Family Ties Are the Key to Recruiting Hispanic Drivers

(Michael James - Transport Topics) Santoz Martinez, who is Hispanic, performs maintenance for M.S. Carriers at the truckload company’s facility in Laredo, Texas, near the Mexican border.

Here’s the scenario: A trucking company wants to hire drivers in predominantly Hispanic towns along the Mexican border.

Their recruiters identify qualified drivers. The drivers — mainly Hispanic — like the sound of the salaries being offered and sign on.

Six or eight months into their first over-the-road jobs, the new drivers are learning that being away three or four weeks at a time has caused changes in their households. When they are at home, they are often ignored after the first day or two. Their spouses are making the decisions.

The children go to their mothers, uncles or grandparents when they have a question or need money. The driver is only a visitor — on the outside of the family’s mainstream.

For the full story, see the June 11 print edition of Transport Topics. Subscribe today.