When people think of the trucking industry, they almost exclusively attribute it to men. This couldn’t be farther from the truth as women in the trucking industry now number 200,000. This amount is growing every day as more women enter the profession of trucking and seek the equal pay and benefits that their male counterparts receive. The path of female truckers has been long, and even today this profession is often times seen as exclusively for men.
Two of the most notable women to appear in modern-day trucking are Lillie Elizabeth Drennan and Rusty Dow. Drennan received her CDL in 1929 and went on to own and operate a trucking company for the rest of her life. Dow hauled mail in Alaska during WWII and was the first woman to drive the Alaska Military Highway. These are just two of the women who helped shape the trucking industry and prove that women are just as capable as men of handling the rigors of the road. The rise of women in trucking has brought about the formation of organizations that help women get into the trucking industry and find their place. One of these organizations is “Women in Trucking,” which helps to promote the rights of women in the industry and share the stories of those who have already chosen trucking as their profession. It is through this collaboration among female drivers that newcomers can learn they are not alone in their pursuits of a trucking career. Women in the modern-day trucking world are afforded many of the same benefits that male drivers receive. Almost all trucking companies no longer take gender into question when selecting their drivers or determining pay. The organizations that represent women in trucking have helped to give a voice to this minority. They have worked on such issues as truck design, availability of female-specific products at truck stops, and encouraging companies to hire more female drivers.
The percentage of women in trucking is slowly increasing as this industry continues to grow and opportunities are more readily available. Freight factoring and the trucking world is no longer a male-dominated industry and women are beginning to use their voice to make sure that this influx of new female drivers is given all the amenities and rights that male drivers receive.
