Female Drivers to the Trucking Industry
Driver recruitment with women in trucking has seen a surge never experienced. We see female drivers to the trucking industry in North America and around the globe. COVID-19 has brought us through immense changes, twists, and turns with unexpected endings and new beginnings. Are women being welcomed into the trucking industry, or is it a rough ride?
The food and beverage, fashion, FMCG, and retail industries survive with ground transport trucking. It’s interesting to note that wages are one-third of the total operations cost. This statistic includes North America, the United Kingdom, and the European Union.
According to Beroe Advantage Procurement, the wages, despite the COVID influence, have increased between two and eight percent. It will fluctuate depending on the region and need. The industry reputation has kept most women and a lot of men away from the job. Pay issues and the hassles on the road in any country like the EU and cross-border trucking leave every fifth trucking position vacant in the EU. This is according to IRU studies.
Here are two significant reasons female driver recruitment is essential to today’s world economic changes.
- Truck driver shortages are ever-increasing. There is a weakness in the system. Adding qualified women to the mix provides a positive impact and could stop the detriment from shortages we see now on a global level.
- Increased female trucking hires will decrease the wage increases. It’s still a win-win situation. Wages will stay high enough to justify the work being performed, but the lack of growth will lower the overall operations cost.
There are two other benefits to filling that vacant truck driver position. If the gap no longer exists, there will be an increase in supply, which can lower the freight rates. Then, this flows into the next logical benefit’ a sharp increase in on-time delivery.
In trucking and freight delivery cross-country, the benefit and detriment is a chain reaction that most people won’t realize. Trucking is a strenuous, tedious, and challenging job. It’s not sitting in the cab and exploring the road. True, it’s best for people with an adaptable and adventurous spirit, but the job is not this way all the time.
There are a few more advantages to having a female behind the wheel because of their nature. The safety factor raises with female drivers because they’re thought to be more cautious drivers. For long-haul travel, freight companies are likely to respond better when they know the cargo won’t cost them money to deliver due to the driver’s negligence.
Trucking companies may be able to spend less on speed governing equipment. Women have no issue with maintaining consistent speed and adhering to self-care. They’ll stop and sleep when needed. This means fewer accidents and babysitting the driver.
Some particular challenges face female truckers around the globe. Hygiene is a big issue. There are invaluable truck stops because they provide good food; they provide clean restrooms and hot food.
Women suffer health issues that men don’t, and these places allow the hygiene and rest provision that they may need, whereas a man may be able to push through. This pushing can cause all the issues we mentioned earlier, like speeding and unsafe practices.
Other Challenges on the Road Born from COVID-19
COVID-19 is throwing a monkey wrench in the situation. Truck drivers have essential services provided by establishments along their route. COVID-19 has made new challenges, and some of them can disturb a weary truck driver. For example, the restrictions created by quarantine between states and countries like the US and Canada. Some establishments crucial to truck drivers are asking them not to come inside if they’re arriving from a particular state or region.
Support Groups and a Tribe
It’s essential to have a tribe and support system of people that get you. With female truckers or anything that’s female infused, they know how to team up and share information. Social media is a great place to start, and it works.
They can announce where there are issues and connect with the owners and managers of an establishment and work on a viable solution. Truckers keep the economy alive, and that affects these places too. Special accommodations for truckers in need can be beneficial to them.
Parking and Drive-through Issues
Food and Parking are the two main issues for female truckers and men, but the women report it more. This helps the industry much more than in the past. It’s raising the alarm, and the sound is being heard. The best part about it is that things are being shifted toward resolution.
Although they appreciate the memes that say they support truck drivers, some female truckers say posting where truckers in different areas can go. They can do what they need to do without worrying that they can’t maintain their basic needs.
Cultural and Social Positives
Breaking into a career dynamic they’re not used to being in, is beneficial to self-esteem and personal growth and achievement. One guest said that having a truck paid for in four months is something to be proud of on the Two Women Truckers Show.
Women in trucking are more than just filling seats for the economy. It’s a history maker.
BetterTruckDrivingJobs.com hopes that this article addresses Female Drivers to the Trucking Industry in great detail. Feel free to add your thoughts by leaving us a comment below.
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