How Do We Appeal to Women Truckers Who Can Help Driver Shortages?

Women truck drivers comprise only about 6.6% of the trucking workforce. The truck driver shortages are reaching unprecedented highs, and drawing in more women drivers would help fill voids. Addressing issues facing living wages, safety concerns, and scheduling options would increase the appeal of a trucking career for women.

Living Wage Pay to Appeal to Women Truckers

Earning a living wage in an occupation is expected, which goes the same for truck drivers, men, and women alike. Companies have been changing and rearranging pay structures to benefit drivers, offering many opportunities to make more money as a truck driver.

Appealing to Women Truckers with Increased Safety

Staying safe for a truck driver doesn’t just mean checking mirrors and reviewing safety procedures. Truckers who find themselves on the road for days, weeks, or months take necessary precautions to ensure their safety. Looking for a secure place to sleep for the night, or using the restroom at a truck stop, comes with safety concerns, all of which can be made more difficult for women. Often seen as vulnerable, women can be easy targets for thieves and general creeps. Being prepared with aids such as pepper spray, whistles, alarms, or even a self-defense move or two can help ease safety concerns for women on the road. With trucking being a primarily male-led occupation, sexual harassment and harmful stereotypes towards women in the trucking workforce have been seen and heard before. The goal is to reach even ground for both men and women truck drivers. The trucking workforce can make a step toward equality with the help of sexual harassment training courses and women proving themselves as sound drivers. The ATRI found that women were safer truck drivers than men. Male truckers were 20% more likely to be involved in a crash. Women truckers could use a round of applause.

Schedule Options That Appeal to Women Truckers

The life of a trucker consists of many days, weeks, and sometimes even months on the road, a life which may not seem appealing to all women. The importance of truck driving jobs is to offer schedule options for different kinds of trucking. Some women enjoy being alone and find nothing better than the open road and miles behind them and their last destination. Some women have lived their lives as wives, mothers, even grandmothers, the memories of which they carry on the road with them. Some women still have husbands and daughters and sons but enjoy some days away for themselves, making money and coming home with just enough time to practice spelling words and give enough hugs and kisses to last days. Options are out there for any woman.