In a rapidly changing job market, female career changers have more options when deciding on the next phase of their professional lives — particularly in trade careers traditionally thought to be male-dominated. Despite low numbers of women in male-populated skilled trades, there is a higher demand for them as an untapped pool of talent.
Brian Everett
Group Editorial Director, Women In Trucking Association
In fact, the U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics projects that employment in trade jobs will grow by 8.4 million jobs in 2024 — with such jobs presenting promise for women in terms of compensation, lifestyle, and job satisfaction.
One industry that has a healthy amount of rewarding trade jobs is trucking, according to Jennifer Hedrick, CAE, president and CEO of the Women In Trucking Association.
Jennifer Hedrick, CAE
President and CEO, Women In Trucking Association
“Being part of the transportation industry is exciting because it has a massive impact on the U.S. economy, and those in the industry play a critical role to our society.”
“The trucking industry offers women many rewarding career paths in the trades, including professional truck drivers, diesel mechanics, dock workers and forklift operators,” she said. “Being part of the transportation industry is exciting because it has a massive impact on the U.S. economy, and those in the industry play a critical role to our society.”
In fact, transportation services contributed $1.7 trillion (6.7%) to an enhanced U.S. gross domestic product (GDP) of $26.2 trillion in 2022, according to the Bureau of Transportation Statistics’ Transportation Satellite Accounts.
Behind the wheel: professional truck drivers
One career path in trucking that has been gaining traction with women in recent years is professional truck driving. There are many reasons why women are candidates to be quality, reliable, efficient, and safe professional truck drivers.
Women typically are less likely to take risks and therefore can be safer drivers. In addition, women generally possess strong multitasking and organizations skills, are strong communicators, and usually are patient, focused, and reliable.
In fact, the Women In Trucking Association routinely publishes its WIT Index, which is the industry barometer that regularly benchmarks and measures the percentage of women who make up critical roles in transportation. According to the WIT Index (2024-25), there is an average of approximately 9.5% women who are professional drivers who hold CDLs.
April Crysel illustrates the many opportunities for female truck drivers. Crysel started her career at Maverick Transportation hauling flat glass on a flatbed truck to 48 states and Canada at the age of 45, after her factory job went to another country.
“There’s never a shortage of opportunities in trucking,” she said, as she also has driven a box truck, flatbed, double trailers, a refrigerated tanker, containers, and dump beds for other companies. Crysel also has held jobs as a safety manager and dispatcher.
Under the hood: diesel mechanics/technicians
A major concern of the trucking industry has been the widely reported shortage of professional truck drivers. But drivers cannot deliver their freight when their trucks are in the shop or broken down on the side of the road — whether it is caused by a problem with the engine aftertreatment system, an electrical issue, or perhaps a problem with the truck’s brakes. That’s why skilled truck maintenance technicians are so important.
According to the U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics, technicians are in high demand across the United States, with approximately 242,200 technicians employed. And unfortunately, there is a severe shortage of technicians. In fact, the industry will need about 200,000 technicians over the next 10 years just to keep up with current truck maintenance demands, according to some industry observers.
Unfortunately, U.S. technical schools are training only about 3,500 diesel technicians each year. According to the WIT Index (2024-25), participating organizations report an average of only 4% of their overall technicians are female.
Keelie Boyer is a truck maintenance and truck prep technician with Wilson Logistics, where she’s responsible for prepping trucks and completing truck inspections, balancing tires, and other mechanic duties. “In this role, you will always learn and discover new things every day, especially with evolving technologies involving trucks,” she said.
Looking for more career opportunities?
Women In Trucking (WIT) Association’s mission is to encourage the employment of women in the trucking industry, promote their accomplishments and minimize obstacles faced by women working in the trucking industry. Check out career opportunities involving trades in transportation, resources and more stories about successful women in the industry at www.WomenInTrucking.org.
