Ginger Craddock and Marina Ivanov discuss what fleets have to do to prove they truly value their drivers and why culture can become a competitive advantage in recruiting and retention.

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Marina shares how Apex Transit Solutions built a driver-focused culture around respect, communication, quality equipment, sustainable pay, home time, and understanding drivers as individuals. She explains why taking care of drivers requires more than slogans and how the everyday decisions a fleet makes ultimately determine whether great drivers choose to stay.

They also discuss recruiting for the right fit, scaling without losing the personal connection, creating second-chance opportunities, and using AI without replacing the human relationships drivers value. Marina shares why fleets should examine the entire driver experience, from the first recruiting interaction forward and make sure what they promise matches what drivers actually experience.

About This Week's Guest: Marina Ivanov

Marina Ivanov is a leader at Apex Transit Solutions, where she has helped build a driver-focused fleet culture centered on respect, safety, communication, and long-term relationships. With deep personal and professional roots in trucking, Marina brings firsthand perspective on driver recruiting, retention, fleet operations, and creating a workplace where professional drivers feel valued.

CONNECT WITH MARINA IVANOV

LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/marina-ivanov-4a9144194/  

Apex Transit Solutions: https://apextransitllc.com/

CONNECT WITH HIRE TRUCKERS

Aaron Craddock on LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/aaron-craddock/

Hire Truckers: https://hiretruckers.com/

Aaron Craddock and Brian Fielkow discuss why fleet safety has to go beyond compliance and become part of how the entire organization operates.

Brian explains why safety is not simply the responsibility of a safety department. Leadership has to make it a non-negotiable value, while operations must carry that commitment into everyday decisions around dispatch, productivity, incentives, and driver management.

They also discuss how involving drivers in organizational change can improve buy-in, why the first 90 days are critical for integrating new drivers into a fleet's culture, and how peer mentorship and consistent check-ins can strengthen both safety and retention. Brian also shares creative ways fleets can involve employees' families and make safety something that extends beyond the workplace.

About This Week's Guest: Brian Fielkow

Brian Fielkow is the author of Making Safety Happen and a transportation leader focused on helping organizations build stronger safety cultures. His approach emphasizes leadership accountability, operational ownership, employee engagement, and creating systems that make safety part of everyday business decisions.

CONNECT WITH BRIAN FIELKOW

Brian Fielkow on LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/brianfielkow/

Making Safety Happen EBook

CONNECT WITH HIRE TRUCKERS

Aaron Craddock on LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/aaron-craddock/

Hire Truckers: https://hiretruckers.com/

Join Ginger Craddock and Jared Whitson as they discuss what it really means to be a qualified professional driver in today’s trucking industry.

Having a CDL is only the beginning. Ginger and Jared explore how stronger enforcement, safety standards, specialized experience, technology, and coachability are changing what fleets should look for when hiring professional drivers.

They also discuss AI and telematics in driver safety, drug testing, the cost of doing safety right, and why trucking leaders and professional drivers need a voice in the conversations shaping the industry in Washington.

About the Guest

Jared Whitson helps lead safety and compliance across the Bennett family of companies. With roughly two decades of transportation experience spanning operations, risk, compliance, and safety, Jared brings deep expertise in driver qualification, specialized transportation, safety technology, and regulatory compliance.

Links

Follow Jared Whitson on LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/jared-whitson-51765857/

Bennett Website: https://www.bennettig.com/

Follow Ginger Craddock on LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/ginger-craddock/

Hire Truckers Website: https://hiretruckers.com/

Join Aaron Craddock and Ginger Craddock as they discuss how changing freight conditions, tighter driver capacity, and new regulations are reshaping driver recruiting.

The market may still feel uncertain, but fleets are already thinking differently about capacity, retention, and driver quality. Aaron and Ginger break down why the strongest transportation companies are building their recruiting infrastructure now instead of waiting until qualified drivers become even harder to find.

Links

Follow Ginger Craddock on LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/ginger-craddock/

Follow Aaron Craddock on LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/aaron-craddock/

Hire Truckers Website: https://hiretruckers.com/

Join Aaron Craddock as he breaks down the leadership principles behind building a high-performing culture.

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Culture can make or break a team. In this solo episode, Aaron shares the principles he’s using to build a stronger organization, from doing hard things and pursuing growth to assuming positive intent, communicating directly, and listening more.

For transportation and recruiting leaders, it’s a practical look at how the standards you set and the way you lead can shape team performance, recruiting success, and long-term growth.

Follow Aaron on LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/aaron-craddock/

Hire Truckers Website: https://hiretruckers.com/

Join Ginger Craddock and Jerry Curl as they discuss why driver retention begins long before orientation. Learn how strong company culture, intentional onboarding, leadership, and trust help transportation companies retain top talent and build workplaces where professional drivers choose to stay.

Follow Jerry on LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/jerry-curl-45383411/

Hoffman Transportation Website: https://www.hoffmantransportation.com/

Follow Ginger on LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/aaron-craddock/

Hire Truckers Website: https://hiretruckers.com/

00:00 Introduction
05:00 Building Trust With Drivers and Their Families
10:00 Creating a Culture Where Drivers Feel Valued
15:00 Orientation vs. Onboarding
20:00 Using Driver Feedback to Improve Retention
25:00 Why Culture Matters More Than Top Performers
30:00 Leading With Connection and Empathy
35:00 Hiring the Right Driver for Long-Term Success
40:00 Making Retention Everyone’s Responsibility
45:00 Leadership, Culture & Final Takeaways

What separates transportation companies that consistently hire great drivers from those that struggle to fill CDL driver jobs? In this episode, Ginger Craddock sits down with Yvonne Valdez to discuss what separates the best transportation recruiting teams from the rest. Yvonne shares how AI, technology, clear processes, and leadership alignment help organizations hire faster, improve candidate experience, and retain top talent across transportation operations.

Follow Yvonne on LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/yvonne-valdes-1445142a/

Summit Website: https://summitllc.com/

Follow Ginger on LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/aaron-craddock/

Hire Truckers Website: https://hiretruckers.com/

*Correction to the statistic stated at the :55 minute mark. The correct statistics are:
- Approximately 25,000 offers
- Approximately 9,000 hires annually

Discover how transportation and recruiting professionals can become top AI users in just five minutes a day. Aaron Craddock introduces the ROAD Framework (Reality, Operator, Ask, Deliver) and shares a practical system for using AI to improve recruiting, leadership, operations, and decision-making across trucking companies and enterprise fleets. Whether you're hiring for CDL driver jobs, leading a recruiting team, or building an AI-native organization, this episode provides an actionable framework you can start using today.

Follow Aaron Craddock on LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/aaron-craddock/

Hire Truckers Website: https://hiretruckers.com/

Join Aaron Craddock and Michael Lombard as they discuss the mindset required to overcome adversity, the lessons learned from completing the grueling Texas Water Safari, and why pushing through discomfort is essential for personal growth, leadership, and success in the trucking industry.

Follow Michael on LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/mlombard1/

Truck Parking Club Website: https://truckparkingclub.com/

Follow Aaron Craddock on LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/aaron-craddock/

Hire Truckers Website: https://hiretruckers.com

Join Aaron Craddock and Christy Choice as they discuss how AI is transforming trucking recruitment, why recruiters aren't going away, and how fleets can use automation to improve efficiency while keeping people at the center of the hiring process. They also explore practical strategies for AI adoption, process improvement, and preparing recruiting teams for the future.

Follow Christy Choice on LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/christy-choice-cds-ctp-ab608249/

Carrier Code Podcast: https://www.youtube.com/@CarrierCodePodcast

Tentstreet Website: https://www.tenstreet.com/

Follow Aaron Craddock on LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/aaron-craddock/

Hire Truckers Website: https://hiretruckers.com/