Trucking industry wants women

The trucking industry is worried about a shortage of drivers, and operators fear it’ll only get worse over the next eight years as many drivers reach retirement.

To fill the gap, a national trucking company is hoping to attract women to the industry.

She’s among the minority but Joanne McKenzie has never let that intimidate her. Joanne’s been driving truck for more than 22 years. She says the biggest challenge has been travelling through bad weather.

“You can go a whole week hitting snow storms non-stop.”

Sometimes her male counterparts would all gather to watch her back up her transport truck.

“They’d all be standing there watching me. If a guy was backing up, they wouldn’t care, but if was a woman they’d all come to watch and see if I could back it up in a straight line. I decided that day I’d practice every day to put it in the toughest spot.”

But now the trucking industry finds itself in a tough spot: a shortage of drivers in a male-dominated field. Only 3 per cent of the truck drivers in Canada are women.

Angela Splinter of Trucking Human Resources Canada says “we’re looking to encourage more women into the industry as one means of addressing that gap.”

Willa Dwyer went from a business career to driving a truck just seven years ago, and she’s fallen in love with it. “I’ve always loved to drive. I love to explore. There’s a good level of independence. You still have bosses and people to report to but you’re also independent.”

Trucking Canada says it’s an industry that pays well. A trucker can make a salary of $50,000 a year or up depending on how many hours they work.

Joanne: “Any kind of woman can be a truck driver. They just gotta understand there’s a lot for long hours, you work 60-70 hours a week, gone for 24 hours a day from your family.”

Women who haven’t yet started a family or perhaps their kids are all grown up are likely the best candidates for the job. Willa says it’s very educational in that you see how goods are transported in Canada and the U.S.

The course you take is short – about 3-6 weeks long – but it’s costly: anywhere from $5-10,000.