The trucking industry is dealing with a big problem: we are anticipating a shortage of 100,000 drivers in the next year. Companies are looking to fill these spots with new hires that may not have been able to thrive in the industry before.
In trucking and logistics, men make up 85% of the workforce. According to the American Trucking Association only about 7.8% of the United States' professional truck driver workforce are women, but THRC’s research, Millennials Have Drive 2, found that women make up about a third of ‘"warm leads" who say they may consider a job in trucking.
There are many benefits to hiring more women as truck drivers. Female drivers are, on average, more cautious than their male counterparts. Because of this, they get into fewer and less severe accidents. Women also speed less than men, resulting in fewer tickets, legal cases and lower insurance premiums for freight companies. Studies have also shown that women tend to be gentler with equipment than men, leading to less maintenance and the ability to use the equipment for more extended periods of time.
Many factors keep women from excelling behind the wheel, including presumptions about the trucking industry, societal norms and expectations, lack of childcare options and harassment. It is best for freight companies to tackle these barriers head-on by directly challenging misogynistic workplace culture, providing adequate benefits for all parents, and educating future generations on their ability to achieve success in a variety of workplaces.
There are concerns about sexual harassment and assault for females on the job. Many trucking schools warn about the possibilities in the curriculum. Women on the job are sure to warn their peers of what they have experienced in an attempt to save them the trouble of being harassed or assaulted. Sharae Moore, the founder of S.H.E. Trucking, started a Facebook group and licensing program to help women entering the industry avoid companies known for tolerating sexual misconduct.
Gary Hollands, the owner of Interstate Trucking Academy, tries to combat the culture of sexual misconduct in the trucking industry by adding self-defense lessons and classes on dealing with sexual harassment to his company’s free training program. He believes it is important to prepare female drivers for the industry culture, as well as give them the tools to navigate situations of misconduct safely.
The trucking industry needs more people like Hollands, who acknowledge an overarching problem in the industry and are working to change the dangerous culture rather than throw women to the wolves and use the "that’s just how it is" excuse.
