FMCSA Issues Report on Advancing Trucking Careers for Women
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An advisory board tasked with recommending to federal regulators strategies for promoting trucking careers for women included improving safety and eradicating harassment among key areas of focus. The Federal Motor Carrier Safety Administration on Jan. 15 delivered to Congress a final report outlining actions it has taken to promote trucking careers for women based on input it received from the ad hoc Women of Trucking Advisory Board.
Stood up by the Department of Transportation as mandated by the Infrastructure Investment and Jobs Act, WOTAB was disbanded following the issuance of the FMCSA’s “Recommendations Report to Congress.”
The board held six public meetings from Nov. 9, 2022, to Nov. 13, 2023, to gather input on critical issues facing women in the industry. Board members also evaluated current education, training, mentoring efforts and outreach strategies to learn about direct and indirect roadblocks discouraging women from seeking and pursuing trucking careers.
The report to Congress noted WOTAB stressed the need to improve safety for women in trucking by “identifying and eradicating sexual harassment and violence against women.” Recommended strategies included:
- Dismiss drivers or others with documented cases of committing sexual harassment and assault
- Create ways to report and hold commercial motor carriers accountable
- Provide safe parking and bathroom access for women truck drivers
Compared to the employed labor force at large, women are significantly underrepresented among CDL holders. (CDLIS/BLS data via USDOT)
The board also discussed a crime prevention survey for truckers conducted by FMCSA in 2022. The findings noted that women truck drivers are more likely to experience harassment than their male counterparts, especially from other drivers and trainers working within their companies.
Respondents noted that more sexual harassment took place in urban areas and in the following states: California, Illinois, Michigan, Ohio, Florida, Georgia, Indiana, Pennsylvania, Kentucky and Oklahoma.
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FMCSA’s report to Congress outlined actions it has taken and others in progress based on input from WOTAB. These include collaborating with the Federal Highway Administration and the National Coalition on Truck Parking to create safe truck parking areas and developing a proposed rule focused on raising awareness about sexual harassment and assault in driver training standards. FMCSA also created a Sexual Assault and Sexual Harassment Working Group that is studying the issue in the trucking industry.
“FMCSA agrees with WOTAB’s recommendations and is committed to working with the private sector and stakeholders to implement them. These issues are complex and require a government-private sector partnership to bring about long-term change to the motor carrier industry,” the agency noted.
The agency mentioned in the report that WOTAB suggested commercial motor carriers and other industry stakeholders should also be educated on challenges women face and be encouraged to help remove barriers.
In addition, the report to Congress noted that FMCSA in December 2023 issued an advanced notice of enforcement policy reminding state courts and driver licensing agencies of a regulatory mandate disqualifying an individual from holding a commercial driver license or learner’s permit from operating a commercial motor vehicle if that person used a commercial vehicle to commit a felony, including felony sexual assault.
“FMCSA is working with its enforcement partners and with constituents such as the Commercial Vehicle Safety Alliance to increase awareness and enhance training to enforce this requirement,” the report stated.
(ACS data via USDOT)
In addition to challenges for women, WOTAB’s efforts also included creating a presentation on the “Demographics of the Commercial Motor Vehicle Workforce” that identified potential gaps in hiring younger people, those not born in the United States, and people from Asian, multiracial, Hispanic and Latino backgrounds.
The 18-member board was chaired by Joyce Sauer Brenny, CEO and founder of Minnesota-based Brenny Transportation Inc., and vice chair Dianne McNair-Smith, CEO of 3 Girls Trucking Academy of Mississippi.
“We thank the WOTAB members for their dedication and efforts to make the trucking industry safer and more inclusive for women. While the WOTAB’s work is complete, FMCSA remains steadfast in its commitment to make the trucking industry safer and with opportunities for all,” FMCSA stated.
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