Number Of Female Truckers Slides As Women Face Industry Hurdles

"Women made up 46.8 percent of all laborers 16 years or older last year, according to the Bureau of Labor Statistics. But of the more than 2 million workers in the trucking transportation field, just 11.4 percent were female — on par with sectors such as iron, steel and cement manufacturing and mineral mining."

Number of Female Truckers Slides as Women Face Industry Hurdles

Women get sexually assaulted or harassed anywhere it doesn't have to happen in trucking. Even in their own homes.

IMHO women and trucking is determined by the family situation. Most single mothers do not have the luxury of heading across country for training for months at a time...or to take a lower rate during training. We hear constantly to get your first year in and then go close tonhome if you want. What mother of small children can do that? Maybe ones who have suoport. From family who can care for the kids...but let's face it, that is going to strain relations with the kids. The "you left me and don't love me" comes to mind.

Most of the women on the road I have met are either childless like me...or at an age where the kids are grown. Or even get on the truck and team with their hubbies once the kids are grown.

Women who don't go OTR and go to local schools might get local jobs but we all know they will pay less.

Rainy your 100% dead on. There are so many factors other than the usual issues that it is just not feasible some females to make this a career. As we all know this is a lifestyle not only a career. On a high note it's one of the few careers where there is parody in salaries. Doesn't matter if your male or female the money is the same.

Of course I think we can still raise the percentage of female drivers out on the road I believe it will never be over 40% though

I just read this again and its sexist propaganda. "Women drivers need guidance....only 1 in 6/make it past training". I'd like to known the number of men who fail training. I'd like to know which men don't need guidance. " we don't tell women they could be assaulted during training".

That is all crap. I didn't care if a purple gorilla smoking a pickle taught me to drive. I'm a non smoker but had a great instructor with my permit who was a smoking male. Guess what... I'm a good driver cause of him.... And he'd laugh when I walked through the truck stop with my hammer. Either I'd hit someone or throw it through a wind shield which would get attention. He didn't need to tell me i could get attacked.

Articles like this do not add to the feminist cause.. They detract from it.. Making us all out to be stupid children who need to be told what to do. I'm kinda even against the whole "ladies of trucking" organizations.,,even prime has one now... It just sets men and women apart. I do understand that women are generally shorter with shorter arms so modifying the trucks seems like a good idea. But what happens when a short man wants one? Other guys gonna shout "oh look... He's got a girlie truck".

Of course I'm more bold than many women. And men. Hahha

I just read this again and its sexist propaganda. "Women drivers need guidance....only 1 in 6/make it past training". I'd like to known the number of men who fail training. I'd like to know which men don't need guidance. " we don't tell women they could be assaulted during training".

That is all crap. I didn't care if a purple gorilla smoking a pickle taught me to drive. I'm a non smoker but had a great instructor with my permit who was a smoking male. Guess what... I'm a good driver cause of him.... And he'd laugh when I walked through the truck stop with my hammer. Either I'd hit someone or throw it through a wind shield which would get attention. He didn't need to tell me i could get attacked.

Articles like this do not add to the feminist cause.. They detract from it.. Making us all out to be stupid children who need to be told what to do. I'm kinda even against the whole "ladies of trucking" organizations.,,even prime has one now... It just sets men and women apart. I do understand that women are generally shorter with shorter arms so modifying the trucks seems like a good idea. But what happens when a short man wants one? Other guys gonna shout "oh look... He's got a girlie truck".

Of course I'm more bold than many women. And men. Hahha

I was gonna respond this morning to this and never got a chance. I'm glad you said what I was gonna say haha. She has a couple of valid points, but most of this article is a bunch of uninformed, misleading BS. I would love to see more female truckers out here, but adding to the misinformation already so prevalent in this industry is not the solution.

And frankly, that part about the secure cabs ****ed me off. I'm glad they're doing something to make the cabs more secure. That's a good thing. But what about the guy truckers that have been doing this for decades that were robbed and murdered in their trucks? Why didn't they make the cabs more secure then? But I guess women just need special considerations because they're so weak and helpless. Wait, I thought this was supposed to be a feminist article???????

Rainy, you should write an article about the shortage of women in the trucking industry. It would be much more informative and might actually encourage women to try it instead of scaring them off.

I'm gonna be honest... As a woman I think men HELP me more than they do other men. Of course prime drivers help each other out here so it isn't unusual for them to ask questions etc.

But I've backed into doors and TS with men helping, men have cut the wire cables on my seals, they even open my doors and pull my tandem pins from time to time. Do some flirt? Of course, but i have yet to meet a guy I asked for help to walk away. Usually guys want to brag about by how long they been driving....let them brag as long as they answer my question. Guys have even chased away other weird looking guys. Are some lonely and want to keep talking when I want to walk away? Sure. Have a couple climbed on my step to talk to me thru the window...yeah. they usually get down when I start the truck and move lol.

What else makes me laugh about this article is that it insinuates a woman who worked manual labor would have difficulty. Uh negative. I'm getting fatter because I used to push 1500 pound containers around all day and now I sit on my butt making more money.

I think this job takes personality types who can make decisions and not back down from people. You need to be able to talk back when in a bad situation, whether with the company or other drivers. If you can't make a freaking decision at home you can't make then on the road.... Man or woman. If you freak out while backing cause other drivers are blowing horns or fly around you cause they can't wait...you are going to hit something. I pull the brakes and yell back. Let them get through me if they can. When they get nice again I'll.move. if you have the omg he yelled at me attitude you are a danger to yourself and others. Screw what some guy says whom you have never met and never will hahha

Paul you're right i should write some articles encouraging women. I still think it is mostly about kids and family and nothing you else. But I've always been a controlling witch which is what makes me pretty good at this lok

Family and kids are the biggest things holding any female back from any job. It irritates the hell out of me every time I read these articles that talk about women making less than men and how they can't do jobs men do. Rainy brought up all the points in this article but there are plenty of others out there that say the same thing. If you look at the statistics men and women make the same doing the same jobs until you hit the late 20s early 30s range then men tend to start making more. But if you look at society around that age that's when most women are taking time off to go have kids and raise a family. You and you alone have to make that choice and these dang feminazis don't seem to understand that simple fact. In today's society there is no job a man can do that a woman can't period. The only reason they don't is because they are geneically programmed to prioritize a family above money. And that is a good thing for the human race. /end rant.

Family and kids are the biggest things holding any female back from any job. It irritates the hell out of me every time I read these articles that talk about women making less than men and how they can't do jobs men do. Rainy brought up all the points in this article but there are plenty of others out there that say the same thing. If you look at the statistics men and women make the same doing the same jobs until you hit the late 20s early 30s range then men tend to start making more. But if you look at society around that age that's when most women are taking time off to go have kids and raise a family. You and you alone have to make that choice and these dang feminazis don't seem to understand that simple fact. In today's society there is no job a man can do that a woman can't period. The only reason they don't is because they are geneically programmed to prioritize a family above money. And that is a good thing for the human race. /end rant.

What makes me laugh about feminists is that they took our choice AWAY. Most women today don't get to choose career or family....they have to do both. That is the moral decline of our society and elimination of our family unit.

And I worked in a male dominated post office until a woman file a law suit....then they went from 10 women and 400 men to 50% each. Guess what? The nagging and bickering came along. Men fight and say FU, screw you too. Then gonget a beer. Women fight and won't talk for ten years. Then it turns into "oh OK not working with her" and the women get into cliques. Now they want women in trucking??? Well never eat again cause they willl be yelling about stupid stuff with dispatch hahah and I can say that cause I'm a girl ;)