Newsletter Archive

'We don't need special lady trucks to get the job done.'

Plus: Carriers on a mission to ban the middleman | Latest ELD revocations

A world without brokers? One man is trying his hand at building a carrier network to negotiate loads without the broker middleman. Will he succeed? Plus, we catch up with Desiree Wood, founder of REAL Women in Trucking, to hear what she has to say about the women in the industry.

Today's Lineup
🔷 Carriers on a mission to skip middlemen, go straight to shippers
🔷 Is your ELD being revoked by the FMCSA?
🔷 What drivers think of paid truck parking lots
🔷 California wins millions for projects including diesel truck phaseout
🔷 Black Friday shopping gives trucking a boost

SPOTLIGHT

Above: Desiree Wood (Courtesy of Wood)

Truck driving: A diverse, but not inclusive, industry

Women make up only about 10% of truck drivers, by some estimates. Several organizations have sprung up, focused on addressing female drivers' unique needs and concerns on the road.

One of those organizations is REAL Women in Trucking (RWIT), founded by truck driver Desiree Wood after she saw firsthand the many dangers on the road. We caught up with Wood, president of RWIT, to learn her story, her top tips and what the public gets wrong about female drivers.

How did you get into the trucking industry?

I started truck driver training in 2007 to reinvent my life. I sought a job that valued hard work and offered stability. However, I quickly realized modern-day truck driver training is unsafe and jeopardizes highway safety.

This prompted me to expose these issues. In 2009, I was interviewed by Dan Rather in an episode called "Queen of the Road," which launched my advocacy work and the REAL Women in Trucking organization. Our aim is to support those who love being truck drivers but face challenges that impact their ability to remain in the industry like discrimination, sexual assault and sexual harassment in the workplace. (You can watch the full episode of Dan Rather Reports here.)

What's the best investment you've made?

Continuing my education. While I love being a truck driver, my advocacy efforts stalled with trucking industry insiders. To make progress, I needed to connect with researchers, academics, and labor advocates focused on issues like labor abuse and gender-based violence and harassment in the workplace. This required returning to college to finish my degree virtually while recovering from a fall that shattered my kneecap. This opened many opportunities for me to become a paid speaker, and consultant, become an appointed committee member on prominent transportation research board panels and to be able to enter the realm of transportation planning in the freight sector.

What's a tech tool or app you can't live without?

RWIT members use a safety tracking app to share secret free truck parking spots and to keep tabs on each other. This way we can also meet up for coffee when our paths cross.

Another app that helps tremendously is the aerial view feature of Google Maps to identify shipper/receiver facilities before I arrive to see the correct entry gate for big trucks, the best route in, and the driver reviews that are left in Google to see what to expect of detention times at the place, how they treat drivers, if you can park onsite and if they let you use the bathroom. Many do not let truck drivers use their bathrooms.

What are the biggest things the public gets wrong about female truck drivers?

The biggest misconception is that women are new to truck driving. Women have been truck drivers since around 1918 when freight trucks were first developed for WW1. We have women truck drivers in our organization that have been driving for over 57 years, one that just retired who is in her eighties. Truck drivers are very diverse, but the industry is not inclusive. The industry tends to want to portray images and narratives about truck drivers that do not reflect the majority of the population of truck drivers.

Another misconception is that women are smaller than men, and they need trucks to be designed for them. This actually really makes women truck drivers angry when they hear things like that. You can either do this job or you cannot. We don't need special lady trucks to get the job done. That is an insult to the many women who have been driving since before there was power steering and before they even had women's restrooms at truck stops. We do what it takes to get the job done. You are either that type of person, or you are not, regardless of gender.

INSIDE LOOK

Carriers take on a mission to operate in a broker-free world

A new venture is brewing that could resonate with smaller carriers or owner-operators frustrated by working with brokers.

Carriers United is the passion project of small fleet owner Leander Richmond. Richmond says carriers, rather than competing for loads or with other carriers, end up competing with "layer upon layer upon layer of brokerage."

His vision is that carriers would come together and bid business with shippers, skipping the brokers in between.

Why this matters: Brokers are often a necessary piece of the puzzle, connecting carriers with shippers and loads. But a lack of transparency has created frustration for many carriers who work with the middlemen of the supply chain. Get more details at Overdrive.

FAST LANE

SEEN & HEARD

Drivers are paying out of pocket to park their trucks

"Pretty much everyone is having to absorb that cost of paid parking." - Tyson Fisher, OOIDA's Land Line Now

In response to a massive shortage of truck parking spots, some paid parking lots have been set up. But truck drivers aren't big fans of this model. Many truckers, both company drivers and leased owner-operators, don't get reimbursed for paid parking. And out of principle, drivers just feel it's wrong to pay. Listen to the podcast here.

NEWS

California wins $135M in grants to phase out diesel trucks

The Environmental Protection Agency awarded $135 million in grants to California. The funds will go to various agencies and projects, including phasing out diesel trucks for zero-emission vehicles.

Why this matters: Reducing emissions is a priority for the logistics industry, but how to get there is up for debate. Many trucking advocates worry the phaseout of diesel and switch to EVs presents significant cost barriers to small fleets. (Associated Press)

Truck-driver health suffers with long hours, poor nutrition

Life on the road isn't easy. Trucking has the highest rates of obesity and diabetes among U.S. occupations. Long working hours, stress, irregular sleep schedules and limited access to healthy food are all factors that drivers contend with day to day.

Why this matters: Fleet managers and other industry professionals have the opportunity to invest in tools like nutrition education and telehealth options to do their part in improving drivers' health. (CCJ Digital)

Holiday shopping gives a freight boost to trucking

If you did a little retail therapy around Black Friday, you're not alone. A near-record 197 million people shopped between Thanksgiving and Cyber Monday, per the National Retail Federation.

Why this matters: Big consumer spending on goods (as opposed to services) provides a boost in shipments, and by extension, trucking demand. (Transport Topics)