According to the American Trucking Associations (ATA), in 2018, the trucking industry needing about 60,000 drivers. If things continue as they’re trending, the demand could spike to over 160,000 needed by 2028.
To keep up, the industry will need to hire a yearly average of about 11,000 a year.
The replacement of truck drivers could account to over half of new driver hires at 54%, and industry growth only accounts for 24% of new drivers.
Women only make up for 7% of the truck driving population. In order to meet the growing demand in the industry, the ATA acknowledges the need to recruit more women into the ranks.
The good news is that there has been a 19% growth in women drivers in 2017, which is a sign that the industry is serious about shortening the gender divide. Many more couples have started driving as well, letting the couples spend time together and providing relief and safety for women as they stop overnight.
Women can face many challenges in truck driving. Even something as simple as the size of the truck can deter shorter or smaller women, as driving for hours all day demands that your seats and controls be comfortable.
Truck stops and other rest options are not always safe for women, and just like for men who are drivers, safety must be a major concern. There have been apps made, both for men and women drivers in the field, that operates like a GPS technology. If a driver experiences a breakdown or some other emergency, they can get a tow or get to a repair facility quickly.
A big draw is that long haul trucking is paid by the mileage, and there is no discrimination based on age, ethnicity, or gender, and this allows women to earn just as much as men and experience all the same freedoms that long haul truckers can enjoy.
Women make up 47% of the trucking industry, however, almost half. It’s simply that only 7% are drivers, while 23% are in management roles.
Recent trends and raises in the quality of life of drivers could aid in the industry recruiting the numbers that it needs, and many of these new drivers could feasibly be women.
Source: bizjournals
There’s still a lot of discrimination and backstabbing against attractive intelligent women drivers and jealous unattractive overweight women. It’s really sad that we can’t all get along.
I think you’ll find that same discrimination outside trucking just the same.
When women enter a work force in large numbers it drives down wages because they allow themselves to be bullied into accepting lower pay. Women need to stand their ground and demand higher wages rather than lobby legislators to do it for them.
I’ve never seen a trucking company’s pay scale that listed different rates for male and female drivers. Seniority is the only factor that makes a difference on any I’ve seen.
I finally got past all that and just get out here and do my job. What other people think about me is none of my business. I’m out here to make a decent wage: there’s no discrimination in the pay scale. I couldn’t say the same about my “college qualified” job!
I haven’t seen it outside of Trucking. In Corporate our Payroll Manager was Overweight, our Operations Manager was overweight, but they had the skills to get the job done.
Now it may be different for different organizations, but I am 61 years old and I have never come across what I am hearing here from truckers.
Not trying to give them ideas but, the politicians in the Swamp could pass a law requiring drivers to work until they are too old to get into the truck any more. That doesn’t sound any more ridiculous then many of the laws that have been passed: welfare state programs, programs to help criminal migrants, bailing out failing companies. All of a sudden my back and legs are killing me. OHHH, THE PAIN!!!