Best way to find owner operators?

[MikeStamp]

I posted some ads online through job posting sites for owner ops but the response has been less than I expected. Can anyone suggest a better or more productive way to find owner operators?
Thanks

 

[Henry]

I have had a little success with Kijiji if you are looking for an employee. I would avoid Kijiji for owner operators.

 

[Henry]

Todays Trucking and the Ontario Trucking association also allow people to advertise but there is a cost.

 

[FR84ME]

When I ran my fleet a few years back I found that my best recruiters were my owner-operators. Treat them well and if they refer an owner-operator that is still with the company after 3 months they receive a $500.00 bonus.

 

[KeyFactor]

When I ran my fleet a few years back I found that my best recruiters were my owner-operators. Treat them well and if they refer an owner-operator that is still with the company after 3 months they receive a $500.00 bonus.

One of my clients discussed many of these strategies some time ago, but continues to struggle to attract and retain o/o's...it seems they come on board, but rarely stay no matter how hard you try to please them. I wonder if the grass truly is greener on the other side or if they end of changing for the sake of changing. One thing's for sure, the client is one of the most honest and hard-working people I know...someone who places true value on people.

 

[Igor Galanter]

Word of mouth.

 

[FR84ME]

One of my clients discussed many of these strategies some time ago, but continues to struggle to attract and retain o/o's...it seems they come on board, but rarely stay no matter how hard you try to please them. I wonder if the grass truly is greener on the other side or if they end of changing for the sake of changing. One thing's for sure, the client is one of the most honest and hard-working people I know...someone who places true value on people.

I found that as well, if they stay a year you have done well...

 

[Freight Broker]

Way back when I was hiring owner-operators for the carrier I worked for I found the following to be most effective: I would get myself something like the Autotrader for heavy trucks.. a magazine with alot of ads in it with trucks for sale. I would then call almost every number in that magazine and ask if they knew of any owner-operators who might be looking for a new opportunity. That worked surprisingly well..

Another tactic I used: I made friends with the guys in the dealerships who sold trucks. I would give them names that I had of people I knew who were looking to buy a new truck, and they in turn would feed me names of owner-operators who came into their dealerships. This also worked well..

Both methods worked much better than simply placing an ad.

 

[whatiship]

When I ran my fleet a few years back I found that my best recruiters were my owner-operators. Treat them well and if they refer an owner-operator that is still with the company after 3 months they receive a $500.00 bonus.

I agree, these guys meet o/'s every day. Give them lots of business cards and make it worth their while to act as recruiters. Just make sure you tell your owner operators that you need additional trucks to meet your existing volumes. Many will worry that additional trucks will mean a smaller piece of the pie for them. A $1000.00 "bounty" is well worth it for a good one who stays with you.

 

[MikeStamp]

Thanks for the feedback all. I never would have thought to search the ways that have been mentioned and I will definitely do all.

Thanks

 

[Sal S]

Mike, I have found some drivers posting at truck stops and service stations off the major highways in the Toronto area in the past. Printing a page and posting it on a bulletin board in the truck stop.
Hope this helps.