Not quite 8%. That’s the number of women who are professional truck drivers in the U.S., according to American Trucking Associations’ (ATA) American Trucking Trends report. And that number—7.8%—is the largest percentage of women in trucking ever.
While I am thrilled that we’re at the highest percentage of women drivers ever, I can’t help but wonder why 7.8% is something to be excited about when, according to the U.S. Census Bureau, women make up 50.8% of the U.S. population. I think we can do better when it comes to recruiting and retaining women behind the wheel.
See also: How to keep women in trucking
I have heard Women In Trucking’s president and CEO, Ellen Voie, talk about simple things fleets can do to attract more women to the profession. This starts with a fleet reviewing its recruiting material. Some questions to ask:
- Are all the people pictured in your advertising male?
- Does your recruiting material use only the words he or him to describe the type of candidates you seek?
I know this may seem simplistic, but the reality is if people can’t see themselves in a job, they are not going to apply. Subconsciously, they may feel like they don't belong or won’t fit in.
But it goes beyond just changing your recruiting efforts to making sure your workplace is welcoming to women and understanding of the realities of their lives. Many women are the primary caregivers of children and sometimes even their parents. Their life circumstances may not make it possible for them to be gone for days—much less weeks—at a time. To be clear, I am not saying that some men do not have these same pressures, but traditionally caregiving has fallen disproportionately to women.
See also: How to approach mental health in trucking
Can your fleet change its routing, to a more local or regional emphasis, allowing drivers to be home every or most nights? Your fleet must remain profitable, and that rerouting may not be possible, but when was the last time you performed a route optimization analysis? COVID-19 changed a lot of things, but maybe now your customers are open to the kind of changes in pickup and delivery schedules to allow your operation to take a more regional approach.
The type of equipment you operate also can be a great recruiting tool. While men don’t like their trucks to break down on the road, for a woman an on-road breakdown comes has an extra element of concern for personal safety. Your fleet doesn't necessarily need to have the newest trucks, but you will need to demonstrate your commitment to maintaining them and doing everything possible to prevent breakdowns.
If your fleet runs battery-electric vehicles (BEVs), that can be another recruiting tool. BEVs’ one-pedal operation makes them easier to operate, making them attractive to women as well as younger drivers who have never learned how to operate a manual transmission. Consider looking into purchasing and using BEVs in your fleet operation.
I’m excited that we have more women truck drivers than ever before. But I also think by making some minor changes we can attract even more to trucking. I know we can do better, and I hope when the next ATA American Trucking Trends report comes out, we will see even a larger percentage of women drivers. Let’s do it!
Jane Clark focuses on managing the member services operation at NationaLease as vice president of member services. She works to strengthen member relationships, reduce member costs, and improve collaboration within the NationaLease supporting groups.
