A recent survey finds that 76% of truck fleets are hoping to hire more drivers this year.

The poll was condcuted by Hireright, a firm offering driver recruiting and screening services.

Recruiting qualified candidates remains the top challenge to 69% of more than a thousand trucking industry professionals who were polled, while another 54% note retention also is an issue because more drivers are leaving their jobs.

Of those surveyed, 40% say their fleets plan to invest in developing retention programs, and 40% as well in training and development programs.

Breaking it down further, among companies with more than 2,500 employees, 61% of respondents plan to invest in retention programs, and 58% say they will invest in training and development.

About 55% of respondents plan to invest in recruiting at more trade events and 43% say they are working to improve job candidate experience from application through onboarding.

While 73% say referrals continue to be the most effective way to find candidates, 54% also say they are using social networking to find talent – a significant jump from 42% in 2017.

To retain new talent, 38% of respondents report they are introducing new hires to company executives, while 32% are implementing longer orientation and training periods and 28% are appointing driver liaisons or mentors.

“When aiming to find new, qualified talent at a fast pace, they must keep in mind the organizational risk that hiring can introduce,” says Kent Ferguson, director of transportation solutions at HireRight. “Implementing a thorough, transparent, and candidate-friendly background screening process is key in striking the right balance.”