Plenty of Freight, Not Enough Drivers

Kendal Mast, founder of K.M. Wood Products, runs a trucking and logistics operation in and around Lincoln, Missouri. The company didn’t have a freight problem. It had a driver problem.

There were trucks ready to work and freight available to haul, but not enough qualified drivers to keep seats filled. That meant:

• Trucks sitting idle and revenue left on the table.
• Growth plans stalled by staffing limitations.
• Hiring that depended on inconsistent, reactive efforts.

Before partnering with R&R Development, K.M. Wood Products:

• Had no dependable, always-on recruiting pipeline.
• Saw applications trickle in inconsistently.
• Had fragmented candidate information and follow-up.
• Lacked visibility from application to interview to hire.
• Had no standardized recruiting KPI cadence.

They didn’t need more demand. They needed enough drivers to handle the demand they already had.

The Turning Point

The turning point came when K.M. Wood Products stopped treating recruiting as an occasional task and started treating it like a customer-acquisition machine.

R&R Development built a CRM-driven recruiting system that connected: Ads → Applications → Follow-Up → Interviews → Offers → Hires → Seats Filled.

We:

• Implemented defined recruiting stages and pipelines.
• Added automated tasks, notifications, and follow-up workflows.
• Launched paid driver-acquisition campaigns and optimized them with creative, geographic, and intent-based testing.
• Coached the team on speed-to-interview and a reply-first workflow so high-intent applicants were contacted before they took another job.

Instead of waiting for the next candidate to appear, K.M. Wood Products gained a steady, predictable stream of drivers.

The Result

With the new system in place, K.M. Wood Products achieved:

• 35+ drivers hired in the first six months.
• 5,697 total driver leads generated.
• Every available driver seat consistently filled.
• 24 trucks added to the fleet.
• Approximately 20 more trucks planned or inbound.
• Three recruiting campaigns launched and managed.
• 24 months working with R&R Development.
• Faster application-to-interview times.
• Clearer attribution from campaigns to actual hires.
• A reliable recruiting pipeline that supports ongoing growth.

At one point, recruiting momentum looked like this: four interviews scheduled for the next day and roughly 16 more expected the following week.

K.M. Wood Products went from ‘we can’t grow because we don’t have drivers’ to ‘we have the recruiting engine to support expansion.’

The System We Built

Built an Always-On Recruiting CRM

Created one system for applications, candidate stages, interviews, offers, hires, and follow-up activity.

Created Defined Recruiting Stages

Made every applicant trackable from first inquiry through final decision so bottlenecks were visible.

Added Tasks and Notifications

Automated tasks and alerts ensured candidates weren’t forgotten and outreach happened fast.

Launched Paid Driver Campaigns

Targeted recruiting campaigns consistently reached qualified drivers in K.M. Wood Products’ key markets.

Tested Creative, Geography, and Intent

Continuously refined messaging, visuals, target areas, and ideal candidate profiles.

Improved Speed-to-Interview

Prioritized getting serious applicants on the calendar before they chose another carrier.

Implemented a Reply-First Workflow

Focused first on candidates who responded, allowing recruiters to spend time on the highest-intent drivers.

Established Weekly KPI Reviews

Measured the full funnel: Applications → Contacted → Interviews → Offers → Hires → Seats Filled.

Connected Campaigns to Hiring Outcomes

Used the CRM to show which campaigns produced not just applicants, but actual drivers in seats.

Final Thoughts

K.M. Wood Products didn’t need more loads. It needed more drivers.

By combining paid recruiting campaigns with CRM automation, reply-first follow-up, and weekly KPI reviews, the company:

• Hired 35+ drivers in six months.
• Filled every available seat.
• Expanded the fleet by 24 trucks, with about 20 more on the way.

What used to be the company’s biggest constraint became a competitive advantage and a foundation for continued growth.

“We went from not having enough drivers to filling every available seat and expanding the fleet.”

— Kendal Mast, K.M. Wood Products

If you’ve got freight but can’t grow because of driver shortages, this is the kind of recruiting system we build.