Taking action to attract more women drivers offers companies many benefits. One, it helps reduce the impact of the current driver shortage, which American Trucking Associations warns could go from being around 61,000 short at the end of 2018 to 160,000 short by 2028.
Drawing more women into the truck driver role is also good from a financial standpoint. According to research published in the journal Management Science, when the number of women on the team increases, so do profits (up to the 50% mark). Conversely, teams with fewer women than men tend to have lower sales and profits.
While all of this is great, truck driving jobs don’t always appeal to women. What can you do to change this, increasing your number of female truck drivers?
1. Create a workplace that appeals to women
You can’t expect women to walk into the ultimate bachelor pad and feel right at home. The same general principle applies in the workplace. If you want them to be excited to work for your company, you need to create an environment in which they feel welcome.
Since their primary work environment will be in the truck, consider what you can do to make this a more female-friendly place to be. For example, one study found that, when compared to men, women spend more time on their phones while on the road. Equipping your trucks with hands-free calling would likely appeal to this demographic of drivers.
Data provided by the Insurance Institute for Highway Safety also reveals that women tend to be more focused on safety than men. So, keeping your trucks in good (and safe) working order is another way to appeal to these drivers’ general safety sense.
Think about what you can do to make the outside-of-the-truck environment more attractive as well. Create driving routes that give ample bathroom stops to better handle women’s unique physical needs (namely, monthly periods). And if there is a particular aspect of the job that women may struggle with more than men, come up with solutions that allow them to hold this role while still getting the job done.
2. Think about your women drivers when it comes to benefits too
Another way to attract more female truck drivers is to offer benefits that many women would love to have at work. Options to potentially include are:
- Equal pay, so they earn the same rate as their male counterparts
- Child care benefits, either by offering services in-house or by partnering with a local child care agency that can work around a driver’s typical schedule
- Flexible work schedules to better handle their outside obligations, such as getting children to school or taking them to medical appointments
- Maternity leave that provides enough time off for the new mother to care for her infant child without feeling as if she has to rush back to work
- Sick leave, for the female employees who are also trying to care for sick or elderly parents or spouses
3. Use recruiting materials that speak to women drivers
Take a look at your current recruiting materials. Do any of them really speak to women? Do you use images of women drivers, for instance? And if you currently have female truck drivers on staff, do you highlight any of them in your recruiting pamphlets, posters, or videos?
The more you can help women picture themselves driving for your company, the more effective your efforts will be. Don’t use just one woman in your recruiting materials, either. Use a variety of women, including all different shapes, sizes, and ethnicities. Aim to speak to women from numerous backgrounds. Let them know that you want them and the uniqueness that they bring.
Centerline was voted one of the top transportation companies to work for as a woman. Read more about this award here.
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