WADSWORTH, Ill. (NewsNation) — Gender diversity is on the rise when it comes to trucking in America. Women are making strides in driving big rigs and the trucking business as well, proving it’s no longer a male-dominated industry.
“Being a woman in the trucking industry is not for the faint of heart,” truck driver Regina Robinson said.
For as long as she can remember, Robinson wanted to be in the trucking business. After ending a 20-plus-year accounting career, she answered her true calling and began trucking in 2018.
But, it wasn’t an easy transition.
“Being a minority woman, ethnicity-wise, in a white male-dominated industry, you already have two strikes against you,” Robinson said.
With determination and grit, Robinson has built a successful trucking business. And she’s not the only female behind the wheel.
In 2018, only 7.9% of truckers were women. By 2022, that number skyrocketed to almost 14%. And unlike other industries, women are making as much as the men.
“In driving, the pay has been equal over time. That is an area where men and women bring home similar amounts of money and that is something we are proud of,” said Jennifer Hedrick, CEO of the Women In Trucking Association.
“I’m not going to give the female a gravy load. I wouldn’t want to disrespect her like that. She earned her commercial license just like the man did,” said Corisa Carter, the owner of CM Transportation LLC.
In fact, according to the American Transportation Research Institute, women are 71% less likely to have a reckless or negligent driving conviction, 56% less likely to have a seat belt violation and 58% less likely to be convicted of running a stoplight.
“It’s not that it’s a masculine job, all you have to do is be determined and be able to put in the work,” Carter said. “Master your craft, that’s what I say.”
“We’re coming in with a force, and we are a force to be reckoned with in this industry,” Robinson said. “We’re taking over, so they better get ready for it.”