5 Takeaways from The Inside Lane's Driver Recruitment & Retention Webinar

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By Bianca Prieto | for The Inside Lane

Driver turnover continues to drain time, money and talent from the industry. On June 18, The Inside Lane hosted a live webinar that brought together top industry voices for a frank discussion on what’s really driving the recruitment and retention crisis.

Panelists Lewie Pugh, EVP of OOIDA, Lindsey Trent, president and co-founder of Next Generation in Trucking Association, and Robert Pierson, VP of driver recruiting at Mesilla Valley Transportation, didn’t hold back.

The trio offered practical, hard-earned insights for leaders how are ready to rethink how they attract and keep drivers. Here’s what you need to know.

1. The industry has failed to evolve its pitch.
The trucking world still hasn’t made real strides in promoting itself as a modern, desirable career, Pugh shared. He pointed out that when he joined in 1994, trucking had more public respect than it does today—and that the profession hasn’t improved much since. Outdated public perceptions and internal stagnation are holding the industry back.

 2. There's a lack of enthusiasm.
Pierson, who has onboarded an estimated 20,000 drivers in his career, argued that too many people in the industry aren’t selling the job with pride. “If we can't get excited about our own industry, how do we expect it to come from any other place?” he asked.

 3. Turnover, not shortages, is the real crisis.
Pugh dismantled the “driver shortage” myth, calling it a decades-old tactic used to depress wages. “There’s no driver shortage. There’s never been a driver shortage,” he said. He pointed out that hundreds of thousands of CDLs are issued annually, but drivers don’t stay—often because of what he described as exploitative conditions, inconsistent pay and disrespect on the job.

 4. Retention starts well before day one.
Pierson emphasized that recruiting teams must understand the full scope of a driver’s motivation—whether it’s geography, respect or equipment quality. He said successful onboarding happens when recruiters, dispatchers and fleet managers are aligned and honest. “If you don’t deliver on promises made in the first 90 days, your turnover rate will show it.”

5. Gen Z wants in, but the industry has to show up.
Trent highlighted that younger generations are purpose-driven and tech-fluent. She cited data showing students are far more likely to enter trucking when the industry engages directly with schools. “It takes industry involvement to really help young people know about the trucking industry and learn about the trucking industry,” she said.

The lessons for executives? Take ownership. Update your messaging to reflect the reality Gen Z wants—purpose, growth and tech. Treat onboarding like a sales process, not a formality. Align your ops, recruiting and dispatch teams to deliver a consistent experience. Engage directly with schools and training programs in your markets. And if your company isn't proud to promote trucking as a career? Fix what's broken until you are. Get more insights by watching the full video.

Stay tuned for the next Inside Lane webinar in early August, where we will discuss the advantages and disadvantages of tech in trucking. 

Thanks for reading today's edition! You can reach the newsletter team at editor@theinsidelane.co. We enjoy hearing from you.

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The Inside Lane is curated and written by Shefali Kapadia and edited by Bianca Prieto.