A Square Peg in a Round Hole

Over the weekend I spoke to a gentleman who was looking for a job as a Cross-Border Company Driver. He had a wealth of experience, was polite over the phone and had a clean driving record. He told me that he is a hard worker and is looking for a company to spend the next 10-15 years with before he retires. Sounds like a perfect candidate and I was happy to help him find employment. The catch is that it was not with Caravan; rather I referred him to a different company where I felt he would be a better fit.

Drivers with a pedigree like that are tough to find; so why on Earth didn’t I hire this gentleman? Well first of all he lives a solid 4 or 5 hours from our yard. This means that after driving all over North America for three weeks, he would have to start and end his week with an additional 250 mile trip to or from his hometown. Even though he was willing to do this, it is a big inconvenience not to mention half a tank of gas each way. The place I referred him to has a yard about 25 miles from where he lives.

He prefers going on long haul trips which is something that we cannot offer on a regular basis. Caravan can provide drivers with steady miles on trips that are between 400-650 miles one way, but that is not the type of run that he wanted. His willingness to be on the road for up to three weeks at a time means that he wants to go on trips that are 1000 miles or longer and these are not trips that we often have available.

So this left me with the dilemma of trying to fit a square peg into a round hole, or referring him to a different company where the fit would be perfect. For me, it was a pretty easy choice. While there is no immediate benefit to me referring a driver elsewhere, I know that my choice is greatly valued by the driver, the other company and ultimately my own company as well. No one wins if I bring this gentleman over for a position that is not what he wants. More than likely he will be unhappy for a couple of months and then find somewhere else to work. The cost of hiring drivers is high and it is not worth hiring for someone for such a small tenure. 

At the end of the day, I knew I made the right decision when I received an email from the prospective driver, “I got respect for you buddy... appreciate it so much!”. I may have given away a somewhat easy hire to get nothing in return. Though I know that if this driver is ever looking for work, or if he has any friends in the industry in need of a new opportunity, that he will refer them to Mike at Caravan.