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Wal-Mart Meets with Female Truck Drivers

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Study Semi Truck Drivers in Short Supply as Demand Keeps IncreasingWhen you think of truck drivers, the stereotypical image that usually comes to mind is that of a burly man behind the wheel. While a majority of truck drivers are men, there is a growing group of female truck drivers taking to America’s highways to earn their living. Recently America’s largest retailer, Wal-Mart Stores Inc met with its women truckers to learn about what can be done to make the industry more welcoming to their gender.

The meeting, branded as a Women in Trucking conference, featured talks from Wal-Mart senior officials and truck manufacturers. Participants also met with a self-defense expert to prepare them for some of the perils of the road. While many discussion topics were spurred on by gender, several concepts introduced will also benefit male drivers. For instance, some of the challenges faced by female truck drivers have to do with their smaller stature. Women are, on average, the shorter gender, but there are still men who face the same issues female truck drivers do. The women also suggested a removable portable toilet in the truck’s cabs for when you really need to go but do not feel safe or comfortable leaving the truck.

When it comes to safety, the woman pushed for trucking companies to make sure that truck cabs have unique keys to access them. To make maintaining key systems easier, several trucks in a fleet can be opened with a single key. While it might make a little sense for business, it left female truck drivers feeling unsafe to sleep in their trucks or lock valuables inside.

The women were excited to hear that Wal-Mart was taking the initiative to hire more female drivers in the future. Maybe soon the idea of a female truck driver won’t seem that unique.

News Source: Arkansas Online