How U.S. Xpress thrives in a driver labor shortage by implementing recruitment automation and conversational software.
of Candidate Conversations Happening After Hours
of Candidates Rate the Application Experience Positively
to Automatically Schedule Interviews with Qualified Applicants
Industry
:
Logistics
Employees
:
6,500+
Revenue
:
$1.9 Billion
Founded in 1985, U.S. Xpress is the fifth-largest asset-based truckload carrier in North America. The company has grown since its founding, including during the COVID-19 pandemic. Proud early adopters of life-saving technologies like roll stability and accident mitigation systems, they pave the way for safety with features like forward-facing event recorders. Thirty-six years later, U.S. Xpress has a lot of miles in this industry to guide them as they continue to invest in and invent new technologies that tackle age-old truckload challenges to make goods move better every day.
“You can either choose to accept that as reality,” says Jacob Kramer, US Xpress’s VP of Talent Acquisition. “Or you can find a new way to do things.” In 2018, the American Trucking Association reported that the industry’s talent gap grew by 20%, widening to 60,000 fewer drivers than open opportunities. How do you solve that problem? US Xpress piloted what it calls a “digital fleet”, a cohort of trucks that’s largely recruited, dispatched, and managed using A.I. and digital platforms. It started as a conceptual hypothesis, quickly grew into a bigger initiative.
When someone comes to US Xpress’s career site or texts a number to look for a job, an AI assistant named Nick automatically delivers recommended positions based on details a candidate shares in a quick chat. If someone wants to apply, Nick can screen and capture their information in real-time. And if someone meets key requirements, that candidate is automatically scheduled for an interview through direct API integration with the company’s other software platforms.
Conversational software is turning over a third of all conversations into applications. With 35% of these conversations happening after normal work hours, he is able to capture applicants that recruiters manually wouldn't.
Senior Vice President of Talent Acquisition