Truck Driver: What is the cost of hiring?
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Truck Driver: What is the cost of hiring?
As of June 2024, the average number of job seekers per truck driver job in Australia is 51.
truck driver: What is the cost of hiring?
As of June 2024, the average number of job seekers per truck driver job in Australia is 51.
Why hire a truck driver?
Truck drivers can have a key role in serving your business and your customers, whether they are bringing necessary goods and equipment into your business or delivering your products to purchasers. In addition to having the ability to drive their vehicle safely, truck drivers also need to inspect the truck and cargo regularly to ensure it is safely transported, and finalise documentation such as receipts.
Contributions of a great truck driver include:
- operating the truck safely, including planning an appropriate route and following road safety regulations and traffic laws
- delivering goods in good condition and within deadlines
- assisting with or supervising the loading and unloading of cargo, including using machinery such as forklifts.
Deciding between a full-time vs freelance truck driver
When hiring a truck driver, consider whether the role needs to be filled by a full-time, part-time, casual or temporary employee. This may depend on the quantity of goods that need to be delivered and the required delivery frequency. For example, if your business needs to deliver goods daily, a full-time truck driver may be appropriate. However, if your business only transports goods at certain times of the year, such as quarterly or during the pre-Christmas shopping season, a temporary employee may better suit the role. If deliveries are intermittent and no time-bound, the cheapest option may be to use a casual employee once the cargo capacity of the vehicle has been reached.
What are the different types of truck driver?
Trucks come in different sizes and under Australian road laws, truck drivers require a particular type of truck driving licence to be able to operate the vehicle. If your business is supplying the vehicle to the truck driver, ensure you hire an employee who holds the appropriate licence to operate it. If the truck driver will use their own vehicle, check that they hold the correct licence. Different weight requirements for different licences may be applicable in different states, so if in doubt, check with your local licensing authority.
- LR (Light Rigid) licence: enables holders to operate a truck with a Gross Vehicle Mass (GVM) of more than 4,500kg
- MR (Medium Rigid) licence: enables holders to operate a truck with two axles and a Gross Vehicle Mass (GVM) of more than 8,000kg
- HR (Heavy Rigid) licence: enables holders to operate a truck with three or more axles and a Gross Vehicle Mass (GVM) of more than 8,000kg
- HC (Heavy Combination) licence: enables holders to drive a combination of vehicles, such as a prime mover and a semi-trailer
- MC (Multi Combination) licence: enables holders to drive a prime mover and multiple trailers, such as road trains
Where to find a truck driver?
To find the right truck driver for your business, consider trying out a few different recruiting strategies.
- Approach a truck licence training centre: Truck driver trainers have first-hand knowledge of the most capable truck driving students who attend their schools to obtain their licences. These schools may also keep a list of students who are looking for work.
- Engage a labour-hire firm: Labour-hire
recruitment
companies often have pre-screened, qualified candidates already on their books who they can put forward for your role. Or, they can advertise the role and conduct screening for you.
- Canvas your existing workforce: Your current employees may have family, friends or acquaintances who are truck drivers and may be willing to recommend your business to them as a good place to work.
- Post your job online: Try posting your truck driver job on Indeed to find and attract quality truck driver candidates.
Skills to look for in a great truck driver
A great truck driver candidate will have the following skills and attributes as well as work experience that reflects:
- the required and valid truck driving licence, whether it is LR, MR, HC or MC
- good time management and problem-solving skills
- a strong knowledge of road laws and, in particular, truck driving regulations
- ability and knowledge to deal with their cargo, such as a forklift licence to offload goods or animal husbandry skills if they are transporting farm animals
- communication skills to liaise with customers and complete documentation.
Writing a truck driver job description
A thoughtful description is important for finding qualified truck driver candidates. A truck driver job description includes a compelling summary of the role, a detailed list of duties and responsibilities, and the required and preferred skills for the position.
When writing your job description for a truck driver, consider including some or all of the following keywords to strengthen the visibility of your job posting. These are the most popular search terms leading to clicks on truck driver jobs, according to Indeed data:
- truck driver
- HR truck driver
- driver
- visa sponsorship, truck driver
- delivery driver
- HC truck driver
- HR driver
- HC driver.
Interviewing truck driver candidates
Strong candidates for truck driver positions will be confident answering questions regarding:
- the licence level they hold
- driving experience, including long distance, and previous driving record
- navigational ability and problem-solving skills
- manual handling and/or cargo offloading experience.
Need help coming up with interview questions? See our list of truck driver interview questions for examples (with sample answers).
*Indeed provides this information as a courtesy to users of this site. Please note that we are not your recruiting or legal advisor, we are not responsible for the content of your job descriptions, and none of the information provided herein guarantees performance.
