For solo recruiters & agencies
Onboard by CDL Agency The placement platform between recruiting agencies and carriers.
Onboard by CDL Agency is a driver placement platform for CDL recruiting agencies. It sits between the agency and the carrier: a recruiter drops in a driver's CDL, completes the application, and routes a submission packet to a carrier that has already published its pay sheet and requirements. The packet opens a shared conversation, and the carrier approves, declines or confirms a hire by email. Onboard tracks each driver from submission through drug test, travel and hire, and the moment a driver is marked hired it creates a commission ledger with an installment per retention milestone — up to $2,000 per company driver and $3,000 per owner-operator, finalized with CDL Agency at onboarding. Installments tied to a driver who leaves early void automatically. Onboard is invite-only, free for agencies, and is not a carrier applicant tracking system: carriers keep their own ATS. It is built and operated by CDL Agency, Mundelein, Illinois.
See how Onboard worksPartner access
Question 1 of 6
Are you a solo recruiter or an agency?
Choose an answer to continue
6 quick questions. About a minute.
Inside Onboard
From a CDL to a carrier conversation.
One connected workflow.
Explore the current Onboard workflow with an interactive sample. Start with the CDL, then follow the application through to your dashboard.
Drop the sample here to see the next step.
Demo only · No real documents are uploaded01 / 04
A CDL photo. A head start.
Drop in a CDL photo or PDF. Onboard reads the details so you can verify the fields, complete the application, and add the driver to your applicants.
Product demo based on the current Onboard interface. Sample records are illustrative.
The math
You know the rates before you submit a single driver.
Commissions are set with CDL Agency when you're onboarded — the ceilings below are the real card. Onboard ledgers each hire so the total is what actually lands, not what someone promised on a call.
8 company drivers × $1,000
$8,000
per month
$96,000 / year
Your exact rates are finalized with CDL Agency when you're onboarded — Onboard ledgers every hire and every dollar from there.
Why agencies win
Built for the side of the table that does the recruiting.
Keep the conversation connected
The application packet starts the carrier conversation. Keep follow-up, questions, and replies with the submission so your team can see what needs to happen next.
A ledger, not a promise
Commissions mint the moment your driver is marked hired: an installment per milestone, a confirmation email at every due date. What you're owed is written down, not remembered.
Auto-void is your protection
Retention milestones are transparent from day one. If a driver terms early, that installment voids cleanly — no clawbacks, no surprise deductions, no arguing about what was agreed.
No double-submits, ever
One driver identity across every partner on the platform. Your submission is on record first — nobody re-shops your driver behind your back.
Your relationships stay yours
Carriers never see which agency sent a driver and never see your book. Every decision and status change carries a name and a timestamp — everything on record.
For carriers & fleets
Running trucks? Hire vetted drivers from your inbox.
FAQ
The questions agencies actually ask.
How do I get access to Onboard?
Start the partner quiz: answer six questions about your recruiting setup, daily Facebook lead spending, capacity, current pay per hire, business phone line, and location. Add your contact details and book a walkthrough with our team. Solo recruiters and agencies can both apply.
How do I get paid?
Commissions mint the moment your driver is marked hired: a ledger is created with an installment per milestone, at the rate agreed with CDL Agency — up to $2,000 per company driver and up to $3,000 per owner operator. You get a confirmation email at each due date, so every dollar has a paper trail from day one.
What does it cost?
Nothing to join — Onboard is invite-only and you earn, not pay. Commissions run up to $2,000 per company driver and up to $3,000 per owner operator, finalized with CDL Agency when you're onboarded, before you submit a single driver.
Who are the carriers?
CDL Agency trucking companies — fleets that came to us with driver shortages because they already trust the brand. Every carrier is on file with an FMCSA/SAFER-verified profile, a pay sheet, and a signed agreement, and you see the offer and requirements before you submit a driver.
Do carriers see my pipeline?
Carrier access is scoped to the submissions and conversations they are authorized to see. Your team manages its applicants and recruiting work inside its own workspace.
What if the driver quits in week one?
Retention windows are transparent from the start: your commission is split into milestone installments, and if a driver terms early the affected installment auto-voids cleanly. No clawbacks, no surprise deductions off your next check.
How fast do carriers decide?
The carrier receives the application packet and can review it through its Onboard access. Questions and replies stay in the shared conversation. Timing depends on the carrier and whether the application is complete; your pipeline shows the current status.
Do I lose my driver relationships?
No. Your drivers stay yours. Each driver has one identity across the whole platform, which blocks double submissions — nobody can re-shop a driver you already submitted, and carriers never learn which agency is behind anyone else's drivers.