Though the trucking industry is suffering from increased fuel costs and a soft freight market, local trucking companies have upped recruiting efforts and are reaching out to new groups.

Chattanooga-based trucking companies U.S. Xpress and Covenant Transportation are recruiting more female and Hispanic drivers, officials said.

The driver makeup at both U.S. Xpress and Covenant is 20 percent female, nearly 15 percent higher than the industry average. At Covenant, many of the female drivers a part of teams, which comprise 40 percent of the driving staff at Covenant, said Rick Towe, senior vice president of recruiting and orientation at the company.

“There is an effort,” Mr. Towe said.

Staff Photo by Patrick Smith -- U.S. XPress Trucking orientation instructor Doug Dale answers questions during a driver training class in Tunnel Hill, Ga.

Mr. Towe said Covenant attracts women by advertising in female trucking magazines, visiting trucking schools across the country and using the Internet to reach potential drivers.

Three years ago, Covenant recruited only 5 percent of its drivers online, but now 30 percent of drivers are drawn by Internet advertisement or exposure, he said.

Along with working to recruit female drivers in a male-dominated profession, Covenant and U.S. Xpress want to increase the amount of Hispanic drivers.

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Both companies have recently hired bilingual recruiters who travel and speak with potential Spanish-speaking hires. U.S. Xpress is developing an advertising campaign to lure Hispanic drivers, which will be placed in trucking magazines, said Greg Thompson, a spokesman for U.S. Xpress.

While the trucking companies reach out to demographic groups, their recruitment efforts have also been aided by the economic downturn, officials said.

Many workers in construction or the housing industry who have lost jobs during the housing slump have decided to pursue work at trucking companies.

“Turnover is down a lot now,” said Mr. Towe. “We would loose a lot (of workers) in the summer from people working in the housing industry, but those jobs aren’t there right now.”

At U.S. Xpress, the number of trucks with drivers has grown 10 percent from last year, and recruitment calls have increased 15 percent since January 2007, said Greg Markel, director of the recruiting call center at U.S. Xpress.

Similarly, Con-Way Truck Load, which opened a recruitment office in Cookeville, Tenn., plans to hire 250 drivers over the next year. Billy Cartright, director of recruiting at Con-Way Truck Load, said the company, based in Joplin, Mo., recruited more drivers in January than ever before.

“We have not found it difficult to recruit,” he said.