According to an analysis done by The American Trucking Association, it’s expected that there could be a shortage of 175,000 truck drivers by 2024. One way to help overcome the truck driver shortage is to recruit more women drivers. In 2010 only 4.6% of truck drivers were female. Nowadays, the percentage of female drivers is slowly on the rise. According to the Bureau of Labor Statistics, as of January 2019, 6.2% of truck drivers are currently female. Women are steadily becoming more interested in truck driving for several different reasons. Some are attracted to the ability to work independently on the job and others enjoy the adventures of the road. Women have also expressed that they appreciate that men and women are paid equally in the industry. According to CNBC, Ellen Voie, the founder of the non-profit organization, Women in Trucking Association when asked said, “Women and men are paid the same as drivers. A carrier sets the pay based on mileage, hours or percentage of the load. It is not related to age, ethnicity or gender.” Additionally, there are some trucking jobs available in the industry that don’t require drivers to be gone for weeks together; which are suitable for women who have family responsibilities. Trucking jobs for women can include regional dry van routes, as well as port and rail driving jobs. These types of trucking jobs allow women to be home every few days and work well for those women with family commitments.
If women are given the support and respect they deserve in the trucking industry, the potential to attract more women to the trucking business could substantially help with the lack of drivers in America. Watch this YouTube video and find out what it is that women love about truck driving.
