In a predominantly male industry, it’s not common to see female truck drivers. However, there are more women drivers then you would think. In the United States, there are more than 200,000 women in the trucking industry. In fact, the amount of women in trucking is continuing to grow with a 47 percent growth rate. The trucking industry offers several opportunities for women to advance their careers.
Why women choose to start a career in the trucking industry
The main reason women decide to join the trucking industry is to enjoy the independence that the open road has to offer. Another bonus to being a truck driver is that you can support a family with an average salary of $73,000 a year. Something else that women should know if they are looking to start a career in trucking industry is that women make up to 20-30 percent more than they would in other fields. As a result, trucking is a great opportunity for women to gain freedom, have flexible schedules and make a great living.
Special opportunities for women in the trucking industry
In the past, female truck drivers have experienced a lot of harassment from their male co-workers. Therefore, companies are trying to stop the mistreatment and looking for ways to offer support for their female employees. In fact, there are several organizations that have been formed to offer advancement opportunities for female truck drivers.
Organizations that support female truck drivers are:
Women in Trucking
Women in Trucking is a non-profit organization that is encouraging the employment of women in the trucking industry. Their mission is to promote the accomplishments of women drivers and to minimize obstacles faced by women in trucking.
A few things that Women in Trucking offer are:
- Engagement
- Mentoring
- WIT Training
- Truck stop directory
- WIT Webinars
- Awards for female truck drivers
- WIT show
- Conferences
Women in Trucking Foundation
An extension of the Women in Trucking organization is the Women in Trucking Foundation. Their goal is to raise funds for scholarships, evaluate applications and distribute funds to schools for the use of growing their female truck driver’s skills on the road.
Real Women in Trucking
Real Women in Trucking, formed by a protest group in 2010, made it their goal to improve work conditions for female drivers. Their organization also wants to promote safe driving practices and to be a transparent resource for new drivers joining the trucking industry. They’re also an advocate for improving industry benefits for drivers of any gender.
Real Women in Trucking offer:
- Memberships
- Support resources
- Queen of the road awards
- CDL Training
- 2019 Lady Trucker Cruise
Overall, the United States is in low supply of truck drivers. Therefore, women and other minority groups could help the industry to grow. With the extra support of these female truck driver organizations our industry is able to promote the hiring of female drivers and share the benefits of being a truck driver with others.
TransWood is committed to protecting the health, safety and security of our employees and independent contractors while minimizing the impact of our operations on the public and the environment where we operate. Our mission is to achieve excellence through superior systems, training, and dedication which ensures TransWood will provide a level of disciplined quality service to exceed our customers’ expectations. Visit our website and contact TransWood so we can start serving your hauling freight needs.
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