The trucking business is a male-dominated industry. The trucking companies are run by males and 90% of the drivers are male. Trucking companies pay more attention to starting their business, legalizing it by fulfilling BOC 3 requirements, and making profits while they often forget that the US is facing a shortage of truck drivers.
Many truck drivers are leaving or retiring from the business because of various reasons. However, at the same time, the transportation department has seen a sudden rise in female truck drivers.
More women want to be a part of this industry today, more than ever. To remove gender disparity and encourage women to be a part of every industry, trucking companies should consider hiring female drivers.
Here is everything you need to know about women in the trucking business.
Why Do Women Want To Be Truck Drivers?
According to the statistics, there has been an approximately 68% increase in women truck drivers since 2010. This sudden rise shows that today more women are confident enough to enter the masculine work environment. Women want to be a part of this industry that can help them earn more than being a cashier at a local grocery store.
Like men, most women do not get the opportunity to attend fancy colleges. Some of them might just be high school dropouts. With no proper degree, finding a decent job can be difficult. Truck drivers earn more than many other job sectors.
How Trucking Companies Benefit From Hiring Women?
Trucking companies can benefit a lot from hiring female truck drivers, which can help their business grow much better. Here are some advantages of having female truck drivers on the crew.
1. They Are Careful Drivers
Experts believe that women drivers are 20% less likely to be involved in a crash than male drivers. This is mainly because female drivers are more careful. Women have the habit of following the rules, and they will always keep their eyes on the road.
A trucking company can benefit a lot of it is involved in fewer accidents. Accidents may cause damage to the company’s reputation in terms of angry clients, and finances in terms of damaged vehicles, and fighting lawsuits.
If you want to minimize the accidents then you should consider hiring female truck drivers for your trucking company.
2. Women Are Perfectionists
Another great habit of women that makes them a better choice for a truck driver’s job is that they are perfectionists. Many women like to check all items off the list, otherwise, they feel unaccomplished. Male drivers tend to be more careless in this regard.
Women are great with paperwork. They will make sure that they do not make any mistakes while filling out paperwork. Moreover, women do not like to delay matters unnecessarily. This can help your business by delivering every package on time.
3. Women Give Better Customer Services
Women are better people to handle situations with angry customers because of their soft tones and compromising nature. Women will listen to customers’ complaints without causing any more trouble. men, on the other hand, have poor customer management skills because of their egoistic nature.
Women can handle a situation much more calmly. They will make sure that the customer is satisfied and avoid every way possible to get your company involved in a lawsuit.
What Challenges Women In A Trucking Company?
As we mentioned earlier, more women want to be truck drivers today than ever. However, still, only 10% of the industry comprises female truck drivers. The reason is that many trucking companies do not make the right approach when hiring women drivers.
If you want to hire female truck drivers for your company, make sure that you are marketing the right way. Encourage women to join your company by offering compensation and ensuring safety.
Safety is the biggest concern for women who want to be truck drivers. If your company has a strict policy towards gender equality and you take strict actions against harassment, then more women would like to be a part of your trucking company.
Moreover, long hauls are not the only option for women as truck drivers. They can always choose local deliveries so that they can reach home every night for dinner.