Opportunities Abound for Women in the Transportation Industry

Post Date - Aug 27, 2021

It's no question that American Truck Drivers keep this country moving. For a country who's workforce is made up of 47.6% women (according to the US Bureau of Labor Statistics), only 7% of this nations Truck Drivers are female. While they only make up 7% of the drivers, women overall make up over 40% of the total workforce in transportation in roles such as sales, logistics, and management. Most sources cite the long hours, time away from home, and safety as the major reason for the discrepancy. What does this mean for the ladies out there who are looking to get into the transportation industry? One word: Opportunity.

There are a number of organizations out there (womenintrucking.org for example) who look to monitor and encourage an increased female presence in the trucking industry. They have a great article on some of their own internal statistics on their blog.

If you're looking for a career change, a challenge, or new opportunity--J&R Schugel hopes to provide some clarity at the various roles we have in our operation!

Background Investigation / Safety
Do you have an eye for detail? Maybe you have experience in compliance or HR. Joining our Background Investigation or Safety team might be for you! BI are the folks who make sure our drivers are road-ready. These members of the recruiting team vet, process, and approve oncoming drivers (of which there are a LOT). Safety handles issues and questions of safety for current and onboarding drivers, responsible for maintaining our compliance with Dept. of Transportation.

Sales / Recruiting
Can you sell sand to a camel? Do you have that entrepreneurial spirit? Are you able to convince even the most stubborn of people to follow your lead? Maybe Sales or Recruiting would be for you! Our sales teams work with customers to negotiate shipping contracts, bring in the revenue, and open up opportunities for more drivers across the country. Recruiters are the bread-and-butter of the Trucking Industry. A national labor shortage on top of a nation wide driver shortage means a good Recruiter will ALWAYS have an opportunity for greatness in the transportation industry.

Customer Service / Dispatch & Fleet Management
How do you handle working under pressure? What about facing down a less-than-happy customer? What about dealing with a time-sensitive puzzle? Our customer service folks interface with our customers—and with a business that is so time-sensitive you can imagine that a lot can (and does) go off the rails. Maybe you’d rather be with dispatch, and communicate, organize, and keep our drivers rolling with their routes and planning.

Shop Techs/Diesel Tech
These are the folks that keep our huge fleet of trucks on the road. With terminals in Minnesota, Ohio, and Georgia and shops in Wisconsin and Michigan – we have options all over the country for those who know their way around a tractor! Its not only diesel engines too, as technology marches ever forward so too does the technology needed to make trucks run.

Drivers
Of course, the thing that makes our business ‘go’. Only 7% of the nations’ truck drivers are female, for reasons that are pretty obvious. Truck driving is TOUGH, male or female, old or young—long hours, isolation, high pressure—there’s a lot of reasons that trucking doesn’t attract women (or men for that matter—we’ve been in a driver shortage for YEARS nationwide)! However, getting your CDL-A can be very lucrative. In addition to the OTR (over the road) options, which would see you out for weeks at a time with only a few days at home, there are also jobs that are classified as Local, keeping you closer to home, or Regional, keeping you within a few hundred miles from home with multiple runs per week. Some customers even need Spotters, or Yard Jockeys, folks with their CDL-A whos job is to play one big game of Tetris—shuffling trailers in a yard to keep the freight shipping. Chances are if you are willing to take the leap and start driving J&R could find the perfect seat for you!

Are you looking to jump into the Transportation Industry? Comment below with what interests you! If you’re looking to apply—Driver candidates can call a recruiter directly at 1-800-359-0101 or visit jrsdrivers.com to fill out an application!