Ever since the late 1800s when the trucking industry was born, truck driving as a profession has been overwhelmingly male. Long, irregular hours on the road and away from home, the physical dimensions of cabs catered to the male demographics, and overall safety risks are a few of the many ways that this male dominance has persisted. However, women have been vital to transportation for even centuries prior to the trucking industry by hauling goods in ox carts to local markets. Once the trucking industry was born, women have played a key role in shaping it into its current state today, and play an even more important role into the future.

FEMALE TRUCKING TRAILBLAZERS

Women started formally entering the trucking industry as drivers during World War II when filling mens' former positions as drivers. In the decades prior, we can thank few distinguished trailblazers for this movement:

• Mary Fields, also known as ‚ÄúStagecoach Mary,‚Äù was born into slavery in 1832, freed with the ratification of the 13th Amendment in 1865, and was the second woman that the U.S. Postal Service hired. She drove 6 horses and 1 mule every day into the early 1900s. She especially paved a path for African-American drivers.
• In 1909, Alice Huyler Ramsey became the first woman to complete a coast-to-coast drive. She later founded the Women's Motoring Club.
• Many women entered the trucking industry as men went off to fight in World War I. During this time, in 1918, Luella Bates test drove trucks for Four Wheel Drive Auto Company and became not only an expert mechanic, but a fierce advocate for safety protocols, many of which are used today.
• Women continued entering the trucking industry into World War II. In 1929, Lillie Elizabeth Drennan became the first female licensed truck driver. She was also the first woman to own her own fleet, Drennan Truck Line, where she fiercely advocated for gender and racial equality in the industry.

Unfortunately, as more women joined the industry, the greater the sexism grew. This motivated Adriesue "Bitsy" Gomez to later form the Coalition of Women Truck Drivers to fight sexism. And there are so many other women that, too, make a difference in the everyday experiences of women.

WOMEN FACE BENEFITS AND CHALLENGES IN TRUCKING

Yet, still, in today's world, where women make up almost 50% of the workforce, they only constitute 10% of truck drivers. According to the Women in Trucking (WIT) Association's survey from 2018, this 10% is up from 7.89%, a nearly 30% increase. This increase may have resulted from improved conditions for women, such as better fitting cabs based on their respective physical demographics for some brands. However, many of the same challenges exist, or have even worsened.

Here is a list of benefits and challenges that women face -

Benefits

• Equal pay. Unlike many other industries, truck drivers are paid by the mile or load percentage. Women earn the same amount of money as men as truck drivers, with an average of $73,000/year.
• High demand. Especially for Owner-Operators who have the ability to choose their own hours, the freedom and flexibility to move freely on the road, especially in a pandemic environment full of uncertainty, can be comforting.
• Freedom. Many people get into truck driving for the freedom it offers. For some women, it's a great way to move freely on the road, explore untapped parts of the country, and experience an every day adventure.
• Community Resources. More and more females are already contributing to the growth of female drivers and successfully navigating this space. And community resources now exist to support, connect and inspire female truck drivers and other professionals within the transportation industry. Women in Trucking, Real Women in Trucking, S.H.E. Trucking, and Women in Trucking Foundation are a few of the most reputable organizations  that offer a wide range of personal and professional development opportunities, financial resources, job boards, and more - all in the spirit of bringing more gender diversity the industry.

Challenges

• Personal safety. Given the regulatory environment, rest stops and other places of regular interactions with others in the industry are known to be incredibly dangerous for women, with widespread sexism, harassment, and assault. The risk to personal safety cannot be understated.
• Long, irregulars hours away from home. Trucking is unpredictable and dependent on factors outside of the driver's control, such as weather, road conditions, loading and unloading times, and more. In addition, when the load demands a driver to be away from home for a prolonged period, as it often does, being far from family and unable to care for loved ones is a deal breaker to many.
• Lack of access to financing. The barriers to enter the industry as an Owner-Operator is already high due to the upfront costs it requires. Women have disproportionately less access to financing than men, which may be preventative from overcoming that barrier.
• Physical demands. Depending on the situation, the physical demands of trucking can be high, which may deter women from entering or staying in the industry.

With the right preparation and support, it is possible for women to overcome these challenges in order to find successful and rewarding careers as drivers.

THE VALUE OF FEMALE DRIVERS TO FLEETS

Investing in women in trucking brings immense value to fleets. In fact, achieving gender equality could help solve the widespread driver shortage. This is why fleets are increasing their efforts to recruit more and more female talent through offerings like truck driving simulators, support groups, and self-defense and sexual harassment awareness classes.

Additionally, female drivers are statistically safer than male ones due to their behavior. According to the American Transportation Research Institute, men are:

• 20% more likely to be involved in crashes
• 88% more likely to possess a reckless or negligent driving conviction
• 78% more likely to have a seat belt violation
• 73% more likely to be convicted of running a stoplight
• 70% more likely to be convicted of speeding

Women are also known to better care for their equipment, meaning that they're also more risk averse for damage to cargo.

This adds up to higher safety ratings for the fleet, and in turn, lower insurance costs.

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Other relevant articles:

Women in Trucking: 6 Important Safety Tips

Women in Trucking: 8 Ways For Men to be Allies