How to Prepare Your Driver Recruiting for Q1 2026 90% of drivers get contacted by other carriers every week. 46.8% are actively job hunting right now. And Morgan Stanley just forecasted that regulatory changes could remove 5% of industry capacity in 2026. This week’s newsletter breaks down: - The 5 data points reshaping the driver market - A quick self-check to see if you’re actually ready for Q1 - The 3 actions you need to take before January 1 The fleets preparing now will hire better drivers, faster, at lower cost-per-hire. The ones waiting until January will be scrambling to fill seats while competitors have already locked in their Q1 hires. Read full breakdown below https://www.linkedin.com/pulse/how-prepare-your-driver-recruiting-q1-2026-jackie-mcmanus-dlmte?utm_source=share&utm_medium=member_ios&utm_campaign=share_via Jett Express’s Brad Hackett Reveals the Big Four Drivers Really Want https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ghQKP9U5sPw 2026 is going to be HUGE!!!

Drivers love Heartland Express, so this is excellent news! https://www.truckingdive.com/news/CFI-rebrand-heartland-express/807536/

From the Driver's Seat to the Recruiter's Desk – Episode 5: A Driver's Work History: What it Means for You & How I Approach It https://www.linkedin.com/pulse/from-drivers-seat-recruiters-desk-episode-5-work-history-chris-smith-kdp8c/

The person who responds fastest usually wins. Not perfect responses, just quick ones. Speed signals priority, and priority builds trust. While others crafted the perfect email, I closed the deal. Not the smartest reply. Not the most polished email. Just the quickest one. The best in this field can tell you this: Speed signals priority. Priority builds trust. Trust closes deals. That's the whole game. While someone's wordsmithing the perfect response, the fast responder already has the relationship. People don't remember what you said. They remember that you showed up—quickly—when it mattered. Perfectionism feels like professionalism. It's actually just slow. Good and fast beats perfect and late. Every time.

Federal review finds 44% of US trucking schools don’t comply with government rules https://apnews.com/article/commercial-drivers-license-trucking-california-pennsylvania-96fee86df4f9bfb0ef65af20da878a57 There will be tougher regulations put into place, assuring drivers that graduate will be properly trained and equipped to handle everything. This means fewer accidents which make it difficult to get hired!