Just a few years ago, women made up less than 6% of the drivers working in the trucking industry. As of 2019, however, that number has risen to 10%—and it’s still going up. The female trucker lifestyle is continuing to grow and improve, and Lily Transportation could not be more excited about it.
Here at Lily Transportation, we’re always looking for new ways to improve and showcase the female trucker lifestyle. If you’ve ever wondered what kind of jobs in the trucking industry are available to women, or what a day in the life of a female trucker looks like, you’ve come to the right place.
Supporting You and Yours
On average, jobs in the trucking industry pay around $45,000 annually. But at Lily Transportation, the salaries we provide to all of our truckers range from upwards of $50,000 to $95,000. We’re committed to supporting our Lily Family in every way we can, which is why we offer competitive salaries and a variety of additional benefits, including things like:
Paid holiday and vacation times
Blue Cross Blue Shield Medical and Dental Insurance
Matching 401k
Health and Wellness Programs
24-hour dispatch
Quarterly and annual bonuses for safe driving
Whether you’re driving solo or with a partner, locally or cross-country, Lily Transportation will ensure that you have the constant support you need to be the best driver (and person) you can be.
Part of the Lily Family
The female trucker lifestyle at Lily goes beyond competitive pay and benefits; it means joining a family that takes care of its own. No matter what your background is, Lily will work alongside you and make sure you’re set up to succeed in a role that will enrich your personal and professional lives.
“I encourage a lot of women to come and work for Lily Transportation. It’s worth your while. It’s an awesome, awesome place to work.”
— Renata Sczuroski
There are more jobs in the trucking industry for women than ever before. Companies like Lily Transportation actively pursue and recruit female truckers, and we’re taking great care to promote a culture that supports those drivers in the essential work they do. If you’re already one of our Lily Ladies, then check out our Facebook group! We’d love to see you there.
If you have any questions about the female trucker lifestyle or want to learn how to become one of Lily’s Ladies, don’t hesitate to get in touch with us! We would love to talk to you.
There is tremendous opportunity in the truck driving industry for anyone looking for a new and lucrative career path. With plenty of benefits, equal pay, and companies looking to hire female truck drivers, there really hasn’t been a better time for women to enter the trucking industry.
Where many career paths are still held back by wage inequality, professional truck driving is not. “As a truck driver, you make the same amount of money as your male peers, because you either get paid by the mile or the load of the percentage,” Ellen Voie, the president of Women in Trucking (WIT) says. “So gender is not an issue in pay in the truck industry for drivers.”
But what does a female truck driver’s salary look like? What kind of factors can affect the truck driving salary?
What Does the Average Truck Driver Salary Look Like?
According to research from the Bureau of Labor Statistics, on average, a truck driver will make upwards of $40,000 annually. While each carrier is likely to offer a variety of truck driver salaries and benefits, AllTrucking.com says that “pay does gradually increase year by year, based on performance, safety, and experience.”
It’s also important to note that, on account of the industry needing lots of new drivers, trucking and transportation companies are more than willing to offer their drivers incentives. At Lily Transportation, salaries range from $50,000 – $95,000 annually. We not only provide paid holiday and vacation time, full benefits and cell phone allowances, but we also have Safety and Loyalty programs that allow our drivers to receive significant quarterly and annual bonuses.
Beyond the Female Truck Driver’s Salary
The trucking industry needs new, diverse, and younger truck drivers. As a large percentage of the current trucker population nears retirement, carriers across the country are ramping up their recruitment efforts. And this means actively pursuing female truck drivers.
While a female truck driver’s salary looks the same as a male truck driver’s salary, the industry isn’t stopping there. Instead, the entire trucking industry is making changes to accommodate its female truckers. According to CDL Career Now, this means improving truck stop safety with better lighting and visibility and outfitting the trucks themselves with closer pedals and better-positioned seatbelts.
And with over 20,000 female truck drivers having joined the industry since 2014, those developments seem to be paying off. Lily Transportation is always on the look-out for excited, passionate, and driven women to join our family of truck drivers. If you’ve ever been interested in the truck driving lifestyle, or want to learn more about the benefits of driving for Lily, please reach out to us today!
You don’t have to take our word for it either; just listen to what one of our female drivers had to say about driving for Lily: “I encourage a lot of women to come and work for Lily Transportation. It’s worth your while…its an awesome, awesome place to work.”
Women have been an active, crucial presence in the transportation industry since its very inception. Women truckers are more prevalent in the industry than ever before, and companies across the country are broadening their employee support and recruitment efforts to reflect that.
“To attract more female drivers,” WGLT.org says, “carriers say they are offering more practice time in truck driving simulators. They have added internal support groups, female driver liaisons and trainers.” Even truck stops are making changes to support the increasing number of women truckers on the road across the country.
Here at Lily Transportation, we’re committed to ensuring that every one of our drivers is provided with the same care, benefits, and professional training they need to thrive on and off the road. But don’t just take our word for it; here’s what some of our very own women truckers have to say about the truck driving lifestyle:
Opportunities for Women Truckers
According to Lauren Domnick, the chief data scientist at Omnitracs, very few trucking companies actively target women in their recruiting efforts. She says to Business Insider that “It’s something that companies just don’t think about as much as they should.” While trucking companies are eager to work with and support women truckers, only a small percentage of them are making strides to target women in their recruitment efforts deliberately.
Lily Transportation is striving to be different, though. We’re always looking for new drivers, and pursue people from all backgrounds and demographics. For example, Jessica Licona-Amador, a driver here at Lily, says that “Lily made me feel comfortable and gave me the opportunity to change careers.”
We’re always on the lookout for passionate and driven female truck drivers to join our ever-growing family of solo and OTR drivers. Whether you have prior trucking experience or not, we want to work alongside you to get you CDL-certified and ensure that you hit the open road with all of the support you’ll need to succeed.
“I encourage a lot of women to come and work for Lily Transportation,” Renata Sczuroski, another one of our professional drivers, says. “It’s an awesome, awesome place to work.”
Trucking Careers for Women
The trucking industry needs drivers now more than ever. With many industry veterans nearing retirement, there’s an influx of trucking careers open to anyone and everyone willing to commit to the dynamic lifestyle of a truck driver.
Lily Transportation is proud of our current base of women truckers, and we’re always encouraging women to apply so that that base can continue to grow and evolve long into the future. If you’re interested in hearing more about the trucking careers available to you, then reach out to us today! We would love to hear from you.
The logistics and transportation industries are fundamental to our country. Without them, the e-commerce industry wouldn’t be the juggernaut it is today, and people across the world wouldn’t have access to the products and services they so fiercely rely on.
As a result, pursuing a career in logistics is a surefire way to get plugged into a valuable profession, help support people’s day-to-day routines, and ultimately contribute to one of the country’s most influential fields. While logistics and trucking may appear to be primarily male-lead industries, that couldn’t be farther from the truth, as women in logistics have been around since the formation, development, and continued evolution of the industry.
Organizations like Women in Transportation (WIT) have been instrumental in this respect, as they have strived “to encourage the employment of women in the trucking industry, promote their accomplishments, and minimize obstacles faced by women working in the industry.” However, it’s also the logistics companies themselves that have played a significant role in supporting women who pursue a truck driving career.
Truck driving is not only a viable career option for women, but it’s also a flourishing one. There are more women in logistics, transport, and trucking roles than ever, and the industry is making great strides towards finding new and meaningful ways to accommodate and encourage this trend.
If you want to learn more about women in logistics and how Lily Transportation can help you get started, then reach out to us today! We’re always on the lookout for new and passionate drivers and would love to talk to you.
The trucking and transportation industry has been a pillar in our country for years, and its importance shows no signs of decreasing. As the e-commerce industry reaches new levels of vitality every year, so too does the need for reliable transportation and shipping grow along with it.
Even as the trucking industry continues to search for new drivers to fill its ranks, one demographic in particular is bringing new ideas and developments into a tried-and-true industry: women truck drivers.
While popular stereotypes may lead you to believe that women don’t inhabit the trucking industry, in actuality they’ve been a vital part of the continued development and advancement of transportation since the founding of the United States. As the number of women in trucking slowly but surely grows higher, here are just a few of the ways they are helping to drive the industry toward a better and brighter future.
Safer Truck Stops
As the needs of truck drivers change, so too have the characteristics of truck stops had to change. For example, in an article by American Trucker, Kelly Rhinehart—founder and co-owner of a long-running truck stop—explains how “Truck stops made a ton of money off of payphones once. Then we turned the phone rooms into computer rooms. Now they’re TV rooms or workout rooms.”
In addition to the technological upgrades that modernity has demanded, truck stops have also begun to emphasize better safety measures. This is a development that has as much to do with general necessity as it does with the increasing number of women truck drivers, but it’s a notable, and valuable, development nonetheless.
For example, Ellen Voie, the president and CEO of Women in Trucking, said on NPR.com that “We work with the truck stops on lighting and fencing and reporting to them a truck stop that’s not safe.” By taking strides toward eliminating dark and vulnerable spaces on their ground, truck stops can provide a better sense of safety for all their drivers.
Better Trucks
The accommodations don’t stop there though. CDL Career Now reports that “Truck manufacturers are designing the trucks to be more adaptable for women drivers—easier access, closer pedals, and better-positioned seat belts.” Trucks are also getting outfitted with other modern features, such as cameras and computers that increase situational awareness and improve quality-of-life for drivers.
Putting Drivers Behind the Wheel
The trucking industry needs drivers, now more than ever. With many veteran drivers approaching retirement, trucking companies are eager for new and diverse individuals who are excited about the opportunities they can find behind the wheel. As such, companies are becoming far better about pursuing, recruiting, and accommodating female truck drivers.
As long as organizations like Women in Trucking (WIT) continue to help raise awareness, the more companies—like Camo-route, an umbrella organization that works to develop Quebec’s transport industry—will strive to increase the percentage of women behind the wheel. And the more women behind the wheel, the easier it will be for the industry to evolve and thrive for years to come.
Here at Lily Transportation, for example, we’re actively recruiting women to join our team of professional truck drivers. We’re proud of our current female driver base and are always encouraging women to apply so that base can continue to grow for years to come. To learn more about what driving with Lily Transportation looks like, reach out to us today! We would love to hear from you.
There are a lot of driving myths about women, but most of them are just that, myths. Not only do statistics show that women are safer drivers, as of 2017 more women have driver’s licenses than men do. With that in mind, here are a few driving myths about women that we can put to rest, especially when placed in the context of the trucking industry.
Driving Safety
When it comes to professional truck drivers, not only are women involved in fewer accidents but when they are behind the wheel they’re often going at a much slower speed, meaning the extent of the damage is less. CDL Career Now also says that women tend to pay better attention to detail when driving, which is especially important when operating a large truck. On top of that, NBC reports on a study that says how “women are 27 percent less likely than men to cause auto accidents.”
While women still don’t occupy a large percentage of the truck driving industry, a recent report from the National Transportation Institute (NTI) says that “female driver representation grew from 7.13% in January to 7.89% at the end of December, and women in management grew from 23% to 23.75% in the same time.”
No matter what the myths say, trucking companies are looking to hire more women than ever before, and the American Trucking Association even says “that more than 28,000 women have joined the trucking industry since 2014.”
It’s safe to say, then, that the trucking industry is taking notice of the benefits women can bring to their industry. Not only do they tend to be safer behind the wheel, but Business Insiders reports that “they also are less likely to quit driving, which is particularly critical as turnover rates among truck drivers reach 95%.”
Women Have Always Been Truck Drivers
Thanks to organizations like Women in Trucking and developments like the USDOT Women & Girls In Transportation Initiative (WITI), women truck drivers are finally receiving the kind of support and resources they need to thrive behind the wheel. However, even though these are semi-recent developments, women drivers have been a vital part of the trucking industry since its very inception.
In an article by Fleet Owner, Elaine Chao, the U.S. Secretary of Transportation, is quoted saying how “Even in the early stages of modern transportation, women helped advance technology through their innovative ideas and inventions. By 1923, more than 175 patents were granted to women for inventions related to vehicles, traffic signals and turn indicators.”
Considering that women make up half the population and over 50% of the workforce in the country, this shouldn’t be surprising. And yet, despite the fact that women have been driving for as long as men have, only 1-in-20 of all professional drivers on the road tend to be women.
Drive with Lily!
As more studies show that women are safe and careful drivers, and more trucking companies begin actively hiring women, dispelling myths about women drivers is easier than it has ever been. If you’re a woman interested in seeing what a career in the trucking industry could look like, then Lily Transportation is here to help!
We’re always searching for passionate and driven female truck drivers to join our family, and we’re proud to offer all of our employees equal pay, benefits, and opportunities. For more information, please call us at 800-248-5459 or visit our Careers Page! We hope to hear from you soon.
With the trucking industry continuing to grow and expand its search for passionate and experienced drivers, there are more career opportunities than ever before. If you’re a woman looking for an exciting new career path, or a new lifestyle, then the truck driving industry might be the place for you. Here are just a few of the unique benefits women will find in the trucking industry.
Exciting Change of Scenery
There aren’t many jobs that allow you to see the country the way trucking does. When you’re behind the wheel, you get to travel and see the sights in a way very few people get the opportunity to.
Many truckers will drive coast-to-coast, and experience the country in all seasons and climates. Every day is going to look a little different when you’re a professional truck driver, making this an exciting and dynamic career opportunity.
An Abundance of Resources
Over the years, there have been a number of valuable resources and organizations established to help support and encourage women who are actively pursuing, or are already involved in, a truck driving career. For example, the Women in Trucking Association “is a non-profit organization with the mission to encourage the employment of women in the trucking industry, promote their accomplishments, and minimize obstacles faced by women working in the industry.”
This organization—and related organizations like REAL Women in Trucking—provide their readers with information and support to educate women considering a trucking career and improve the lives of the women already behind the wheel.
The industry wants its women drivers to succeed, and there are countless companies who are advocates of female drivers and want to help them begin or prolong their careers as professional truck drivers.
Plenty of Benefits
Most trucking companies offer their drivers benefits that include competitive pay, flexible vacation time, safety bonuses, matching 401k, health and wellness programs, and so much more. Trucking is a lifestyle that can empower people from every walk of life to see the world in new and exciting ways and be well-compensated while doing so.
Equal Pay
Most importantly, the truck driving industry offers its female drivers the competitive pay, benefits, and respect that it offers their male counterparts. Like Ellen Voie—the president of Women in Trucking—says, “As a truck driver, you make the same amount of money as your male peers, because you either get paid by the mile or the load of the percentage. So gender is not an issue in pay in the truck industry for drivers.”
While the trucking industry may appear as a predominantly male industry, there is a place for women in its ranks. Not only are women offered the same incentives and considerations as their male counterparts, but companies are eager and excited to hire women and equip them with the resources they need to succeed.
Over-the-road (OTR) team driving can be a rewarding career for people looking to travel the country, earn a competitive income, and do so with a partner who can share in the journey. Team driving has been a popular option for drivers, but it can be a challenge to be matched with a co-driver whom you are compatible with.This is just one reason why married couples make up an increasing percentage of the team driving population. Driving with a spouse not only eliminates the challenges of drivers spending extended periods of time on the road and away from their families. Also, team driving with your spouse makes it easier for couples to earn a higher combined income.
Here are a few things you’ll want to keep in mind if you’re considering becoming a team driver with your spouse.
More Miles, More Money
When driving with a partner, you can cover twice the distance as you would if you were to drive alone. As quoted in CDL Training Today, “Alternating sleep schedules allows the team to cover more miles at a faster pace. While a solo driver can drive 10 hours a day, a couple can drive for 20. Products are delivered in half the time of a single driver.”
Since most truck drivers are paid for each mile they cover, driving with a partner means more miles traveled and more money earned. While OTR team drivers split the profits they earn, each individual driver will still earn an increased income than if they had been driving solo. However, when driving with your spouse, splitting the income becomes even less of a factor.
Additionally, being part of an OTR team with your spouse can significantly lower your living expenses. With the extra income the two of you will be making as co-drivers, and the reduced living expenses, you’ll be able to further expand your retirement fund or utilize your earnings for other financial gains.
Seeing the Sights Together
While the income incentives are great, arguably the best part of teaming with your spouse is that you get to spend more time with your significant other.
Check out TruckersNews.com to view in-depth interviews with several married couples who work as a good OTR team. Hear their testimonies all supporting the idea that driving with your spouse is a great way to earn a competitive income, spend time with a loved one, and enjoy an active lifestyle. “One of the big pros of driving with your spouse is being able to travel and see things together,” one of the drivers interviewed said. “Seeing it all through her eyes again has really made it a lot more fun for me.”
Get Started Today!
If you and your spouse are interested in pursuing an OTR team driving career, then Lily Transportation Corp. is here to help you get started! Join our ever-growing family of passionate and committed drivers and receive competitive pay, great benefits, and customizable home time! Visit our career page to talk with one of our recruiters, view open positions, and apply directly online!
The trucking industry is full of exciting and profitable career opportunities. As more consumers do the majority of their shopping online, the need for passionate and committed truck drivers is higher than ever. They’re part of the backbone that keeps the logistics industry alive and well, and without them, the industry would likely collapse.
In order to meet demand, the trucking industry is eagerly pursuing younger and more diverse employees. While the demographics of those in the trucking industry may be traditionally seen as skewing older and male, that’s not entirely true.
This stereotype has a basis in reality, of course, but it’s far from the whole picture. Women have long been a vital part of the trucking industry, and their contributions go back to its inception.
Like the U.S. Department of Transportation says, “Since the founding of the United States, women have played an integral role in the development and advancement of transportation. From wagons and horse carts to bicycles, automobiles, trucks, trains, ships, airplanes and space vehicles, women have served as inventors, pilots, engineers, drivers, administrative professionals, conductors, executives and in a host of other vital occupations.”
Here at Lily Transportation, we’re committed to providing competitive pay, health benefits, paid holiday and vacation time, and other great benefits for each and every one of our drivers. If you’re a woman interested in finding a new and exciting career in the trucking industry, then take a look at the guide below, which will help illustrate why now is a great time for you to enter the trucking industry!
Table of Contents:
Women and Trucking
The History
The Numbers
The Benefits
The Industry Wants to Work With You
Companies are Actively Hiring Women
Get Started with Lily
Women and Trucking
Despite the male-heavy stereotype, there are a fair number of women already involved and active in the trucking industry. According to data collected in late 2017, “women comprise between 4.1% and 6% of the overall truck driver population.” However, when you take into account that the industry employs almost four-million drivers, you can see why the discrepancy has led to the male-focused stereotypes. In the next several sections, we’re going to take a look at the historical precedent for women in the transportation and logistics industry and the benefits they can find in a truck driving career.
However, that doesn’t mean women haven’t always been a part of the transportation industry, because they most certainly have. In the next several sections, we’re going to take a look at the historical precedent for women in the transportation and logistics industry and the benefits they can find in a truck driving career.
1) The History
Elaine Chao, the U.S. Secretary of Transportation, stressed women’s involvement in the transportation industry in a speech from 2017. As quoted in an article by Fleet Owner, Chao said “Even in the early stages of modern transportation, women helped advance technology through their innovative ideas and inventions. By 1923, more than 175 patents were granted to women for inventions related to vehicles, traffic signals and turn indicators.”
This shouldn’t be too surprising though, considering women make up half the population and over 50% of the labor force. And yet, it still stands that only 1-in-20 professional drivers on the road tend to be women.
This is something that the USDOT Women & Girls In Transportation Initiative (WITI) hopes to rectify by offering internship programs through the department’s Small Business Transportation Resource Centers (SBTRC), which has locations across all 50 states and U.S. territories. The job of each SBTRC is to identify and pursue qualified female college students and provide them with valuable transportation-related internships.
Identify the challenges women face in the transportation industry.
Address those challenges in order to improve the status quo.
Educate participants on the wealth of opportunities available to women in the transportation industry.
Attract participants to the many transportation-related fields available as part of the WITI program and the organizations it partners with.
Retain WITI participants in the transportation industry.
Serve as a resource to all of the WITI participants who are looking for more information about the transportation industry.
This is just one example of the number of programs available to women seeking a career in the trucking and transportation industries. Another prominent example comes from the non-profit organization Women in Trucking (WIT), which was founded in late 2007 and strives to promote career opportunities, improve working conditions, and serve as a resource for women in the truck driving lifestyle.
As seen on their website, WIT’s mission is “To encourage the employment of women in the trucking industry, promote their accomplishments and minimize obstacles faced by women working in the trucking industry.” They have been active in the industry for over a decade, and Lily Transportation is proud to stand in support of WIT.
2) The Numbers
It’s no secret the trucking industry is in need of drivers, and lots of them. In a 2017 report, the American Trucking Association (ATA) outlined how the trucking industry needs to hire approximately 900,000 new drivers in the next decade in order to keep up with demand and continue operating at peak efficiency.
That’s no small number, and as a result, trucking companies are eager and willing to work with you. For women looking for a new career, this is good news. As more and more veterans of the trucking industry enter into retirement, trucking companies have begun actively pursuing and recruiting younger and more diverse drivers, and women play an important role in that movement.
For example, in January 2017, Women in Trucking reported “that women comprise over seven percent of female over-the-road drivers and 23 percent of management.” By the end of 2017, however, that percentage increased to 7.89, and the number of women in management positions within the trucking industry also showed a similar increase.
In a Stay Metrics annual driver satisfaction report, Ellen Voie—President and CEO of the Women in Trucking Association—said “we’re learning more about why we should focus on bringing more women into the industry, not just to fill seats, but to fill them with capable and well-trained drivers.” While trucking companies have always been open to hiring and embracing women drivers, recent research such as this suggests that companies may be able to improve their business if they actively pursue female drivers.
This gradual, steady progress is great news for drivers and companies alike. Not only do the companies benefit from having more drivers, but the drivers will also benefit from having a shared distribution of workload.
3) The Benefits
Women are drawn to the trucking industry for the same reasons men are: consistent pay, flexible hours, and a wealth of opportunities. Ellen Voie is quoted again, in an article from CNBC saying “A carrier sets the pay based on mileage, hours or percentage of the load. It is not related to age, ethnicity or gender.”
In addition, since the industry needs drivers, competitive pay has also become more common than ever. Most companies offer additional income incentives through safety and loyalty programs, so the safer you are as a driver, and the longer you stick with a company, the more income opportunity you have.
The Industry Wants to Work With You
There is a place for you behind the wheel. There is also no shortage of work as the continued rise and popularity of the e-commerce industry ensures there will always be something for truckers to transport.
According to an April 2017 Statistia study, 40% of all American internet users purchase items online more than once a month, with 20% of them buying items or services on a weekly basis. In addition, analysts expect those percentages to double by 2021, so it’s clear that online retailers—and the products they need to have shipped—aren’t going to be going anywhere anytime soon.
With this in mind, let’s look at how this affects female truck drivers and the companies looking to hire them.
1) Companies are Actively Hiring Women
Even though female truck drivers are still a minority, the American Trucking Association states “that more than 28,000 women have joined the trucking industry since 2014.” The trucking industry is changing, and with that change comes a newfound—and overdue—emphasis on the value female drivers can bring to the trucking industry.
CDL Career Now explains how the trucking industry has taken steps to alleviate any challenges female drivers might face on the road. “For example… truck stops are amping up the parking lot lighting to make the area safer for women. The technology in trucks is advancing, and what was once difficult for anyone to use is now not challenging for any gender. Truck manufacturers are designing the trucks to be more adaptable for women drivers—easier access, closer pedals, and better-positioned seat belts.”
2) Get Started with Lily
If you’re interested in exploring a career in the trucking industry Lily Transportation is here to help! We’re always searching for female truck drivers to join our family and are proud to offer all of our employees’ competitive pay, benefits, paid holiday and vacation, custom clothing, and so much more! For more information please call to speak with a recruiter 800-248-5459, or visit the Careers Page on our website! We can’t wait to talk to you!
It’s no secret that truck driving is a lifestyle as well as a career. The hours on the road and the extensive travel often mean that those who drive trucks professionally live an entirely unique lifestyle. However, as more women enter the trucking industry, how does the trucking lifestyle look for them? Is it different? Is it the same, despite the lower percentage of women who are active in the industry?While it’s true that more men than women tend to land in truck driving careers—estimates from late 2017 say that women make up around 6-7% of the truck driver population, although those numbers are gradually growing—that doesn’t mean that women are less qualified, less supported, or paid less.
One of the great things about the trucking industry is that everyone is paid equally: the more miles you cover, the more you get paid. This means regardless of gender, every trucker has the same opportunity for profit.
Behind the Wheel
An article on Business Insider outlines how women are not only statistically better drivers than men, but they also get in fewer accidents, tend to cover more miles, and have a lower turnover rate then men do in the trucking industry. On top of that, the trucking industry as a whole has taken strides to better equip their vehicles and designated truck stops to meet the needs of their female drivers.
Some of these changes are outlined by CDL Career Now, where it’s explained how “truck stops are amping up parking lot lighting to make the area safer for women…[and] truck manufacturers are designing the trucks to be more adaptable for women drivers—easier access, closer pedals, and better-positioned seat belts.”
Ultimately, the trucking industry wants to work with more women, and it is striving to make the necessary changes to not only appeal to this demographic of driven and committed drivers but also to create an environment where they can genuinely and actively thrive.
Beyond the Wheel
While the industry has made many strides in its support and employment of female drivers, it is still sometimes plagued by a “boy’s club” mentality that can be a cause of concern. However, this is where associations like Women in Trucking (WIT) and REAL Women in Trucking, Inc. can help.
According to WIT’s website, their mission is “to encourage the employment of women in the trucking industry, promote their accomplishments and minimize obstacles faced by women working in the trucking industry.” Meanwhile, REAL Women in Trucking, Inc. has a similar goal, as they were formed “in 2010 as a protest group by women truck drivers seeking improved conditions that were not being effectively addressed by the industry or any other organizations.”
The truck driving lifestyle for women is not without its challenges, but ultimately, the industry is taking great strides towards fully accepting and providing for its growing number of female drivers. For example, in an article published by Medill Reports Chicago, Carol Nixon, 47, of St. James, Mo.—who has been on the road since 1990—says she “cherishes the financial independence she has had since age 20, when she became a driver.”
Just like every career, trucking will have its ups and downs. But as women continue to be recognized as valuable assets in the transportation industry, things are only going to get better and brighter for women who want to get behind the wheel and see the open roads of America in a way few get the chance to.
Lily Transportation is Here to Help
If you’re one of the many people interested in pursuing a trucking career, then Lily Transportation is here to help! We are always searching for passionate and driven female truckers to join our family of solo and OTR drivers, and we’re thrilled to offer all of our employees’ competitive pay, a wealth of benefits, paid vacation and holiday time, and more!
For more information about how Lily Transportation can help you, please contact us at 800-248-5459 or visit our Careers Page to apply directly online. We can’t wait to hear from you!
