The Federal Motor Carrier Administration (FMCSA) was tasked by the passage of the Infrastructure Investment and Jobs Act to create an advisory board to fill the gender gap of women in the trucking industry. The Women in Trucking Advisory Board (WOTAB) was established on August 29, followed by an announcement of its membership.
16 women form the new WOTAB group
Here are the names of the new WOTAB board members.
- Anne Balay, organizer, Service Employees International Union (school/higher education)
- Joyce Brenny, founder, Brenny Transportation/Brenny Specialized (independent owner-operator)
- Jerri Banks, owner, Life on the Road Recruiting and Transportation Services (driver recruitment)
- Elisabeth Barna, vice president, American Trucking Associations (association)
- Enjoli DeGrasse, deputy director, International Brotherhood of Teamsters (labor)
- Marie Druckenmiller, director of transportation, Amazon (large carrier)
- Erin Ducharme, CFO, H&L Bloom/Bloom’s Bus Lines (motor coach)
- Laura Duryea, manager of recruiting, retention and driver development, Boyle Transportation (medium carrier)
- Marquita Jones, J.B. Hunt (driver)
- Kellylynn McLaughlin, Schneider National Inc. (driver)
- Dianne McNair-Smith, CEO, 3 Girls Trucking Academy (school/higher education)
- Sharae Moore, founder/president, She Trucking Foundation (association)
- O’Sheauna Parker, Haul (driver)
- Emily Plummer, Prime Inc. (driver)
- Soledad Munoz Smith, vice president of operations, Munoz Trucking (small carrier)
- Nicole Ward, co-owner, African American Women in Trucking Association (nonprofit)
“Women are significantly underrepresented in the trucking industry, holding only 24% of all transportation jobs. We anticipate many great ideas from the advisory board that will help expand equity and safely provide access to careers in trucking for women across the industry.”
FMCSA Deputy Administrator Robin Hutcheson
The board members include five currently employed drivers, four former drivers, trainers, union representatives, and corporate executives. They represent all sizes of trucking companies, from owner/operators to mega-carriers.
Survey data found females are significantly underrepresented in the trucking workforce and women drivers are 20% less likely than men to be involved in a crash. The board’s formation was also part of the Trucking Action Plan, which is focused on improving job quality and recruiting more truck drivers.
John Gallagher, FreightWaves’ Washington Correspondent, has written an article with further details.
Read more by Rooster and follow me here!
Sign up for the Back The Truck Up Newsletter!
Listen to the Back The Truck Up Podcast on Apple Podcast, Spotify, and Google Podcasts!
