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TruckNet UK's Rikki Chequer discovers drivers are 'getting the message about job vacancies...
Page 9
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I mentioned a couple weeks ago the depressing number of posts we were getting on the forums from drivers who had been laid off or made redundant. These are still appearing, although less frequently.
More surprising, though, are the number of drivers reporting they have found new work or are moving on to a "better" company, because this seems to go against all the talk of economic slowdown.
After speaking to some of the forum members, it emerges that this situation can, in fact, be attributed to new media'.
It seems not much has changed since I came off the road — every really decent job I got I was alerted to by someone working there who I had worked with in the past. Word-of-mouth recommendation from existing employees still goes a long way. And now drivers using the forums are alerting other members to vacancies in their companies, giving them a head-start in the race to find employment.
I was unaware that so much of this was going on, as many of the forum members use the private messaging system to pass on such information between themselves.
That isn't to say the forums have become a private members' club they are still open to and free for anyone. It's just that some information is best kept private, rather than being published for all to see.
The same goes for some of the requests for information about working for certain companies. We're all aware that there are still some firms that like to ask their drivers to do that "little bit extra" — there's no way that sort of hearsay can be published openly on the web. But the private messaging system enables a driver to give anyone interested in such-andsuch a company a few private pointers as to what to expect, and help them make a betterinformed decision.
In these tough times, drivers need as much information from as many sources as possible to keep the cash rolling in. Using the forums gives drivers an advantage by helping them tap into a free database provided by their peers.