Tweeter-One-Nine

Our interest was piqued when we read about J.B. Hunt Transport Service Inc.’s use of Twitter as a recruiting tool on an industry blog, so we contacted the trucking company to get the lowdown.

Imagine our surprise, then, when Greg Smith, a spokesman for the company, responded with the following e-mail: “J.B. Hunt does not currently utilize Twitter for recruiting purposes. We have researched the possibility but to date have not found it to be an effective method. J.B. Hunt is always looking for ways to integrate new and exciting technology. Therefore, we will continue to monitor the service and its development for future use should it eventually prove to be a useful recruiting medium within our industry.”

But it’s right there in cyberspace.

We discovered twitter.com/WeHaveFreight, a page that appears, among other things, to actively recruit drivers for J.B. Hunt. The profile lists a direct phone number to a J.B. Hunt recruiter, Laurel Elliott, as well as her e-mail address with an “@jbhunt.com” extension and a link to the company’s Web site. The profile picture is the bright yellow J.B. Hunt logo.

So, what’s the story?

The spokesman responded to a second set of questions about J.B. Hunt’s use of Twitter with: “[it] is the effort of a single individual, not a corporate project.”

Either we’re getting an earful of spin, or Elliot is out of line. We wonder: who’s in control of the corporate identity here?