Recruitment cost only makes sense next to the cost of an empty seat. A parked truck typically costs thousands per month in lost revenue, which changes how you judge every option below.
Recruitment agency placement fee
Agencies usually charge a percentage of first-year salary. Predictable, but expensive across multiple hires and often backed by a limited guarantee.
Staffing and contract drivers
No upfront fee, but a permanent mark-up on the hourly rate. Over a full year this is normally the most expensive route, especially for roles you would rather fill permanently.
In-house recruiting
Cheap on paper, costly in hours. Ad spend, chasing replies, phone screening and no-shows quickly consume more time than an operations manager has available.
A recruitment system
With a systems approach you pay for the process: campaign, follow-up, qualification and scheduling. You keep visibility on cost per interview and cost per hire, and you can scale up or down as demand changes.
Hidden costs to include
- Revenue lost while a truck stands still
- Management hours spent on recruiting
- No-shows and drop-outs after the first interview
- Turnover caused by weak pre-screening