Advice for Employers and Recruiters
Why September is the best time to apply for and hire transportation interns
The transportation industry’s hiring cycle is not as widely understood as it should be. September is the optimal time for both applying to and hiring transportation interns, according to industry experts. This article explores the key reasons why this month provides unique advantages for companies and aspiring interns alike, setting the stage for mutually beneficial partnerships.
- September Offers Quiet Training Period
- Early Recruitment Captures Peak Talent Pool
- Align Interns with Funded Project Timelines
- Maximize Learning Before Holiday Travel Surge
- Shape Flexible Routes Before Peak Season
- Target Students’ High Energy in September
- Honest Scheduling Improves Intern Retention
- Train Interns During Post-Summer Lull
- September Aligns with Academic Planning Cycles
- Career Fairs Kickstart Transportation Internships
September Offers Quiet Training Period
We find that September works because it’s a quieter time when we can focus on training our interns, before things get busy. In the transport and logistics industry this happens from Black Friday through to the end-of-year. When the busy end-of-year rush does arrive, our interns know the ropes and can make a difference, rather than slowing people down or not having a productive internship.
Robert Pace
President at World Trade Logistics, Inc., World Trade Logistics, Inc.
Early Recruitment Captures Peak Talent Pool
September is a turning point for both employers and students when it comes to internships in transportation. The academic calendar resets, and students return to school with a renewed focus on gaining practical experience to complement their coursework. This is the moment when they are most motivated to secure positions that will give them a competitive edge. Employers who act early in September reach this talent pool at its peak, before students begin committing to opportunities in other industries.
For transportation employers, September also aligns with a key planning window in the freight cycle. The industry prepares for the surge of activity leading into the holiday season, and having interns on board ahead of this demand provides real value. Students gain exposure to one of the busiest periods of the year, where they can see firsthand how logistics challenges are addressed at scale. This makes their experience not only relevant but also highly impactful.
Recruiting in September ensures a longer runway for training and onboarding. Instead of rushing the process later in the year, employers can take time to integrate interns into meaningful projects. Students benefit from being prepared to contribute effectively once peak demand arrives. This preparation creates stronger outcomes for both sides.
By waiting, employers risk losing access to top students who have already committed elsewhere. Starting early ensures that they secure motivated candidates and maximize the return on their internship programs. September offers the clearest alignment of timing, talent, and industry needs.
Evan Shelley
Co-Founder & CEO, Truck Parking Club
Align Interns with Funded Project Timelines
Transportation teams typically secure funds with project roadmaps for Q1 and beyond in September; grant timelines, municipal RFPs, and winter maintenance windows are all adjusted during this time. If you are hiring interns in September, there’s an opportunity to assign them to funded projects (e.g., GIS route audits, telematics analyses, charging siting) before hiring freezes are implemented. However, if you miss that deadline, campus career fairs have usually occurred by October or November, and projects are already staffed, effectively making internships appear like busywork rather than valuable learning opportunities.
EVhype managed to post job openings in the first week of September and successfully hire interns for a funded fleet-charging pilot with a city as collaborators. Once that scope was established, interns could focus on tangible deliverables such as cleaning up 1.2 million charger pings, creating a siting heatmap, and preparing a council-ready summary, instead of performing ad-hoc tasks. Both interns were subsequently offered full-time positions.
Rob Dillan
Founder, EVhype.com
Maximize Learning Before Holiday Travel Surge
September is when companies like ours begin planning for the busy months ahead, especially around holiday travel. Recruiting interns early in the academic year allows us to train them gradually so they are ready when demand spikes. Waiting until winter would leave little time for onboarding, and both the business and the student would miss out on valuable learning.
For students, applying in September is equally smart. Positions are plentiful, and competition is lower than later in the year. The key advice is to act early. Getting involved at this stage maximizes the chances of landing a role and building skills in time to make a real impact.
James McNally
Managing Director, SDVH [Self Drive Vehicle Hire]
Shape Flexible Routes Before Peak Season
September is when facilities finalize schedules for fall sports, retail resets, and extended holiday hours. Route plans for crews and supply vans are still flexible, so interns can shape them rather than inherit them. Employers who recruit now have four to six weeks to test pilot routes before Black Friday traffic hits. Students who apply now start on real maps and not just theory.
The first thing I check is whether operations can spare mentors on the night shift. In September, the answer is usually yes, because emergencies dip after summer projects wrap up. A two-week plan works well, including a day-one ride-along, a day-three solo route with radio check-ins, and week-two optimization with a supervisor. OSHA refreshers and site permissions are easier to clear before the year-end crunch.
We monitor three key metrics: miles per stop, on-time performance for the first task, and idle minutes at docks. A well-run internship can reduce idle minutes by ten percent through improved key control and staging. Another win is sequencing deliveries so chemical carts and autoscrubbers are loaded last out and first in. That simple reset removes backtracking and saves fuel.
Budget timing also favors September. Many customers set new purchase orders on October 1, tied to the government fiscal year. If interns help write the route plan now, their work goes straight into funded schedules. For a long-term logistics route optimization internship, it fits the moment and the work.
John Elarde III
Operations Manager, Clear View Building Services
Target Students’ High Energy in September
As an owner of a packaging and containers company, I understand the importance of practical internships. Since September marks the beginning of a new academic year, many students start to look for practical opportunities.
A lot of effort and energy is required for transportation internships. Students often have high energy levels at the beginning of the academic year. This makes the month a critical time for recruiting.
For employers, this month is crucial as it targets a large pool of talent. As an owner in the packaging industry, I find that internships in transportation are popular among students. It allows them to gain practical experience.
Matteo Valles
Owner, Vol Case
Honest Scheduling Improves Intern Retention
September plays a pivotal role in recruitment for transportation internships. It’s when universities are finalizing their class schedules, with students actually knowing how much time they can give. I learned this the hard way when we posted positions in November, and half of the applicants disengaged once exams and projects mounted. Moving recruitment back to September gave us a 30% retention improvement because students knew their availability from the start. Listen, it’s simple: don’t think of September as “early,” think of it as the month when both sides are most honest about time, workload, and commitment.
Mike Qu
CEO and Founder, SourcingXpro
Train Interns During Post-Summer Lull
September matters because summer peak fades and crews finally have time to train. It is early enough to prepare for year-end relocations and winter weather without the chaos of June to August. Students who apply now will join the first rotation, gaining on-truck experience and dispatch exposure. Employers can test fit and schedule road time before holidays lock the calendar.
The first thing I check is whether a candidate can handle early starts and weekend surges. Our day often begins at 6:30 with load checks and a short safety talk. A two-week ramp pairs interns with a lead mover to learn stair carries, inventory flow, and damage prevention. DOT basics and MVR checks usually take three to five business days, so September keeps timelines clean.
By October, an intern can help cut idle minutes at the curb and improve load order. We track on-time arrival, claims rate under one percent, and cost per mile for local moves. A simple rule of thumb is to confirm parking the night before and stage tools by the door to trim ten to fifteen percent off total job time. That hands-on impact builds a real resume line for transportation internships, September hiring.
Dispatch now has the capacity to coach routing and provide customer updates. We aim for tight route density inside twenty-five miles and clear two-hour arrival windows. One thing I’ve noticed is that calm communication at 8 AM helps prevent afternoon overtime. Starting in September turns learning time into measurable results by Q4.
Adrian Iorga
Founder, 617 Boston Movers
September Aligns with Academic Planning Cycles
September represents the optimal timing for transportation internship recruitment because it aligns with academic planning cycles while avoiding the intense competition that develops later in the academic year. Students and employers who engage early in the fall semester gain significant advantages in matching quality candidates with meaningful opportunities.
The transportation industry experiences distinct seasonal patterns that make September particularly strategic for internship planning. Many transportation companies, especially those in tourism-related sectors like motorcycle rentals, complete their peak season evaluations and can accurately assess their upcoming capacity and training needs for the following year.
Early September recruitment allows employers to identify top-tier candidates before competing industries and larger corporations launch their campus recruiting efforts. Students benefit from having more focused attention from recruiters and better access to premium internship positions that often fill quickly once broader recruiting begins.
The timing also provides sufficient runway for both parties to develop comprehensive internship programs rather than rushing through abbreviated selection processes. Transportation companies can design meaningful experiences that provide genuine skill development, while students can properly research opportunities and prepare competitive applications.
Forward-thinking organizations understand that securing quality talent requires early engagement with academic institutions and proactive relationship building with promising students before peak recruiting season creates overwhelming competition for the best candidates.
Carlos Nasillo
CEO, Riderly
Career Fairs Kickstart Transportation Internships
September is a key month. Universities hold their largest career fairs as the academic year starts. It’s a prime time for transportation firms to meet students who are planning their courses and summer jobs. Students can also secure positions before the semester’s competition increases.
Ladina Schöpf
Co-Founder, Building Green Show
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