The Women In Trucking Association is encouraging female veterans to choose a career in transportation — here’s why.
Brian Everett
Strategy & Management, Women In Trucking Association
What do female veterans bring to the industry?
While it’s important that we don’t grossly generalize characteristics based upon gender, it’s proven that in general men and women can have varied strengths and skill sets. Women tend to be collaborative and work effectively as both team leaders as well as team players. They also tend to have good communication skills.
Why is this a good career path for female veterans?
The transportation industry has a significant base of career opportunities that allow independent women and resourceful entrepreneurs to not only survive but thrive. The Women In Trucking Association deploys the WIT Index to better quantify the number of female truck drivers and [managers] in the trucking industry on a national level. While the WIT Index shows that women are underrepresented by our industry, both as professional drivers and in management, it does show that the industry is making significant improvements. For example, in 2019 the WIT Index shows that now more than 8 percent of all professional drivers are women — which is up by approximately 3 percent from just four years ago. There are many opportunities in transportation for women interested in driver and professional management careers.
How can trucking companies reach these women to educate them on career opportunities?
One of the most important ways to encourage women to consider career opportunities in transportation is through encouragement and empowerment, and the Women In Trucking Association is accomplishing that primarily through its annual Accelerate! Conference & Expo. Each year, we bring together more than 1,000 professionals to discuss how we can encourage more gender diversity within their organizations and the industry at large. Through the power of networking and collaboration, and bringing together both female and male professionals who are focused on gender diversity, WIT is helping the industry to make progress.