The Times They Are a Changin’

Common sense leads to recruiting female drivers

By Tra Williams Guest Writer

The first time I visited Washington D.C., I was in my late teens and filled with youthful rebellion. The pomp and circumstance of it all made me think of Bob Dylan’s lyrics, “Come senators, congressmen please heed the call. Don't stand in the doorway; don't block up the hall. For he that gets hurt will be he who has stalled.” I stood next to the Washington Monument and was underwhelmed. It felt blank and stale and boring. Over the days that followed, I became aware that no matter where was in the city, I could still see the Washington Monument, even when other icons were hidden from view. It pierced the horizon from every borough and served as a marker for orienting myself.

In my mind, what I had at first thought to be a boring, blank monolith grew into the benchmark by which measured everything else. I had simply stood too close to it at

“Women comprise only 13% of the transport and logistics industry. This means that among the 3.5 million commercial drivers in the U.S., less than half a million are female.”

—Tra Williams, president, FleetForce Truck Driving School first to truly appreciate its significance. This happens to us all. When we are too close to something, we cannot fully perceive it, and we allow our inherent and unconscious biases to skew our perspective. won’t use the old forest for the trees adage, but the message rings true. Familiarity breeds complacency, and immersion eliminates perspective.

There are roughly 160 million people in the American workforce. Which means there are roughly 80 million females and 80 million males. However, women comprise only 13 percent of the transport and logistics industry. This means that among the 3.5 million commercial drivers in the U.S., less than half continues a million are female. This is not news; it has always been this way.

In fact, 13 percent is the highest level of female participation the industry has ever seen.

The quick math tells us that 79.5 million females in the American workforce either haven’t been attracted to or let into the industry. And logistics and transport aren’t the only trades with this disparity.

Today in America, women represent just 8 percent of electricians, 5 percent of linemen, and 3 percent of diesel mechanics. The homogeny of it is both reassuring and self-perpetuating. We are all immersed in it, so we don’t really notice it.

However, the landscape of workforce participation is evolving, and employers must evolve with it. We can’t sustainably eliminate half of the U.S. workforce and expect to meet our recruitment goals. I’m not suggesting that any of us is consciously eliminating women based on their gender. What I am saying is that we have not effectively communicated the merits of this industry to everyone in the workforce. And that narrative has hamstrung our ability to attract, train, recruit, hire, and retain drivers. So, how do we change that narrative?

As with the Washington Monument, we must step back and see the opportunity for what is from every angle to truly appreciate its significance.

The male labor participation rate of prime working age, those age 25 to 54, is roughly 88 percent. Females comprise 75 percent. Among those females who have children 17 years old or younger, 67 percent still participate in the workforce. That’s more than 22 million potential drivers who are mothers. So, the idea that women with children can’t or don’t work is just a myth. Also, you may not be aware of this, but the workforce participation rate for men has declined substantially since the 1960s. The decline has even begun to accelerate in recent years. As you might expect, the economic consequences of men’s nonparticipation in the labor force are dire.

From 1996 to 2016, the nonparticipation rate increased the most for younger men, those age 25 to 34. Each year, fewer and fewer men on the younger end of the prime working age spectrum are participating in the workforce. By 2029, participation rates of men are expected to decline the 2 percent. That may not sound like a lot, but it means 1.6 million fewer male workers. This does not bode well for recruitment within a growing, male-dominated industry.

Fortunately, female participation rates are expected to climb by 2 percent. In fact, participation rates in women of all ages are on the rise. More women are working, and they are working much later in life. This is exactly the type of trend that serves an industry which appeals to those seeking a second or third career.

CDL training is short relative to other careers with similar entry-level compensation. I t varies greatly by lifestyle, accommodating virtually every preference in one way or another. And professional driving is not regional or seasonal. It is the great connector, the golden ticket. Anyone with a CDL license can move to just about any town in America and quickly find a job. As a result, many of those who were deemed unessential during the pandemic found a home behind the wheel, and millions of former desk-jockeys left their cubicle behind last year during the great resignation. Still, the number of CDL holders in

Florida has declined year-over-year. Ironically, our industry simultaneously took the blame for and benefited from the empty shelves brought on by pandemicinduced panic. People became aware of just how vital professional drivers are to our dayto-day lives. Some joined us; others still plan to. But to bring about the comfort they need to take that plunge, we need to mold the narrative. We need to embrace that the world isn’t what it was just two years ago. COVID changed everything. It opened the eyes of many who discovered their job stability was a house of cards. People of

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all ages and genders are actively seeking empowerment to avoid that kind of liability in the future. And having a CDL license is true empowerment.

We have a landmark opportunity before us right now. An opportunity to tap into and leverage the shifting social fabric of our great nation. Millions upon millions of eager, female, aspiring drivers are knocking on our door. But we must open it…we have to let them in. Collectively, we need to recognize that stereotypes are inherently limiting and that the methods by which we once operated must evolve as the world evolves. Any employer who lacks the willingness to evolve will eventually go extinct.

Female job seekers represent the largest previously untapped recruitment opportunity for the transport industry. Each week, 1200 professional drivers retire. The ATA estimates that we need 1.1 million drivers in the next ten years. During that time, 1.6 million fewer men will be participating in the workforce. The answer to our driver shortage (at least in part) is obvious when you aren’t standing too close, when you aren’t immersed in it. When you step back and see it from every angle, the enormity of the opportunity becomes apparent. We must immediately and aggressively start recruiting female entry-level drivers. As Bob Dylan said, “Your old road is rapidly agin'. Please get out of the new one if you can't lend your hand for the times they are a-changin'.” FTN