FOX Business, November 21, 2019: As the truck driver shortage in the U.S. grows, the industry is setting its sights on attracting more female drivers, who have historically comprised a very low percentage of the overall workforce.
Even lawmakers are getting involved. A new bill, co-sponsored by Kansas Republican Sen. Jerry Moran and Wisconsin Democrat Tammy Baldwin, was introduced in November to create a Women in Trucking Advisory Board. The board would be tasked with identifying trends preventing women from pursuing trucking careers and ways to address them. It will also focus on pinpointing ways to expand existing opportunities for women. Findings are to be submitted to two congressional committees.
Including women is just one way to combat a growing driver shortage, which shows no signs of abating in the near future, John Kearney, president and CEO of Advanced Training Systems, told FOX Business. Over the next decade, Kearney explained, the industry will need to hire 1.1 million new drivers – many of whom will be needed to replace older and retiring workers. That’s why some in the industry are hopeful women may turn their attention toward a potential career in trucking – and welcome the government’s help.
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