How Adding Automation Can Help You to Recruit Female Drivers (While Keeping Them Safer)
Women have long participated in the trucking industry, but it remains a male-dominated field, with females making up only about 7% of the workforce. However, that may be changing as trucking companies pursue this untapped market for prospective employees, and female-centric organizations like Women in Trucking (WIT) make strides toward advancing vehicle ergonomics, safety, and other issues that concern female workers.
Safety remains a top priority for women in the trucking industry. According to The WIT Best Practices Survey — which was conducted by Sawgrass Logistics (a certified woman-owned logistics solutions provider) and The Women in Trucking Association — female drivers rated their perceived level of safety at just 4.4 on average, on a scale from 1 to 10. This survey included considerations for personal safety (both while driving and stopped), as well as safety related to variables like equipment, infrastructure, weather, and other drivers.
While trucking companies can’t do much about roadway conditions, they can address certain safety concerns, like those related to personal and equipment safety. Adding automation equipment that increases personal safety and removes hazards is a great place to start when it comes to attracting female recruits.
Increase Driver Safety with Razor Drive
Jobs that require physical strength may naturally be a hard-sell for some women, which is why it’s so important to demonstrate that anyone can succeed in trucking with the right equipment and automation. For example, women may be hesitant to tackle tasks like connecting or separating trailers that can weigh tens of thousands of pounds when empty, and up to 80,000 pounds or more when fully loaded.
Typically, tasks like these are accomplished through the use of a hand crank. Although this task doesn’t necessarily require excessive strength, the repetitive motion can be physically demanding and lead to injury and time off the job. An automated landing gear system that raises and lowers landing gear — like the Razor Drive — not only makes this task much easier, but it also minimizes the risk of injury.
Attract Women Drivers Through Innovative Safety Products
While the Razor Drive is a game-changer for all drivers, it’s particularly important for companies looking to recruit women to positions within the trucking industry. Removing perceived roadblocks like manual labor and increasing safety and efficiency can help companies open the door to a larger prospective workforce by letting female drivers know that their safety is a top priority, and that their concerns are being heard and addressed.
Save Time and Boost Convenience
It’s not easy to change how certain industries or jobs are perceived, but when business owners understand the concerns that may stop a certain segment of workers from pursuing jobs, they have an opportunity to make small but substantive changes that increase safety and convenience, attracting the workforce they want to hire.
Innovative technologies like the Razor Drive not only increase safety, but minimize the amount of time drivers are out in the open and exposed to potential interactions with strangers. With the right automation technologies, such concerns can be reduced, providing women with greater incentive to take on driving jobs in the trucking industry.
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