Men have long been the predominant gender in the world of transportation, but women have made great strides in the last few years. Currently, 21 percent of transportation, storage and distribution managers, and 10 percent of truck drivers, are women. The number of female drivers has increased 88% in the last decade!
The percentage of women executives in transportation is even more encouraging, with 36 percent in leadership positions and 45 percent in non-executive positions. While these may not seem like huge numbers, progress is happening.
Women in transportation can be traced back over a century ago to 1918 when the first female truck driver, Luella Bates, began working for a transportation company in Wisconsin. Many other women joined her while their husbands, sons or brothers were fighting in World War I. Unfortunately, after the war, many of them went back to being housewives and that momentum was lost. Luella, however, continued on as a truck driver because she had a passion for the work she was doing. She ultimately became the face for women in the trucking industry.
Fast forward 100 years. As you can see with the statistics shown above, you will find women in all capacities of the transportation industry.
So when someone says, “Why women?” Why not! Consider this:
Women tend to be more empathetic. As fleet managers, they are very responsive to their drivers (not that men are not responsive!). But women have a deep sense of compassion and understanding. Those traits help them bond with their drivers and are quick to respond to situations.
That same compassion and understanding can be found in women drivers as well. They know how important their job is and want to do their best – for themselves, their company and their customer.
Women will find a way to make something work. Men and women drivers have brought pets and family with them on the road. In fact, a female driver began driving with her four parakeets and 2 dogs! The birds provide comfort and companionship to her, singing or talking or just ‘chilling’ and the dogs love being on the road. Not only do they provide security for her, but they provide comfort on stressful days. Making it work, even on the road.
Did you know that AFC Transport is a woman-owned transportation company? In fact, women comprise approximately 45% of the manager and director-level positions within the company.
At AFC Transport, we are always looking for the best employees and drivers, male or female. We continue to do our best to diversify our staff to provide the best possible service to our customers and a great place to work for our employees. To learn more about AFC Transport and how you can become part of our team, go to https://afctransport.com/ or contact us at 331-333-8200.