Your candidates know more about you than ever—but they don't trust what they hear. The 2025 TA Trends Study from Lighthouse Research and Advisory shows that 83 percent of candidates don’t believe employers tell the truth about their employer brand.
If you lead hiring in transportation or other high-turnover sectors, this disconnect hits hard. Colin Campbell, writing for Trucking Dive, reports that the American Trucking Associations ATA showed 60,000 open driving positions. Meanwhile, the National Transportation Institute's NTI 2024 Driver Market Forecast shows over 180,000 drivers have been disqualified through the federal Drug & Alcohol Clearinghouse, significantly reducing the eligible labor pool. You're not just competing for talent—you're navigating a severe talent shortage.
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In this market, authenticity doesn't just strengthen your brand—it protects your pipeline.
To understand how to close the trust gap in high-turnover industries, I turned to experts who've been navigating trucking company recruitment challenges since before most companies even thought about employer branding. “Randall Reilly is a talent acquisition company specializing in blue-collar, revenue generating workers, particularly truck drivers, technicians, and other roles,” said Zack Flippo, Director of Sales Enablement at Randall Reilly. “We've been around since the late 1920s—almost 100 years. We built our brand on what's probably one of the hardest roles to recruit: truck drivers. If you can hire a truck driver, you can probably recruit just about anyone.” Emily Gordon, Senior Vice President of Talent Acquisition, of Randall Reilly added, “We like to say we keep America moving—transportation, mechanics, supply chain, warehouse workers, both local and over-the-road drivers. What attracted us to Randall Reilly was the data we have and our ability to execute both digital strategy and employment branding.”
I spoke with Flippo and Gordon about how employer brands earn trust from skilled blue-collar candidates and keep them engaged long after day one. The following is an edited version of their interview for the Talent Leader Council blog series.
Key takeaways for HR and TA Leaders
- Build Trust Through Authenticity
Base your employer brand on reality, not aspirations—be honest about both strengths and weaknesses.
- Start Branding Before Applications
Win candidates' minds months before they apply by building recognition and preference for your company.
- Strategy Beats Budget for Small Companies
Focus resources strategically on authentic culture-fit platforms rather than trying to match larger competitors' spending.
Traditional recruiting focuses on the point of application, but authentic employer branding begins months or years before a candidate even considers switching jobs.
Gordon: The trucking industry has around 180,000 current vacancies, and we expect that to continue growing. Drivers also face involuntary turnover—preventable accidents or tickets can disqualify them from driving.
Because there's such a high demand and deficit, drivers have choices. The question becomes: are you seen as an employer of choice? When someone decides to look for a new job, are they Googling "truck driver jobs" or specifically seeking your company? That's the miss companies often have—they don't understand how important their employment brand is to getting the best candidates quickly.
Flippo: The challenge is turnover exceeding 80% in trucking. This creates a perception that recruiting is purely transactional—get someone in, and if they leave, replace them. There's no sense of building a career.
I like to say mind share precedes market share. Before you can sell something, someone has to think about you. The same applies to recruiting. We often focus on the point of application, but that decision starts weeks to months prior. You need to own what's in their head so when they apply, they already know where they want to work.
"Mind share precedes market share. Before you can sell something, someone has to think about you. The same applies to recruiting.” - Zack Flippo
Even smaller companies can stand out by being authentic and strategic, focusing on culture over budget when competing for talent.
Gordon: Even smaller companies can stand out by being authentic and strategic. Don't chase every platform because everyone else is there. If TikTok doesn't fit your culture, it won't help. Be strategic about where you spend your money and time to show up where you want to be seen by whom you want to be seen.
The most common barriers to trust stem from robotic processes and information gaps that prevent recruiters from sharing authentic details about the actual employee experience.
Q: Data shows that 83 percent of candidates do not believe employers are honest about their employer brand. Why do you think this is the case?
Gordon: The recruitment process can be very robotic. Recruiters might use scripts, asking questions to see if candidates fit rather than sharing information about the organization. There's often a "snorkel versus scuba" moment—saying "we have benefits" without explaining when they start or what happens. Sometimes recruiters aren't wholly honest because they lack information or must follow rigid processes that eliminate authenticity.
"The recruitment process can be very robotic. Recruiters might use scripts, asking questions to see if candidates fit rather than sharing information about the organization.” -Emily Gordon
Flippo: Here's something practical: build communication between recruiting teams and the business to understand post-hire reality through exit interviews and surveys. Second, be okay sharing why someone wouldn't want to work at your company. Instead of only selling the position, say "If you're looking for X, Y, or Z, we're not it."
Gordon: It's powerful to tell candidates why people aren't a fit and why some leave in the first 30-90 days. Maybe you've addressed Glassdoor review issues—share that. Admitting where you've fixed things builds trust more than casting a wide net.
The most common mistake in employer branding is creating an Employee Value Proposition (EVP) based on who you want to be rather than who you actually are.
Flippo: Companies often create EVPs based on what they want to be, not what they actually are. It's like taking a personality assessment—answer how you are, not how you want to be. Candidates don't expect perfect companies. Instead of creating the perfect picture, invest in discovering what the actual picture is through employee feedback and market research.
Gordon: It's exhausting to chase an EVP. Determine what's fixed—core values, how you treat people—and what's flexible, like sign-on bonuses versus higher per-mile pay. Have a retention strategy, but don't just copy competitors offering sign-on bonuses if that's not what helps you.
Pipeline volume doesn't equal employer brand strength. The real test is whether people actively seek you out and stay once they're hired.
Gordon: Start with basics: Do we get applicants when we post? Do people know we exist? Search "careers at ‘company name’"—does it show up? Look at organic referrals, drop-off rates, acceptance rates, and retention. If you can get people to take jobs but nobody stays, there's a disconnect.
Flippo: Pipeline doesn't necessarily equal a good employment brand. Track branded search volume—how many people search specifically for your company when job hunting. That's a primary marketing metric we monitor.
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Internal teams stretched thin often struggle to maintain authentic employer branding while managing daily recruiting demands.
Gordon: An RPO provides more hands on the wheel and brings data from similar customers for A/B testing. We become you, not "Randall Reilly for X" but actually that company, evangelizing your story and brand without adding to your headcount.
Flippo: Think of recruiting like sales. Marketing builds the brand to create inbound leads and generates leads directly. In recruiting, we sell jobs instead of products. We spend tons of resources generating candidates but forget about building the brand. It's as important on the recruiting side as on the sales side.
You don't need a bigger hiring budget to compete—you need a brand that candidates believe. The 83 percent distrust stat highlights a strategic opportunity. When your employer brand aligns with reality, you attract the right candidates and retain them longer.
Closing the gap requires courage: speak honestly about what you offer, own what doesn't fit, and share your workplace's real story. Invest in feedback loops, empower recruiters with consistent messaging, and root your EVP in employee truth—not executive aspiration.
The trust gap won't close itself. But for those ready to lead with authenticity, it becomes a competitive edge.
For more insights from other Talent Leader Council contributors, check out our TA Leader Council on the RPO Voice blog, which features interviews with top talent acquisition experts.