Written by Laura Swann, Senior R&D Consultant
The transportation and logistics industry is evolving. Once considered a behind-the-scenes operation, it now stands front and center of our economy – playing a vital role in keeping today’s businesses and trade moving. The growth of e-commerce, international trade, and increasing consumer expectations mean that demand is at an all-time high. From next-day deliveries to complex global supply chains, companies are having to move smarter, faster, and more efficiently.
In the US alone, the logistics market is expected to reach a projected revenue of $671.2 billion by 2030. That’s a massive opportunity, but it also comes with a new level of pressure on businesses.
To meet this demand, companies in the transportation and logistics industry are investing heavily in technology and automation. Smart warehouses powered by AI, route-optimized fleets, and real-time data tools are becoming the norm. But technology alone isn’t enough. As the transport and logistics industry shifts into a higher gear, it requires the need for increasingly skilled and adaptable workers to keep pace. The opportunity for growth is there, but without the right people in place, even the most advanced systems can stall.
To stay competitive, organizations must evolve how they attract, hire, and retain talent. Effective transport and logistics recruitment strategies are now essential to ensure businesses have the workforce to match the pace of innovation and keep supply chains moving smoothly.
The roadblocks of transportation and logistics hiring
The hiring landscape in this industry remains a challenge. Transport and logistics recruitment faces persistent labor shortages, high turnover, and the constant need to fill roles quickly.
In certain areas like trucking and warehouse operations, a large part of the workforce is nearing retirement age and younger workers aren’t entering the field fast enough to replace them. According to the American Trucking Association (ATA), the trucking industry alone is facing a shortage of over 80,000 drivers – an all-time high for the industry. Meanwhile, warehouse operations continue to see high turnover rates above 50%.
It seems that younger jobseekers are increasingly turning away from these roles in favor of alternative careers. Even when transport and logistics recruitment efforts do succeed in attracting candidates, many don’t stay the course. Frontline jobs like drivers, warehouse staff, and delivery workers are physically demanding roles which often come with long work hours. This makes transportation and logistics hiring particularly challenging and can lead to early turnover once new hires are exposed to the harsh realities and demands of the role.
How to successfully hire for the transportation and logistics industry
So, how can you overcome these roadblocks within the transportation and logistics industry to hire better and faster?
Step 1: Shift to skills-based hiring
71% of transportation and logistics industry employers struggle to find candidates with the right skills. Traditional hiring relies heavily on resumes and job titles – but in a fast-changing world, these are becoming less useful. Job titles like ‘warehouse associate’ can refer to very different jobs across companies. Plus, with many candidates now using AI in hiring and recruiting to write their resumes and job applications, it’s becoming increasingly difficult to distinguish between them.
In a fast-moving, hands-on industry like transport and logistics, focusing solely on hiring candidates based on degrees or years of experience makes little sense. Therefore, effective transportation and logistics hiring strategies designed to recruit quality hires involves looking beyond titles to evaluate skills, adaptability, and real-world performance.
What is skills-based hiring?
Skills-based hiring focuses on a candidate’s capabilities over their formal background. Instead of asking, “Where did they work before?” you ask, “Can they do the job?” This could involve:
- Practical assessments (e.g. forklift operation, WMS navigation)
- Work samples (e.g. route planning, order fulfillment)
- Soft skills assessments (e.g. problem solving, communication)
Our research found that the top three skills missing in new hires in the transport and logistics industry are:
- Attention to detail
- Problem solving
- Communication
These are known as ‘transferable skills’ (or ‘soft skills’), meaning they are not tied to a single discipline or job. However, they are critical skills in logistics and are often more difficult to train on the job versus technical ‘hard skills.’ Prioritizing these skills ensures that you are hiring individuals with the underlying capabilities that are vital to be able to perform the job effectively. For example, attention to detail ensures the quality and accuracy of work, problem solving drives efficiency and innovation, and communication keeps teams aligned and operations running smoothly and safely. So, what specifically makes skills-based hiring a good strategy for transportation and logistics hiring managers?
- Wider talent pool: Some of the best workers might not come from the logistics world, but they have the right attitude and skills to learn fast.
- Faster onboarding: Candidates are proven to be job-ready, cutting down ramp-up time.
- Higher engagement: When hired for actual ability, people tend to perform better and stay longer.
As of 2025, 85% of employers have adopted some form of skills-based hiring – an increase from 81% last year.
Step 2: Hire for retention
48% of transportation and logistics industry employers struggle with retention. In a sector that operates around the clock and is under constant pressure to deliver faster and more efficiently, maintaining a stable, skilled workforce is becoming increasingly difficult for employers. From truck drivers and warehouse staff to supply chain coordinators, many roles are physically demanding, fast-paced, and often undervalued which can lead to fatigue and turnover.
Our research shows that poor job fit, lack of support, and misaligned expectations are the top reasons why new hires leave early. To better combat these challenges within the transportation and logistics hiring process, look beyond immediate availability and ask candidates questions that provides answers to:
- Do they understand what the role involves?
- Are they motivated by what the job offers?
- Can they see a future with your company?
You can also take it one step further by implementing a realistic job preview which gives candidates a clear and honest picture of what the job really looks like before they accept the offer. This helps set proper expectations around workload, hours and shifts, work environment, and career growth potential which can prevent surprises later and reduce early turnover.
By taking this approach with transport and logistics recruitment, it will allow for:
- Fewer dropouts: By clearly communicating the realities of the job upfront, realistic job previews help candidates decide earlier in the process if the job is right for them.
- Better job fit: It attracts candidates who are motivated to take on the demands of the role, leading to higher satisfaction and performance.
- Stronger relationships: Honesty in the hiring process lays the foundation for stronger employee-employer relationships.
Companies using realistic job previews report lower first year turnover rates.
Step 3: Don’t let urgency lead to bad hires
81% of transportation and logistics industry employers admit feeling pressured to fill roles quickly, sometimes at the expense of quality.
In the transportation and logistics industry, an unfilled position can slow down operations and cause bottlenecks. But rushing to fill roles can result in a poor hire – causing a whole host of issues like absenteeism, safety risks, and disruption to the team. The cost of a bad hire is often far greater than the costs of a short delay.
The secret is to move fast without compromising quality by:
- Standardizing the process: Use structured interviews and clear evaluation criteria so that every candidate is measured against the same standard.
- Leveraging automation: Use applicant screening tools to speed up hiring without compromising on quality, allowing you to make faster, more confident hiring decisions.
- Defining what a quality hire looks like: Make sure hiring managers know what skills and behaviors truly matter in each role.
What is quality of hire?
Quality of hire is generally defined as the value a new hire brings to an organization. Some key indicators of quality hires might include:
- Reliability and punctuality
- Low error rates
- Strong work ethic
- Problem-solving ability
- Team contribution
- Retention and engagement
By taking the time to hire the right people and properly assess the quality of those hires, your transport & logistics recruitment process can benefit from:
- Fewer disruptions: Better quality hires are less likely to make mistakes and disrupt workflows.
- Higher quality output: Quality workers drive performance, ensuring orders are handled with precision and deliveries are made on-time.
- Faster, scalable growth: Streamlined hiring processes allow you to scale your workforce more quickly.
The cost of a bad hire is estimated at 30% of the employee’s annual salary.
Make your transport and logistics recruitment strategy sustainable
Transportation and logistics hiring is tougher than ever as it faces the perfect storm of labor shortages, rising expectations, and technological disruption. To keep moving forward, companies must hire smarter, not just faster. And they can do that by hiring for skills, being upfront about the job, and not compromising on quality.
In an industry built on efficiency and movement, your people are your most valuable asset. The companies that invest in smarter hiring today will be the ones leading the way tomorrow.
About the author: Laura Swann is a Senior R&D Consultant at Talogy with over 10 years of experience working in industrial/organizational psychology. She specializes in developing selection tools across a wide range of sectors – including industrial, service, healthcare, and professional roles. Laura is passionate about helping organizations find the right person for the role through well-designed assessment solutions that promote fairness and improve hiring outcomes.
