Hiring Based on Hope, Not a Pipeline

Norman Miller runs Tuscola Logging, a logging and trucking operation that lives or dies based on qualified drivers.

Before working with R&R Development, recruiting was almost entirely word-of-mouth and referrals. That meant:

• Applicant volume was inconsistent.
• There was no always-on source of driver applications.
• There was no scalable way to reach local drivers at will.
• There was no standardized screening process.
• Follow-up was slow and manual.
• Good candidates could lose interest before anyone reached them.
• There was limited visibility from application → interview → hire.

Tuscola Logging didn’t just need more applicants. It needed qualified local drivers who actually understood and wanted the job.

The Turning Point

The turning point came when Tuscola Logging stopped waiting for referrals and started actively generating applicants on demand.

R&R Development:

• Launched a local Facebook recruiting campaign targeting drivers within a practical radius of the operation.
• Added pre-qualification questions so only viable candidates entered the real pipeline.
• Connected the campaign to an automated workflow that triggered instant text messages, immediate email follow-up, and internal notifications and tasks for the team.

The new flow looked like: Facebook Ad → Application → Pre-Qualification → Instant Follow-Up → Interview → Offer → Hire.

Instead of manually searching for drivers, Tuscola Logging had a steady, trackable flow of candidates.

The Result

In the first month of running the system, Tuscola Logging achieved:

• 68 driver applications.
• $151.71 total ad spend.
• $2.23 average cost per application.
• Multiple drivers hired from that first campaign.
• Faster application-to-interview times.
• Fewer candidates lost due to delayed responses.
• A repeatable recruiting process that can be turned on whenever more drivers are needed.

For less than $152, Norman built a candidate pool big enough to make multiple hires and prove that paid recruiting could outperform pure word-of-mouth.

The System We Built

Launched a Local Driver-Recruiting Campaign

Used Facebook ads to reach potential drivers within a realistic radius of Tuscola Logging.

Built Position-Specific Messaging

Spoke directly to drivers interested in the actual role, not just any job.

Added Pre-Qualification Questions

Screened candidates on key criteria before they hit the main recruiting pipeline.

Built Instant Text & Email Follow-Up

New applicants heard from the company right away, while interest was still high.

Created Tasks & Notifications

Automatically assigned follow-up tasks so no candidate slipped through the cracks.

Standardized the Recruiting Pipeline

Created clear stages: New Applicant → Qualified → Contacted → Interview → Offer → Hired.

Improved Speed-to-Interview

Designed the process to move strong applicants onto the calendar before they took another opportunity.

Established a Weekly KPI Cadence

Tracked applications, interviews, offers, and hires so Norman could see what was working.

Final Thoughts

Tuscola Logging didn’t need to abandon referrals. It needed a recruiting system that didn’t depend on them.

By combining local Facebook ads, pre-qualification, instant follow-up, and a defined hiring workflow, Tuscola Logging:

• Generated 68 applicants at $2.23 each.
• Hired multiple drivers in the first month.
• Proved it has a repeatable system it can relaunch whenever more drivers are needed.

What used to be a ‘hope someone hears about us’ problem became a measurable hiring engine in 30 days.

“We generated 68 applicants and hired multiple drivers in the first month.”

— Norman Miller, Tuscola Logging

If your trucks or equipment are sitting because you can’t find drivers, this is the kind of pipeline we build.