There’s something about an underdog story that people love.
Storytelling isn’t just a marketing tool, it’s a way to reshape the narrative and stir action.
When people think of the trucking industry, most often, they think of a semi-truck and its driver out on the road. Drivers are vital to the transportation industry, but there’s also countless roles that move the industry behind the scenes.
There are career paths that most people aren’t aware of and haven’t considered, which companies could highlight in their recruitment strategies. However, talent pipelines can’t grow without awareness.
Florida Trucking Association’s newly announced Jobs Beyond the Wheel initiative is a step toward shifting perceptions and addressing the industry’s skilled labor shortage.
The campaign includes a website spotlighting different careers in the trucking industry, as well as opportunities for job seekers to access educational pathways and job and training resources.
“The trucking industry offers exciting, high-earning careers, many of which we want to highlight. The campaign includes firsthand accounts from employees about the skills and paths they’ve developed,” said Alix Miller, president and CEO of Florida Trucking Association.
“We want to showcase the dynamic opportunities for Floridians to discover how their talents fit in this essential industry where innovation meets opportunity,” Miller added.
The platform depicts the wide range of roles in the industry beyond driving, including diesel technicians, manufacturing specialists, brokers and customer operations professionals, dispatchers and load tracking experts, transportation lawyers, HR, accounting and recruiting teams, safety professionals, and PR and digital communications experts.
These roles are in high demand. Amongst diesel technicians, for example, according to Fullbay’s 2022 State of the Heavy-Duty Repair Industry Report, more than half of surveyed respondents cited technician hiring as their top operational hurdle, with 65% describing the process as “difficult.” American Transportation Research Institute had also identified the significance of the diesel technician shortage, and had asked for input in the industry to examine its cause.
By highlighting the people not just on the road, but also in the office, the control room, and testing labs, the industry can reposition itself as a career goal, and not just a last resort. Showcasing career progression and broadening the understanding of careers the industry can offer will fill critical roles and future-proof the workforce.
