It is well known that women are under-represented in the trucking industry. It is also common knowledge that there is a serious worker shortage across the trucking industry with trades and drivers being the most prevalent.

The Women with Drive National Advisory Committee is a new initiative established to remove barriers for women entering the transportation industry by examining the reasons why women are not considering trucking as a career choice.

This National Advisory Committee was spearheaded by The Canadian Trucking Alliance (CTA) Blue Ribbon Task Force and enacted by HR Trucking Canada to establish tactics to increase the number of women choosing careers in trucking. Twenty leading women in the trucking industry, representing all regions and a variety of roles participate on the committee.

Linda Young, Vice President of HR/People Development at Bison Transport

Linda Young, Vice President of HR/People Development at Bison Transport, was nominated to join the Committee and was asked to take on the role of Vice President.

“I was very honoured and excited to be asked to join,” she said. “It’s an important initiative that has the ability to positively impact our industry – my experience in other industries has brought some unique perspectives to contribute to the work ahead. Over the next three years we are going to come together to find ways that are truly impactful in bringing more women into the industry.”

Over 300 women and men across the industry were surveyed and the results have identified barriers that must be addressed.

The survey revealed that men and women rank different issues as their top concern. For instance, personal safety was ranked by women as their top concern, relating to working alone and being alone in drop yards, truck stops or maintenance shops that are very male dominated. Facilities also ranked very high in importance for women whereas men did not express concerns on this topic. The Women with Drive National Advisory Committee has developed an action plan as a result of the survey.

The action plan is made of 4 distinct categories:

1. Mentorship, training and professional development opportunities for women in trucking.
2. Marketing and communications plans to promote career options and build awareness of workplace challenges for women.
3. Workplace policies, procedures, best practices and tools to support a more inclusive workplace.
4. Influence public policy to affect systemic change.

Young said, ultimately, they want to tackle the challenge from all angles; recognizing that removing barriers for women is key to increasing female representation within trucking.

“We are striving to raise awareness among women and change perceptions about working in the industry so they consider it as a leading career opportunity,” said Young. “Tapping into this talent pipeline is a tremendous business opportunity!”

The first Women with Drive Summit took place on March 5, 2015 in Toronto and was open to the general public. The event raised awareness about the goals of the National Committee and educated the public regarding the severe talent shortage, the low representation of women in trucking and the rewarding career opportunities available for women in the trucking industry.

What changes do you think would encourage more women to join the trucking industry? Please comment below.