Grant Stanley drives 50,000 miles every year – about one-third of what a typical professional truck driver drives. It’s his way of connecting with the trucking companies he represents as a marketing guru that specializes in trucking.
Stanley, CEO of consulting firm Bulldog Works, set out one summer on a trip from Seattle to Ogden, Utah, along I-90 as part of reaching that 50,000-mile goal. But the beauty of the drive, he said, couldn’t prevent the boredom that set in along that nearly 800-mile trip.
“I listened to everything I possibly could. I was hungry to listen to stuff,” he said.
Jason Eisenman, vice president of safety and human resources at Nebraska-based Liquid Trucking, one of Bulldog Works’ trucking clients, had previously pitched the idea of podcasting to Stanley. Stanley said he was initially skeptical, but after that trip, he was on board.
Bulldog Works worked with Liquid Trucking, a tank carrier of agricultural, food-grade, and hazardous materials, to produce a podcast for the 225-truck fleet.
Featured on the Liquid Trucking website, the podcast has gained enough traction that Bulldog Works is now offering Fleet Podcasts, designed to help motor carriers recruit and retain drivers through authentic, story-driven content, as a service to other trucking companies.
Bulldog Works aims to launch 100 Fleet Podcasts by 2028.
The podcast worked so well for Liquid Trucking that the carrier invested in Bulldog Works, taking a 50% ownership stake with Eisenman coming on board as chief operating officer.
Though he doesn’t have solid numbers, Eisenman said at least one or two drivers out of every orientation class have mentioned the podcast. Stanley said Liquid Trucking’s recruiting director has claimed that the podcast has reduced the company’s cost per hire down to the hundreds of dollars instead of the thousands of dollars, primarily through increased referrals.
Eisenman said the recruiting department shares the podcast link with potential drivers as part of its recruiting strategy.
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“Drivers are always guarded, so they will dribble out that podcast link, and then they'll kind of get hooked on it, and they'll listen to it, and now they feel like they're part of a family already,” he said. “I think it helps get people closer to what's already scary, because changing jobs is scary, and picking one trucking company out of thousands out there is scary from a driver's side, just as scary as it is for a fleet to hire good quality folks.
“There are so many reasons why it's scary to switch jobs, and I feel like this is a good opportunity for them to basically just get connected before they're even here,” he added. “When these people show up, they're like, ‘Oh, I feel like I already know you.’ That’s pretty cool.”
The Sticky Factor
Stanley said he deleted his Facebook account because the algorithm clocked him as a professional driver, so with every other swipe of his thumb would be a “Now Hiring” ad for a trucking company.
Facebook is flooded with these ads, and in a world where drivers have thousands of options at their fingertips, he said being memorable is key.
That’s where podcasting comes in, he said, because it builds relationships rather than relying on flashy cents-per-mile pay or sign-on bonus ads – ads drivers can’t even look at unless they’re parked.
“What we’re finding is drivers are really hungry for some good quality content to listen to,” Stanley said. “They've got 11 hours of government-mandated time, but there's not a lot of things to listen to yet.”
Many fleets have launched podcasts, but not so many are successful, receiving very few downloads, while Liquid Trucking’s podcast reaches beyond its drivers to drivers’ family members and other fleets.
Stanley said most fleet podcasts are unsuccessful because they’re boring, overproduced and primarily feature leadership.
“Drivers don't want that. They want something that's consistent and driver driven,” he said, adding that fleet podcasts should feature drivers, not leadership at least 70% of the time. He said another key factor is consistency, publishing episodes weekly.
The most important piece, though, is real drivers and real stories, he said.
“It's getting leadership to the point where they're comfortable with the good, the bad and the ugly because in this kind of authenticity relationship era, drivers know there are issues,” Stanley said. “We need to be up front with, ‘Hey, this is what we're good at. This is what we're not so good at. This is what we're working on. That actually builds that trust and helps you stand out.”
Eisenman calls it the “sticky factor,” something that sets you apart, something that draws a driver in and keeps them there. He said Liquid Trucking’s goal is to have as many sticky factors as possible.
The podcast has turned out to be a major sticky factor.
Liquid Trucking has as many trucks full as they've ever had, and they're even growing. Eisenman said the goal is to fill 250 trucks by the end of the year.
Doing it different
The company has a goal to help other trucking companies grow, too.
That’s Liquid Trucking’s part of the partnership. The company will serve as a consultant to other trucking companies that take advantage of Fleet Podcasts by Bulldog Works to help them realize the fullest potential.
Stanley said Bulldog Works has nailed the formula.
When he has talked to fleets in the past that have tried podcasts on their own, he said they’ve always focused on building a studio at their facility. That means the majority of content is produced by employees and leadership on site, rather than the drivers themselves.
“That is office-centric thinking. Drivers are out on the road,” Stanley said.
So instead of spending loads of money on sound-proofing a room and setting it up for a stationary podcast, Bulldog Works has invested in audio engineering to reduce background noise so a driver can call in from their cellphone on the road.
“We want our drivers to be on the podcast, so we have figured out how to record remotely,” Stanley said. “We don't really care about a podcast studio. Our rule is we will record wherever a driver is as long as they're parked.”
Stanley said it’s not just a podcast; it’s art. The service includes a weekly show, along with promotions and a digital newsletter. The Bulldog Works team visits every terminal, taking photos and talking to employees, from truckers and mechanics to back-office staff, getting ideas for podcast topics.
“You don't just flip a switch and start a podcast. There's a lot more work to it,” he said. “Anybody can make a podcast, but how do you make something that drivers will listen to and share?”
Eisenman said Liquid Trucking is now over a year in and approaching 100 episodes of its podcast, which is hosted by former talk radio show host, Marcus Bridges.
With over 1,700 weekly downloads, he said it has been a boon for business rather than a bust. Eisenman credits that in part to this remote model.
He said had the company set out to start a podcast on its own, it probably would have made the same “rookie move” and built a room, added some microphones and brought drivers in off the road, losing revenue.
Instead, he said a driver might call in on their 30-minute break after dropping a load in St. Louis, for example.
“We did all the trial and error. We figured out that talking to drivers when they're out living their life wherever they're at … you're getting exactly what you want from them,” Eisenman said. “They're talking to you about their day and their world at the at that minute, and it's the most authentic stuff that we've ever got.”
