Women in Trucking founder encourages female drivers to join the industry

With an increasing number of open truck driving jobs in the United States, Ellen Voie, founder of Women in Trucking, is working to encourage female truck drivers to get behind the wheel, according to The Financial.

"There is an old-fashioned, male-oriented culture in the industry and women aren't appreciated as being capable and available," Voie told the source. "It isn't just the transport industry but also the whole of society that can benefit from more women being employed in the traditional male professions.  Female drivers are often safer drivers and incur less damage to their trucks. This is something from which haulage companies can benefit."

Approximately five percent of professional drivers in the U.S. are female, which is more than most other countries in the world. Many women will partner with their fathers, husbands or other strong role models and complete long-distance drives as a team. These driving teams can cover more ground in a shorter period of time because with two drivers, it is easy to work within the federal hours-of-service regulations, according to the source.

Voie believes that the driver shortage problem currently facing the industry could be solved if the percentage of female truck drivers doubled to 10 percent.

Women in Trucking founder encourages female drivers to join the industry

Monday, November 5th, 2012