It may not be a traditional job for women, but trucking offers plenty of opportunities for female drivers, provided companies reach out in the right way. Female truck drivers offer many benefits, from better safety records to enhanced loyalty.
According to recent research, as a group, female truck drivers have better safety rankings than their male counterparts and are more likely to remain loyal to an employer. This means that when you hire a female driver, you are less likely to train them and then lose them to another employer, a common issue among truck businesses.
5 tips for recruiting female truck drivers.
Businesses benefit when they hire female truck drivers, but recruiting women to the field and a particular business can be tricky. Here are some fast and easy ways to make sure you have the chance to boost your safety records and overall success by hiring female drivers:
Share your success stories: If you already have women drivers on your team, they need to be front and center when it comes to recruiting in person. You should also review your branding and advertising materials. If every driver pictured on your website is a male, you may struggle to appeal to women. Adding a few women to your stock photos and site ensures these valuable drivers know they are welcome.
Offer gender-neutral equipment and training: You don’t have to paint everything pink, but ensuring that your vehicles, equipment, and even your own workspace are appealing and friendly to both genders can help you recruit more female drivers. If it looks like women are not allowed or won’t be welcomed, you won’t have much luck. This means ensuring that you have a women’s locker room that has the same amenities as the men’s room and that any needed accommodations can be made.
Highlight family-friendly perks: Steady work, flexible schedules, and good health benefits are all incredibly appealing to female workers, regardless of the field they are in. For many families, a woman is still the primary caregiver of children and the home, and a flexible schedule goes a long way towards making a career in trucking a real possibility.
Offer women’s training and health perks: From preventative wellness programs to materials and equipment designed to address the physical needs of female drivers is another way to ensure female drivers feel welcomed. (Women may be more prone to blood clots, high blood pressure, and other ailments related to being seated for long periods than men.) Mammograms, wellness screenings, and even groups designed to support healthy living are all appealing to female employees and easy to implement.
Spread the word: Use your social media channels, your ad placement, and other initiatives to strategically reach potential female drivers and make sure they are getting your message.
Get truck insurance quotes.
It’s also really important to make sure that you have the right insurance to protect your business. Our team of transportation insurance agents can help you get quotes by filling out our online quote form, giving us a call, or messaging us on LiveChat. We would be happy to get you the insurance coverage you need.