Trucking Industry Seeks to Recruit More Women

Women truckers make up only about seven percent of the industry’s total workforce. But because the industry is experiencing a severe driver shortage and the highest turnover rate since 2015, many feel that it is time to encourage more women to consider careers in trucking.

But great numbers of women do not historically choose trucking as a career. According to a January 2018 Fleet Owner report, 83 percent of the women who currently work in trucking entered the industry because they were referred by a family member or friend, but have been hesitant to encourage other women to become truckers because they feel they have been treated unfairly their male counterparts, and also by dispatchers.

There is also a safety issue. A recent Women in Trucking (WIT) Best Practices Survey found that female truck drivers rated their safety on the job at 4.4 on a scale of one to 10. According to an American Trucker report, the survey included all aspects of safety on the job – concerns regarding personal safety, weather, equipment, infrastructure, other drivers, and other issues encountered while driving and while stopped.

New Radio Show Focuses on the Trucking Industry

SiriusXM recently launched “Women in Trucking,” a live, call-in radio show that airs on SiriusXM Road Dog channel 146. The show, which premiered January 20, features listener call-ins and interviews with trucking industry professionals, including drivers, technicians, engineers, transportation CEOs, and dispatchers who share stories of life on the road.

Although the show is geared toward both male and female listeners, the hope is that it will help promote the employment of more women through the identification and removal of obstacles that prevent women from entering the trucking industry, according to host and president and CEO of Women in Trucking Ellen Voie. “I look forward to hearing from both male and female drivers to open up a bold new dialogue about our industry and how we can move forward together,” she said.