Women make up 47% of the U.S. workforce, and up to 90% of companies worldwide hire at least one female leadership role. Despite this massive development, trucking and transportation lag, with only 6% of women commercial truck drivers.
The number gap represents a lack of diversity in the trucking and transportation industry and leads to a driver shortage issue. The good news is that women are slowly starting to feel confident pursuing trucking as a profession!
Below we discuss why female leadership and representation is important in the trucking and transportation industry and help utilize unrealized potential:
Solve the Truck Driver Shortage
According to the American Trucking Association, the truck driver shortage is not new. Research shows that the U.S. trucking sector was up to 78000 drivers short last year.
Overcoming stereotypes, like “truck driving is a macho job” or “only men can be truckers,” can help combat the truck driver shortage. Attracting women and minorities within the trucking industry can boost performance while effectively reducing the shortage gap.
Improve Efficiency
An in-depth American Transportation Research Institute study reveals that women are approximately 20% less likely to be involved in crashes and 60% less likely to participate in service violations. Besides, women offered a lower turnover rate and logged more miles yearly. Thus, trucking and transportation companies compromise efficiency by not enticing underrepresented groups.
Furthermore, research by Catalyst shows that companies with higher representation of women in leadership positions consistently financially outperform businesses with fewer women in management posts.
Boost Performance
The Women in Trucking Association says hiring women truckers is a fantastic way of bringing a fresh perspective. In addition, it also improves the companies’ problem-solving, innovation, and idea-generation abilities.
Besides, the WITA notes that acquiring women truckers can help enhance business performance and revenue.
Bring Transformational Ideas
A meta-analysis of up to 45 studies showed that women leaders were more transformational. So, empowering women in the corporate office can bring a new perspective and fresh ideas to your company.
Additionally, women handle crises better, meaning you can count on them to lead you out of emergencies and scale effectively.
Ways to Empower New and Experienced Female Truck Drivers
The first step to empowering and recruiting women in the trucking industry is creating personalized marketing campaigns. Recognize the unique obstacles women face in the trucking industry and create distinct, genuine material to connect with prospective women drivers.
Another way to retain and empower working female truck drivers is by offering a referral program. Therefore, you can improve your applicant pool while cultivating a sense of community. You should also focus on providing fair compensation and work arrangements.
The Bottom Line
Creating a diverse workforce is not only financially savvy; it’s the right thing to do. Plus, empowering women in leadership can enhance your company’s performance, increase efficiency, and boost revenue.
At Bay & Bay, we offer unparalleled trucking and transportation services to increase your brand’s efficiency. Our diverse and dedicated team of professionals adheres to stringent traffic rules to ensure safety and performance.
What’s more? We believe in discovering hidden potential, which is why we recruit new and experienced women truckers. That way, we help meet your specialized trucking needs without worrying about trucker shortages or compromising quality!