Two Teams, One Goal
In today’s competitive hiring environment, especially in CDL driver recruitment, the relationship between a company’s internal HR recruiting team and their staffing partner can make or break their success.
When both sides operate as one unified team, the results are transformative. The results include faster placements, stronger pipelines, satisfied customers, and better business outcomes.
One of our best examples of this partnership that I can provide includes the collaboration we share with two exceptional recruiters who work for a large national supplier of building products. Their names are Krista and Brendan. They work for a large company that operates seven manufacturing facilities with 115 branch locations and a fleet of more than 300 commercial motor vehicles. Their vehicles require CDL A and B drivers.
While we will not name the customer, what we learned from this partnership applies to any company that depends on CDL driver recruitment — especially skilled drivers to keep products flowing to their customers.
Why the Relationship Matters
For both the staffing firm and the client recruiting team, collaboration is not optional; it is critical.
When the relationship between the two parties breaks down, communication suffers. Recruiters at the staffing firm may lose confidence in the openings they are supporting, and resources unfortunately drift toward less urgent roles. The result? Extended hiring timelines, missed deliveries, and idle vehicles — none of which helps the bottom line for either party.
In addition, when the staffing partner’s focus is misaligned, their profitability weakens. That, in turn, limits the ability to pass along savings or performance-based incentives during contract renewals. But the greatest loss is not financial; it is time and lost candidates. A weak partnership slows the process from job order to offer acceptance, and in CDL driver recruitment, time kills the candidate pipeline.
How to Build Productive Partnerships
In our case, we treat every client relationship as a collaboration built on transparency and precision. That process includes:
- Weekly meetings focused exclusively on open positions and active candidate pipelines
- Shared, real-time reporting so both teams always see the same data
- Clear prioritization of openings to align resources and expectations
This cadence ensures both sides are informed, engaged, and ready to adjust strategy quickly when needed.
Transparency That Drives Results
The relationship we have with Krista and Brendan exemplifies this transparency in action.
If they believe one of their candidates is likely to close an opening, they immediately communicate that to us. That allows our team to pause recruiting efforts and refocus elsewhere. Conversely, if their candidate is still in the final stages (for example, pending an MVR, drug screen, or accident history review), they will let us know to keep our candidate warm until a final decision is made.
That level of communication allows us to allocate our resources intelligently and maintain an exceptional candidate experience. It is a true partnership — one where both sides win.
The Standard of Excellence
Krista and Brendan set a high bar for professionalism and collaboration. Their responsiveness, organization, and commitment to excellence make working with them a model experience.
While we sometimes joke that we would make even more placements if they weren’t so good at their jobs, the truth is their effectiveness makes our partnership as successful as it is. They demonstrate that great CDL driver recruitment is about more than filling roles — it is about building trust, sharing information openly, and keeping candidates engaged with us every step of the way.
Final Thoughts
In the current CDL driver recruitment market, communication and speed are everything. When internal recruiting teams and staffing partners operate as one cohesive unit, hiring timelines shrink, candidate quality improves, and both teams deliver measurable business impact.
At Pace Drivers, we do not just fill driver seats; we help our partners build stronger recruiting systems that keep their operations moving.
Strong partnerships do not happen by accident. Partnerships are built through communication, trust, and shared accountability. Get in touch to learn more about how your team could benefit from a deeper, more transparent recruiting partnership for CDL drivers.
