American women have been driving trucks since the late 1920s. In World War 2, thousands of women took to trucking as men were called up to fight. The number of women in the industry fell sharply after those men returned from war.
According to the US Bureau of Labor Statistics, in 2006 182,000 or 5.2 per cent of the country’s 3.5 million truck drivers and similar workers were women, up from 84,000 or 3.5 per cent of 2.4 million in 1983.
One reason for this is the US trucking industry is suffering from a shortage of qualified drivers from their traditional core demographic of middle-aged white men.
A 2005 American Trucking Associations (ATA) study estimated the US trucking industry is short 20,000 drivers, a deficit that could rise to 111,000 by 2014.
Faced with a looming crisis, truck companies want to hire more women to plug the gaps in this male-dominated industry.
“Many truck companies are champing at the bit to hire women,” said Marge Bailey, who runs 31 truck job referral web sites, including LadyTruckDrivers.com.
Steve Russell, chief executive of Indianapolis-based Celadon Group Inc, said 13 per cent of his company’s 4000 drivers are women and he is keen to hire more.
“Anecdotal evidence indicates women are more careful and take better care of their equipment, which is good for us,” Russell said.
Women truckers say they occasionally get complaints from older male truckers that they are taking men’s jobs, “though only ever over the CB (radio) on the road, never in person,” said Brigid Siebarth, 49, who drives for Con-way.
“I think some of them are intimidated by us,” she added.
(Source:www.stuff.co.nz)
