Recently the Department of Labor held a “Day of Action” to promote safety and address these issues in the trucking industry. Since our inception in 2007, our mission has included the goal to address obstacles that might keep women from entering the trucking industry, or from succeeding in a transportation role. For over fifteen years the Women In Trucking Association has already been addressing the subject of sexual harassment and sexual assault against professional drivers.
Before you read the title and jump to a conclusion, I want to start by saying that I hope you agree that we are all different. It’s not just about gender, but it encompasses so much more, such as age, ethnicity, and both mental and physical attributes.
However, I would also like you to think about why we sometimes continue to treat everyone the same by avoiding conversations that showcase our differences.
One of the goals of the WIT board of directors is to be a resource. This not only includes providing information and data to our members, but it means sharing our mission with people who have the power to create change.
Recently, the Women In Trucking Association has been invited to two White House events to explore ways to bring more women into the trucking industry. This is only the beginning, however, as the recently passed Infrastructure Bill included another opportunity to have a voice in Washington DC.
At a Women In Trucking reception, two drivers sitting next to each other discovered that they worked for the same carrier. As they left the event that evening, they vowed to stay in touch and maintain their newfound friendship. These two women knew that they could learn from each other and lean on each other; they knew the value of networking.
With the new year around the corner, many of us make new year’s resolutions with the goal to improve something in our lives. Maybe you want to lose a few pounds or get more exercise. Those are the two top goals people set for the coming year.
Other resolutions include getting organized, learning a skill or hobby, quitting smoking, spending more time with family friends, traveling, or reading more and spending less money. Those are all great goals, and if you are planning on making positive changes in your life, then make a New Year’s resolution. Continue reading
For those of us in the trucking industry, we are all aware of the data suggesting that crashes involving commercial trucks are overwhelmingly caused by the non-professional driver. Or, as we like to call them, the four wheelers.
There have been numerous studies about reckless behaviors for automobile drivers, but I recently came across a paper that explored the attitudes of truck drivers to those who aren’t operating a commercial vehicle.
The study interviewed 167 adult men (you read that right, no women were part of the research.) Seventy of the respondents were not truck drivers, but the remainder were employees of a concrete manufacturing company. The research was conducted in Israel, which has very few female drivers. However, I found the data very relevant and wanted to share the results. Continue reading
#CheckOnYourFriends
My son’s close friend and future business partner ended their relationship when he recently took his own life. They had been buddies for many years and were both passionate about working on their cars together. They were in the early stages of forming a partnership to build a shop to diagnose and fix automotive issues. My son was devasted. Andrew was only 29.
A few days later a good friend of mine lost his young son to suicide. Patrick was a former Marine who had served for five years. When he ended his life, he was employed as a truck driver at the same carrier with his dad. What can you say to someone who is burying a 24-year-old child?
Ten years ago, Facebook was emerging as one of the top social media websites and Women In Trucking member, Sandy Long, recognized its potential. She reached out and asked if she could start a WIT group on the site. She wanted a place for female drivers to be able to ask questions, network and find new friends. She saw the value in connecting drivers with technology.
Although Sandy passed away a few years ago, her legacy remains in the WIT Facebook group, which now includes nearly 11,000 individuals in the trucking industry. Both men and women visit the group to talk about things that affect their roles as professional drivers. While the majority are truck drivers, there are others who are on the site to learn or to network.
You may be surprised to learn that the page is moderated by professional drivers. They take turns watching the site for compliance. In fact, while WIT staff check in on the site, the admins are vigilant in ensuring the posters follow the rules, which they must agree to before approval is granted into the closed group.
Continue readingThe Women In Trucking Association board of directors has a goal to be a resource to the industry. Whether that means trucking companies, drivers, the government or our members, we want to provide you with the best information (tools) to reach your objectives in creating a more gender diverse workforce.
In 2017 we teamed with Sawgrass Logistics to learn about best practices in hiring female drivers. We learned a lot and have changed our programs to reflect these challenges. However, we continue to survey our members to find out what they want from us, their association.
Continue readingThe email started innocent enough. The question from the CEO asked if the employee had a moment to “get a task done.” The sender asked the reader to purchase eight eBay gift cards valued at $200 each for a total of $1,600. The employee was then asked to scratch off the silver lining and send a photo of the codes immediately.
The employee was new at the company and complied with the request, which, unfortunately, was from a scammer. The cards were purchased before the employee realized it was a scam; fortunately, the codes were never sent to the spammer.
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