AND MAKE BIG BUCKS DOING IT

Greatwide Logistic Services, with its access to 20,000 carriers and 5,000 Greatwide trucks, has a highly successful Driver ReferralProgram that generates more qualified new drivers for the company and extra money for the company’s existing drivers. Jefferey Rainey, who has been driving trucks since 1997, has become the top driver/recruiter at Greatwide, as the company services over 5,000 shipping customers annually with some 100,000 loads or more. I caught up with Jeffery to find out why the Greatwide Driver Referral Program is hitting on all cylinders. Here’s what he had to say:

How does the Greatwide Drive Referral Program work?

It’s a great program. Greatwide gives up to $2,500 for every qualified driver that is referred to them and they hire. You get $1,000 two weeks after the newly hired driver pulls his first load. Then, for every 90 days that the driver you referred stays with the company, you get another $500. That keeps going until you reach that $2,500 total.

How did you get started in the referral program?

I really started participating in the program just to see if I could do it. I thought I’d try to get one qualified driver for the company. I put an ad on Craigslist in Columbia, South Carolina, near where I live, and within three hours I had the names of three qualified drivers to submit. I was surprised. Then, within a couple of months, I referred 12 drivers that the company hired. Needless to say, I love the program.

It sounds like Greatwide is attracting a lot of first-rate drivers.

Yes, they are. One thing that definitely helps with the recruiting is that, right now, the company offers a $2,500 “sign-on” bonus to new drivers they hire. When a truck driver hears that Greatwide is willing to pay them a “sign-on” bonus, either to join the company team or as an owner-operator, that really gets their attention. Another thing that really helps is that Greatwide is the third-largest trucking company in the U.S. and the No. 1 dedicated refrigerated carrier.

When a driver answers your Craiglist ad, what are the company advantages that they really like?

They really like that they will be home every weekend or pretty much every weekend. You know, it’s hard to find a trucking company that can pay you good money and get you home every weekend. Most companies do one or the other: You can make good money and never get home, or you can get home and never make good money. But since Greatwide is a dedicated account, it can offer both advantages, which is a big plus in recruiting qualified drivers.

Until you started participating in the Greatwide Driver Referral Program, did you consider yourself a recruiter?

No, I was just a driver. But because I am a driver, I found out that I can really relate to the other drivers I’m talking to about joining the company. I have a connection with them. They know I am one of them. I tell them the truth and they trust me. That goes a long way in recruiting really great drivers for Greatwide.

—Larry Holden

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