WASHINGTON – The Women of Trucking Advisory Board (WOTAB) is asking for change after submitting its report to the Federal Motor Carrier Safety Administration (FMCSA).
“WOTAB provided overarching conclusions and recommendations for the government and the private sector, emphasizing that as the CMV industry evolves, it must elevate women’s voices, bringing diverse women’s CMV associations to the decision-making table and increasing women’s representation on governmental advisory boards and in other stakeholder engagement efforts,” the report said. “Across the CMV industry, there is a need to recognize, promote, and encourage women to join all aspects of the transportation industry, including women from tribal nations, minority-owned businesses, younger drivers, and LGBTQ+ communities. FMCSA should collaborate with the motorcoach industry and the broader CMV industry to facilitate opportunities for women, including by removing barriers and enhancing driver training, mentorship, and education opportunities. Carriers and other industry actors should be educated on the challenges faced by women, and allyship should be encouraged.”
Safety, Quality of Life are Paramount
WOTAB stressed the need to improve quality of life and safety for women by identifying and eradicating sexual harassment and violence against women in the CMV industry. Recommendations include:
- Removing drivers and others in the industry with proven and documented cases of sexual harassment and assault.
- Creating avenues for reporting and holding carriers accountable.
- Providing safe parking and bathroom access for women drivers of CMVs.
The WOTAB report identified specific priority recommendations for government and the private sector to create a centralized web-based platform (or portal) for women and associations in the industry. It is encouraging the DOT and U.S. Department of Labor (DOL) to communicate trucking’s essential role in the American economy so its status is supported by state and local governments and to review and research the potential for an industry exemption from Fair Labor Standards Act (FLSA) to determine the degree to which the lack of FLSA applicability to trucking is a barrier for women to become drivers, making it hard to support their families and earn a fair wage with basic protections.
Recommended Actions
WOTAB presented 37 specific recommendations, grouped under the following goals:
- Priority Recommendations to the Government and the Private Sector.
- Accountability and Reporting Harassment/Assault/Discrimination.
- Recruitment and Retention of Women for the CMV Industry.
- Increasing Opportunities for Mentoring Women in the CMV Industry.
- Training.
- Women’s Quality of Life.
- Development of a Portal for Women Active in the CMV Industry.
Changes Already Being Implemented
FMCSA has already implemented or begun implementing certain WOTAB recommendations including:
- FMCSA issued a Notice of Enforcement Policy (NEP) on December 7, 2023, reminding State Courts and State Driver Licensing Agencies of the regulatory requirement that when a CMV driver has used a CMV to commit a felony—including felony sexual 3 assault—that a driver must be disqualified from operating a CMV that requires a commercial driver’s license (CDL) or a commercial learner’s permit (CLP). FMCSA is working with its enforcement partners and with constituents such as the Commercial Vehicle Safety Alliance, to increase awareness and enhance training to enforce this requirement.
- Establishment of a Sexual Assault and Sexual Harassment (SASH) Working Group to address sexual harassment and violence against women in the CMV industry, particularly drivers. In coordination, FMCSA is working closely with subject matter experts and has initiated a comprehensive study of harassment, assault, and discrimination in the CMV industry to better understand the problem among drivers, particularly women, across their careers.
- FMCSA is currently developing an Advance Notice of Proposed Rulemaking (ANPRM) that will seek information from stakeholders on how FMCSA can best improve driver training requirements to increase the awareness of sexual harassment and sexual assault in the CMV industry and enhance the physical safety of truck and motorcoach drivers and trainees.
Collaboration with other Agencies
The department is collaborating with the Federal Highway Administration and the National Coalition on Truck Parking on efforts to create safe truck parking opportunities in alignment with WOTAB’s recommendations. FMCSA will continue to work with other Department of Transportation operating administrations, states, and local governments to promote the ability for CMV drivers to access safe facilities and to encourage the private sector to implement policies that uphold the safety and well-being of all drivers. FMCSA’s grant programs continue to support efforts to improve safety of women in the industry. Eligible expenses include training and recruitment, training to prevent human trafficking, safety improvements that can assist in the prevention of sexual assault and harassment, and technologies that can improve rest area safety. FMCSA will continue outreach to states and relevant stakeholders to encourage the use of these grant funds.
“While FMCSA would not have the responsibility for taking all the actions WOTAB recommends, FMCSA commits to facilitating industry discussions by convening one or more stakeholder forums to discuss WOTAB’s recommendations, collaborate on how to best address them, and encourage sharing of best practices across federal, state and local governments and private industry,” the report said. “Initiating a dialogue on actions and policies to increase the number of women in the industry is crucial to integrating women into their ranks. Where FMCSA already is engaged in training, grantmaking, rulemaking, and research that touches upon WOTAB’s recommendations, FMCSA will consider how it can better amplify those efforts and conduct outreach to women.”
Supporting the Women of Trucking
“FMCSA supports the WOTAB’s important work,” the report said. “The agency recognizes the unmet needs WOTAB’s report recommendations are intended to address. FMCSA supports WOTAB’s goal of increasing economic opportunities for women by elevating governmental and industry 4 awareness of the issues facing women CMV drivers. FMCSA and the commercial motor vehicle industry need to create meaningful opportunities for diverse women to participate in policy development in both the government and private sectors, including at the executive leadership level.”
The agency is implementing or working to implement many of WOTAB’s recommendations through a variety of strategies, including developing enforcement policies, generating rulemaking, forming working groups, leveraging grantmaking, providing informational resources regarding workplace safety and reporting harassment, increasing training opportunities for women and conducting relevant studies.
Regarding WOTAB’s request for a portal of resources, FMCSA will endeavor to highlight and link to resources on its website, as appropriate. FMCSA will also encourage the private sector and associations to develop a separate portal and will include the portal as a topic for discussion at a stakeholder forum. Where the WOTAB report recommends solutions that are outside FMCSA’s areas of responsibility, FMCSA acknowledges where industry, states, and others are addressing or should address such recommendations. The agency will convene one or more public stakeholder forums where government, trade groups, CMV drivers, motor carrier employers, driver training entities, and other attendees can learn about WOTAB’s recommendations and chart a collective path forward.
“FMCSA looks forward to continued action to ensure that women can join and thrive in the CMV industry,” the report said.
Dana Guthrie is an award-winning journalist who has been featured in multiple newspapers, books and magazines across the globe. She is currently based in the Atlanta, Georgia, area.
