Girl Power: How Women Are Changing the Trucking Industry

More women than ever before are joining the trucking and transportation industry — so what are you doing to recruit them?

International Women’s Day is a global celebration of the social, economic, cultural and political achievements of women. It is also a day set aside for accelerating women’s equality. In the trucking industry, women have historically been a minority. However, the concentration of women in trucking has been growing steadily. The American Trucking Association has reported that women are joining the trucking industry increasingly in recent years. In the last 5 years, the number of women in truck driving positions grew to 5.8% of the drivers nationally, up from 4.6% just five years ago. Fleet managers and owners should be adapting their recruiting, hiring and training to reflect the growing presence of women in the trucking industry.

According to the US Department of Labor (DOL), while women represent nearly 50% of the general labor force, they account for fewer than 8% of truck drivers. However, the percentage of women in trucking is steadily rising, which means that fleet managers and owners need to be prepared for this shift. Though some may believe that hiring women in trucking jobs may pose a potential risk, studies have revealed some interesting findings related to women in trucking jobs. “Women have much to contribute to this industry; not only are they 20% less likely than men to be involved in a crash, carriers regularly report that women take better care of their equipment, are easier to train, and have superior customer service and paperwork skills,” states the American Transportation Research Institute (ATRI).  

Market growth caused by increased demand for goods has led to a higher demand for truck drivers. Several research reports have actually revealed severe shortages in job-seekers within the trucking industry. Indeed reports that over 1 million truck driver jobs were posted on the platform in 2018, but in this industry, job-seeker interest falls way short of demand. The American Trucking Association (ATA) predicts that the shortage will continue to grow, and reach 160,000 by the year 2028. Fleet managers and owners are encouraged to tap into this emerging pool of promising prospects. 

It is also probable that women don’t realize that there are a plethora of benefits for them available in trucking and transportation. It is the job of fleet managers and owners to create an inclusive, attractive and competitive recruitment process. Tailoring your recruitment process to educate and inform women about a career in trucking is a great way to support social, professional and financial equality for women. For women looking into a career in trucking and transportation, there are plenty of positive incentives including:

• No gender-based pay gap
• No college degree requirement
• Clear opportunities for advancement
• Flexible scheduling opportunities for women with families

How to Recruit Women in Trucking

So how do you get started in actively recruiting more women to your company? It all starts with reviewing the conditions of your driver positions, the culture of your company and your available training programs to take advantage of this trend. When it comes to women, understanding what they are looking for in a trucking position is a great way to build your plan. Some of the points to consider about what women seek in a trucking career include:

• Higher pay
• Guaranteed time at home
• Quality equipment
• Inclusive company culture

When planning to recruit women into positions in your company, both the hiring process and the environment within the company need to be reviewed to be gender inclusive. Traditional channels of recruitment are also outdated. Targeting women may require special campaigns and events that make the positions attractive and incentive-based. Many fleet management companies are using the Internet to cast a wider net in terms of recruiting more women into their truck driver positions. When developing an outreach plan, some of the best online tools are:

• Promoted Tweets – a great tool to create targeted campaigns that reach your audience based on their activity and interests.
• Facebook Advertising – use this tool to create segmented audiences and engage them with content that is informative and shareable. 
• Pinterest – this is more fitting to establish and create brand awareness rather than lead generation. Create boards that lead viewers to landing pages where they can learn more and apply.
• LinkedIn – one of the top hiring tools for professionals where you can be more detailed in your search and offer training and incentives, search for experienced drivers and more.
• PPC Ads – create targeted ads that highlight the company and the opportunities that you have available. Using incentives that create prospects into hires is important to using this tool.

Finally, for more information on recruiting and hiring women in the trucking industry, there are also several organizations that support fleet management brands in accomplishing their goals to recruit and hire women in trucking positions. Joining their mailing lists and participating in learning opportunities provided by these organizations can help your brand immensely in this process. 

• Women in Trucking – an organization dedicated to encouraging the employment of women in the trucking industry, promote their accomplishments and minimize obstacles faced by women working in the industry. 
• Real Women in Trucking –  their goal is to promote safety by educating the public about unsafe truck driver training and creating a network of support for women entering trucking.
• Team Drivers & Women in Trucking Magazine – this publication partners with the Women In Trucking organization and features content from and about the organization and its members and provides each member of WIT with a complimentary copy of the issue each month.
• Lady Truck Drivers – their mission is to encourage the employment of women in the trucking industry, promote their accomplishments, and minimize obstacles faced by women working in the industry.

GPS Trackit is proud to celebrate International Women’s Day 2020 — a global celebration of the social, economic, cultural and political achievements of women. For more information on International Women’s Day, visit InternationalWomensDay.com.

Did you know that telematics and fleet management solutions can help you better manage your drivers, save on fuel and increase productivity? If you’re ready to take your business to the next level, our expert Fleet Advisors are ready to help.