Tag: #womenintrucking

USDOT Hosts Historic First Meeting of Women of Trucking Advisory Board

Posted on by McCraren Compliance

Original article published by FMCSA

As part of the Bipartisan Infrastructure Law’s focus on helping improve the trucking industry, the Women of Trucking Advisory Board will offer new insights on how to get more women behind the wheel

WASHINGTON – Today, the U.S. Department of Transportation (USDOT) and the Federal Motor Carrier Safety Administration (FMCSA) hosted the inaugural meeting of the Women of Trucking Advisory Board (WOTAB), where members discussed the results of a new FMCSA report on driver safety. The new Advisory Board, created by the Bipartisan Infrastructure Law, is composed of 16 founding members with diverse backgrounds in the industry, and is focused on recruiting, retaining, supporting, and ensuring the safety of women commercial motor vehicle (CMV) drivers and strengthening the trucking industry as a whole. Collectively, WOTAB members have more than 80 years of driving experience with trucks, motorcoaches, and ports and more than 275 years in trucking and other modes of transportation. Currently, women make up just seven percent of all truck drivers on the road today.

“Truck drivers are the lifeblood of American supply chains, yet at a time when America needs truck drivers more than ever and can’t afford to leave any talent on the table, women are still vastly underrepresented in the industry,” said U.S. Transportation Secretary Pete Buttigieg, who kicked off the first Women of Trucking Advisory Board meeting. “Everyone deserves to feel safe in the workplace, and we’re grateful to this first Women of Trucking Advisory Board for helping address safety and other industry challenges to ensure these good, vital careers are accessible to all.”

“Safety is FMCSA’s number one priority, and all truckers should feel safe in this industry,” said FMCSA Administrator Robin Hutcheson. “It’s so important to have a diverse board of women trucking professionals who will help make the industry safer and a more appealing career option not only to women but to everyone who has been underrepresented in the industry.”

FMCSA conducted its survey, Crime Prevention for Truckers, to better understand the nature and prevalence of harassment and assaults against truckers, specifically women and minorities. The report details harassment, threats of harm, or actual physical harm perpetrated against truckers, their possessions, vehicles, or cargo.

The survey found that female truck drivers are exposed to more sexual harassment at their companies or by their trainers than their male counterparts.  In addition, roughly half of the harassment incidents go unreported due to concerns that reporting the incident would not make a difference.

The Women of Trucking Advisory Board will use the results of this survey and other data, as well as the firsthand experience of its 16 women members, to make recommendations and discuss the next steps regarding the findings on harassment, assaults, and crimes being committed against women truckers.

“The survey information will contribute to better understanding obstacles to joining the industry, and to implementing best practices moving forward. Addressing the results and recommendations of the study will be the first of many opportunities for WOTAB to make an impact,” said Administrator Hutcheson.

President Biden’s Bipartisan Infrastructure Law created the Advisory Board to review and report on policies that provide education, training, mentorship, and outreach to women in the trucking industry and identify barriers and industry trends that directly or indirectly discourage women from pursuing and retaining careers in trucking.

WOTAB is part of the Biden Administration’s Trucking Action Plan that is focused both on recruiting and retaining more drivers. In addition to WOTAB, DOT is also undergoing a driver compensation study, establishing a truck leasing task force, working with the U.S. Department of Labor to establish more driver apprenticeship programs, providing more funding to make Commercial Driver’s License processing more efficient, and more.

Read more about the WOTAB here.

McCraren Compliance can help you understand and comply with FMCSA, USDOT and ADOT and ensure your drivers and your vehicles operate safely and efficiently.

Call us Today at 888-758-4757 or email us at info@mccrarencompliance.com to schedule your free FMCSA Compliance Assessment.

Biden-Harris Administration Takes Significant Step to Bring More Women into Trucking

Posted on by McCraren Compliance

First published by FMCSA

Women of Trucking Advisory Board will focus on solutions to retain and recruit drivers into the industry

WASHINGTON – The U.S. Department of Transportation’s Federal Motor Carrier Safety Administration (FMCSA) announced the appointment of members to the Women of Trucking Advisory Board (WOTAB) to recruit, retain, support, and ensure the safety of women commercial motor vehicle (CMV) drivers and strengthen the trucking industry as a whole.

The Women in Trucking Advisory Board includes 16 founding members, all women, with diverse backgrounds and experiences to provide balanced points of view on addressing the challenges facing women in the industry. Of these members, five are current CMV drivers and four are former CMV drivers, others are trainers, executives and authors. WOTAB’s members hail from 11 states and work for small, medium, and large trucking companies and as independent owner-operators, non-profit organizations, trucking business associations, and institutions of higher education. Collectively, WOTAB members have more than 80 years of driving experience with trucks, motorcoaches, and ports and more than 275 years in trucking and other modes of transportation.

WOTAB’s launch is another key initiative mandated by the Bipartisan Infrastructure Law and is part of the Biden-Harris Trucking Action Plan that is focused on improving job quality and recruiting more people into the truck driving profession.

“America needs truck drivers like never before, yet women–half the American people–have long been underestimated and underrepresented behind the wheel and in jobs across this sector. Getting to know women in trucking, I have heard about their passion for the job as well as the challenges they face, and this experienced Women in Trucking Advisory Board will help us address these issues directly,” said U.S. Transportation Secretary Pete Buttigieg. “We thank the members for serving and look forward to working together to bring more women into trucking and to enhance job quality in this important career.”

Recruiting and supporting women in transportation is a key priority for the Biden-Harris Administration. “Women are significantly underrepresented in the trucking industry, holding only 24 percent of all transportation jobs,” said FMCSA Deputy Administrator Robin Hutcheson. “We anticipate many great ideas from the advisory board that will help expand equity and safely provide access to careers in trucking for women across the industry.” In March, Hutcheson discussed truck driver challenges firsthand in a ride along with an experienced driver.

WOTAB will coordinate with trucking companies, nonprofit organizations, and trucking associations to support women in trucking. The Board will provide recommendations to the FMCSA Administrator and the U.S. Secretary of Transportation, as well as tackle many issues, including:

  • Evaluating barriers and trends that impact women in trucking across the country and ways to support women pursuing careers in trucking
  • Identifying opportunities to expand roles for women and increase the number of women in the trucking industry
  • Advising on policies that provide education, training, mentorship, or outreach to women in the trucking industry
  • Reviewing opportunities to enhance safety, training, mentorship, and education for women in the trucking industry.

McCraren Compliance can help you understand and comply with FMCSA, USDOT and ADOT and ensure your drivers and your vehicles operate safely and efficiently.

Call us Today at 888-758-4757 or email us at info@mccrarencompliance.com to schedule your free FMCSA Compliance Assessment.

FMCSA Announces Call for Applications for Women of Trucking Advisory Board

Posted on by McCraren Compliance

First published by FMCSA

The U.S. Department of Transportation’s Federal Motor Carrier Safety Administration (FMCSA) announced the launch of the Women of Trucking Advisory Board (WOTAB) to recruit, support, and ensure the safety of women commercial motor vehicle (CMV) drivers and the trucking industry at large.

The launch of the Advisory Board is mandated by the Bipartisan Infrastructure Law and part of the Biden-Harris Trucking Action Plan, which aims to improve job quality and recruit more people to the truck driving profession. As part of the Trucking Action Plan, the Administration has also expanded registered apprenticeship programs, announced a driver compensation study, and is engaging the entire trucking industry around issues of retention and recruitment. Secretary Buttigieg has led roundtable discussions and has also ridden along with a truck driver.

“We’re proud to launch the Women of Trucking Advisory Board to work together with drivers and trucking companies to help eliminate barriers that keep women from entering and staying in the trucking profession,” said U.S. Transportation Secretary Pete Buttigieg. “This advisory board is a key part of our Trucking Action Plan, which is focused on improving job quality for truckers and recruiting more people to join their ranks.”

“The establishment of the Women of Trucking Advisory Board furthers our commitment to collaboration, equity, and safety across the trucking industry by evaluating existing and potential opportunities for women throughout the trucking industry,” said FMCSA Acting Administrator Robin Hutcheson.

Women are significantly underrepresented in the trucking industry, holding only 24 percent of all transportation jobs. The formation of the Advisory Board kicks off this month amid Women’s History Month.

WOTAB will coordinate with trucking companies, nonprofit organizations, and trucking associations to support women in trucking. The Board will provide recommendations to the Administrator of FMCSA and the U.S. Secretary of Transportation as well as tackle many areas, including:

  • Evaluating barriers and trends that impact women in trucking across the country and ways to support women pursuing careers in trucking.
  • Identifying opportunities to expand roles for women and increase the number of women in the trucking industry
  • Advising on policies that provide education, training, mentorship, or outreach to women in the trucking industry
  • Reviewing opportunities to enhance safety, training, mentorship, and education for women in the trucking industry

The Board will include a minimum of eight members with diverse backgrounds, experience, and certifications to provide balanced points of view. The group will include:

  • Women representing small, mid-sized, and large trucking companies, nonprofit organizations in the trucking industry
  • Trucking business associations
  • Independent owner-operators and professional truck drivers
  • And an institution of higher education or trucking trade school

WOTAB’s charter runs through February 11, 2024. If you are interested in applying, please visit www.fmcsa.dot.gov/wotab.

McCraren Compliance can help you understand and comply with FMCSA, USDOT and ADOT and ensure your drivers and your vehicles operate safely and efficiently.

Call us Today at 888-758-4757 or email us at info@mccrarencompliance.com to schedule your free FMCSA Compliance Assessment.

Women In Trucking Association Publishes Whitepaper on Same-Gender Training

Posted on by McCraren Compliance

First published by WIT

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The Women In Trucking Association (WIT) has published a new whitepaper, “Same-Gender Training Policy: Recruiting and Protecting Female Drivers.” Same-gender cab sharing during over-the-road training has been a primary concern of current and prospective female truck drivers.

After receiving their commercial driver’s license, aspiring professional drivers typically accompany an experienced one on their route to become more confident, safer, and capable on the road, according to Ellen Voie, president and CEO of WIT. This not only could mean working exclusively with a stranger in close quarters for long hours during the day, it also means the potential of needing to sleep in the same vehicle, said Voie.

Some of the whitepaper outlines perspectives drivers hold specifically on same-gender training and its impact on female drivers in the industry. WIT conducted a driver safety and harassment survey to gain an understanding from professional drivers about their perceptions and experiences involving safety and harassment in the North American trucking industry. More than 430 professional drivers completed the survey from July through Sept. 2021.

Given that 46 percent of drivers in the WIT study indicated that they have had an unwanted physical advance made toward them at least once and another 52 percent know of someone who had an unwanted physical advance made toward them, it is understandable why the prospect of cab sharing with a member of the opposite gender concerns many women, said Voie.

The WIT survey found that while most drivers believe their truck cabs are safe, they also indicated knowledge of women falling victim to harassment or assault while sharing a cabin. “The Women In Trucking Association continues to press hard for companies to develop corporate policies that could help significantly shift this trajectory,” said Voie. There are a number of corporate policy recommendations on same-gender training that Voie recommends:

  •  Adopt a same-gender training policy that enables female professional drivers to have the option for a same-gender trainer when involved in on-the-road training activities.
  •  When having a same-gender trainer isn’t an option in instances involving female drivers, develop alternatives to help reduce or eliminate issues, such as ensuring that when sleeping arrangements need to be made that one of the parties has the ability to have a paid hotel room available to avoid the need to sleep together in the same cab.
  •  Encourage driving teams where partners who are friends, spouses, or in a committed relationship alternate their time behind the wheel on the same route.
  •  Upgrade in-cab safety technology where trucks are equipped with sound-enabled in-cab cameras and panic/emergency buttons in the sleeper and cabin areas.

This whitepaper is the first of a series focused on safety and harassment issues for women in the transportation industry. To download a copy of the whitepaper, click here: womenintrucking.org/safety-harassment-series

To download the following charts, click here:

McCraren Compliance can help you understand and comply with FMCSA, USDOT and ADOT and ensure your drivers and your vehicles operate safely and efficiently.

Call us Today at 888-758-4757 or email us at info@mccrarencompliance.com to schedule your free FMCSA Compliance Assessment.