Mark Frederik Stulzer's Linkedin Analytics

77% of U.S. freight will move by truck in 2035. But who will move it? More importantly, WHO will get the best lanes? The answer isn't in dispatch. It's in differentiation. Think about it: • Everyone fights for the same drivers • Everyone bids on the same freight • Everyone competes on the same terms • Everyone struggles with the same margins Or you could: 1. Target overlooked driver segments 2. Own that specific category 3. Let your drivers define your freight niche 4. Become irreplaceable to specific shippers Because when you're different, You're not competing. You're collecting.

The hidden costs of poor truck driver recruitment.

The true cost of a truck accident in 2024: No injuries: $46,765 With injuries: $383,168 Fatal crash: $14.5M But these numbers only tell part of the story. 8 companies shut down in 2024-2025 due to accident-related issues. Why? Because they gambled on recruitment: • Job board postings targeting unemployed drivers • Recruitment agencies pushing quantity over quality • Marketing campaigns attracting job hoppers • Quick-hire strategies ignoring red flags The truth? Elite drivers aren't searching job boards. Top performers aren't responding to ads. Quality drivers are already employed. You can't prevent accidents by hiring from the same pool everyone else is fishing in. The real lesson? Safety starts with recruitment. But recruitment isn't posting jobs. It's building relationships with proven professionals. Because in trucking: The right hire prevents disasters. The wrong hire guarantees them. What's your driver acquisition strategy really costing you?

Every 6 minutes, a trucking company dies. Not metaphorically. Literally. 2023 carnage: • 88,000 companies gone Here's what nobody's connecting: Bad hires accelerate company death. Each one costs you: • $15,000 in direct waste • 42 days of lost productivity • $4,129 in recruitment costs • $91,000 per safety incident But the real killer? The compounding effect: → Cash bleeds from turnover → Operations break from constant training → Safety scores suffer → Insurance costs spike → Customer trust erodes The math is brutal: 27% of companies report that a bad hire costs over $50,000. Yet fleets keep: • Posting on job boards • Offloading responsibility to an agency • Hoping for the best • Paying the price The companies that survive aren't lucky. They're methodical. Stop gambling with your fleet's future. Start treating recruitment like the survival strategy it is.

A harsh truth about hiring truck drivers. The drivers you want? They're not on job boards. Think about it: Would you find a CEO on Indeed? A star quarterback on ZipRecruiter? A top surgeon on Craigslist? Of course not. After analyzing hundreds of successful driver hires from multiple carriers: We found that... Only 2% came from job boards. The other 98%? From one massive but overlooked pool of drivers. Yet most fleets keep: • Spamming job sites • Chasing random leads • Wasting recruitment budgets Here's what actually works: → Go after the employed drivers → Present offers they can't refuse → Leverage AI at every step Stop competing for leftovers. Start targeting the employed. Because great drivers, like great talent, are rarely unemployed.

Failed carriers have a secret: They spent 23% less on driver amenities than their successful competitors. "But we can't afford extras!" - Every bankrupt fleet ever Here's what they missed: The success cycle: → Better hiring = Lower turnover → Lower turnover = Reduced costs → Reduced costs = More investment capital → More investment = Better driver experience The numbers tell the story: • $12,500 saved per avoided replacement • 42 days of productivity gained • $15,000 saved per bad hire prevented • $4,129 saved in recruitment costs The path is clear: Hire better → Retain longer → Invest smarter Stop the replacement cycle. Start the investment cycle.

'Just raise driver pay!' And all your hiring problems will go away, right? So the industry did: • 5X historical pay increases • Record-breaking bonuses • Better benefits ever The result? Still can't fill seats with drivers that stick around. Why? Because pay isn't the problem. Recruitment strategy is. While the industry is reportedly expected to need 1.1 million new drivers by 2029... Most fleets are: • Fighting over the same small pool • Using outdated methods • Ignoring the biggest opportunity One Midwest fleet cracked the code: → Cut all job board spending → Built a driver intelligence system → Targeted employed, qualified drivers directly Results in 60 days: • 47 qualified drivers hired • 92% retention rate • $3,200 lower cost per hire • Zero recruiters added Their secret? They stopped trying to be the highest bidder. Started being the smartest recruiter. Instead of competing for 3-8% of drivers on job boards... They built systems to reach the other 92%. The drivers who: • Already have proven experience • Are pre-qualified • Have stable work histories • Never visit job boards The math is simple: Old way: 100 applications = 2 qualified hires New way: 50 targeted contacts = 15 qualified hires Stop paying the "desperation tax" on job boards. Start building real driver acquisition systems.

I escaped the driver recruitment rate race 5 years ago. Our secret? One overlooked pool of drivers. We stopped: - spamming job boards - hiring driver recruitment agencies - rushing through the screening - making inflated promises We started: - identifying our ideal driver - going after this ideal driver - leveraging tech to scale our hiring efforts - keeping our word, always Understanding what drivers truly value changes everything. Leads to better decisions. Better retention. Are you still chasing driver leads? Or building lasting driver partnerships?

The true cost of a truck accident in 2024:

"Autonomous trucks will replace drivers." Really? Let's look at 2025's reality: • 72% of freight moves by truck • Projected to hit 77% by 2035 • Rail transport declining since 2023 • Cross-border trucking growing • Weather still challenges autonomous tech Here's what everyone misses: We don't have a technology problem. We have a capacity problem. Autonomous trucks won't replace drivers. They'll supplement them. Because freight demand isn't slowing. It's accelerating. The future isn't human vs machine. It's human AND machine.

In 2021, everyone was a trucking expert. In 2023, everyone was a trucking victim. In 2025, who will survive? Here's what the numbers don't tell you... The 2021 boom wasn't just about opportunity. It was about emotion. The 2023 bust wasn't just about rates. It was about reality. But 2025? It's about wisdom. New entrants will succeed not because: • Rates are higher • Freight is plentiful • Entry is easier But because: • They're better prepared • They're better funded • They're better educated The next wave won't be a gold rush. It will be a graduation.

I've spent over $800,000 on ads in the last year. Doubled our business. Learned some expensive lessons. Here are 5 that cost me the most: 1. Positioning isn't just important. It's critical. • Wrong positioning = Money pit • Average positioning = Average results • Right positioning = Money printer The difference? How you show up in a crowded market. 2. Ads aren't magic. They're amplifiers. They'll amplify: • A broken process • A weak offer • Poor operations • Bad delivery Or... They'll amplify excellence. Your choice. 3. Creative isn't just "content." It's your market's first impression. Bad creative = "Next" Good creative = "Interesting..." Great creative = "This is for me" Most waste money on the first two. 4. "Figure it out yourself" is the expensive path. I spent: • $30K learning the hard way • $6K learning from experts Guess which path was faster? Smarter? More profitable? Pride is expensive. Wisdom is valuable. 5. Creative volume matters. A lot. I test: • 15-20 new creatives weekly • Multiple angles • Different hooks • Various formats Why? Because what worked yesterday... Won't work tomorrow. The hard truth? Most businesses: Copy competitors... Run the same ads... Refuse to learn... Stay comfortable... Wonder why it's not working... Winners: Own their position... Fix their foundations... Invest in learning... Test relentlessly... Scale what works... Which path are you on?

Your job post has 6 seconds to capture attention. Yet most trucking companies lead with: "NOW HIRING CDL DRIVERS" (Yawn) A Wisconsin fleet tried something different: Instead of: "Regional routes, home weekends" They wrote: "Build your legacy on the open road. Write your own story. Create your own path." The impact? • Applications from qualified drivers up 500% • Recruitment costs cut in half • Driver referrals skyrocketed Because drivers don't apply to job specs. They apply to possibilities. Stop selling positions. Start selling purpose.

10s of 1000s of new carriers entered trucking in 2021. Then reality hit hard. The gold rush mentality of 2021 taught us something: Anyone can start a business in good times. But only the prepared survive the tough times. What separated the survivors? ✓ Cash reserves, not just cash flow ✓ Relationships, not just rates ✓ Strategy, not just spots ✓ Operations, not just opportunity 2025's projected rebound will be different: • Smarter entrants • Stronger foundations • Sustainable growth • Strategic focus Lesson learned: The best time to enter trucking isn't when it's easy. It's when you're ready. Are you building for the boom? Or building to last?

$2.27 per mile. That's the new cost of trucking. And it's a record high. The breakdown: • 62.4¢ increase since 2020 • 16.3% deadhead miles • 12.5% insurance premium spike • 8.8% higher truck payments In a market where you can't control rates, you better control costs.

1995: 14% of adults used the internet 2005: 66% were online 2014: 87% couldn't imagine life without it But here's what we forget: The real winners weren't the majority. They were the 14%. Think about it: • Amazon (1994) • eBay (1995) • Google (1998) • Salesforce (1999) (Notice the dates?) They didn't wait for proof. They saw the wave coming. They rode it first. They're still riding it. Today's wave? AI. The numbers tell the story: • 47% of leading companies have an AI strategy • 80% of B2B sales will be digital this year • AI is projected to contribute $15.7 trillion to the global economy by 2030 But here's the truth: These aren't adoption stats. They're advantage stats. Because in tech: Early adopters don't just lead. They compound their lead. Ask yourself: Do you want to be Amazon in '94? Or Borders in 2011? The AI wave is here. The only question is: Are you the 14% or the 87%? Because by the time it's obvious, It's already too late.

In 1985, nobody bought a Mac because of its processor speed. They bought the dream of changing the world. Yet most trucking companies still recruit with: • Pay-per-mile calculations • Equipment specifications • Benefits matrices • Safety statistics Here's what they miss: Drivers don't choose carriers with spreadsheets. They choose with stories. They choose with feelings. They choose with gut instincts. One Ohio fleet figured this out: Instead of leading with: "$0.65/mile, weekly pay" They lead with: "Be home for every baseball game." Results? • Applications tripled • Driver retention went up • Referrals flowing • Recruitment costs down by 47% Because emotion drives decisions. Logic justifies them. Stop selling numbers. Start selling dreams.

Think trucking isn't big business? These numbers will change your mind: $940.8 billion: Annual freight revenue That's more than Netflix, Disney, and Microsoft combined. Breaking it down: • Trucking handles 80.7% of ALL U.S. freight • Move 83.5% of Mexico-U.S. trade • Control 61.9% of Canada-U.S. freight • Generated nearly $1 trillion in 2022 Put simply: If it's in your home, a truck brought it. If it's in your store, a truck delivered it. If it crossed a border, a truck moved it. Trucking is not just transportation. It's the engine of North America's economy.

$791,700,000,000 That's annual trucking revenue in America. But here's the shocking part: While this industry: • Moves 80% of America's freight • Generates nearly $800B in revenue It's still losing the talent war: • A self inflicted driver shortage • 89% turnover (large carriers) • 73% turnover (small carriers) Money isn't fixing it. Neither are bonuses. A Cali fleet fleet cracked the code: They stopped: → Using recruitment agencies → Chasing sign-on bonuses → Playing the job board lottery Started: → Investing back into their recruiting → Avoided the job boards like the plague → Used AI to leverage their hiring Results in 90 days: • Applications ⬇️ 300% • Quality hires ⬆️ 190% • Retention rate: 87% • Cost per hire ⬇️ 43% The message? In a $791 billion industry, everyone is fighting over 3% - 8% of available drivers. The other 92%? They're employed, qualified, and open to the right opportunity at the right time and place.

$8,493,150 lost per day in Canadian trucking. Not from accidents. Not from fuel costs. From empty seats. That's how much Canadian trucking lost due to a fleet's inability to hire and retain good truck drivers (2018). When a fleet's hiring consists of: - Job boards - Agencies - Sign-on bonuses It is destined to... Fight over a small pool of unqualified drivers. Pay premium rates for mediocre talent. Lose drivers to the next bonus offer. Meanwhile, 92% of qualified drivers: • Never visit job boards • Ignore recruitment ads • Don't respond to cold calls But they DO respond to: • Strategic targeting • Value-based outreach • Unique messaging The message is clear: Stop fishing in overcrowded ponds. Start building systems to reach the ocean.