A commercial truck driver shortage continues to cause hardships for suppliers in Pennsylvania and across the nation. Some industry insiders believe getting more women in the field would help solve the problem. Yet, research shows that some women hesitate to get into the field because of concerns about facing sexual harassment. Also, many female truckers who do experience sexual harassment never report their experiences.
According to Transport Dive, women currently hold about 3.5 million truck driving positions across the nation, representing about 7% of all commercial truck drivers. The federal government recently surveyed about 540 professional truck drivers to develop a better sense of what it might do to encourage more women to join the profession.
How often sexual harassment in trucking goes unreported
Because so many professional female truck drivers acknowledge never reporting the sexual harassment they experience on the job, it is difficult to determine the true severity of the problem. However, estimates suggest that more than half of all women who experience sexual harassment in truck driving never make formal reports.
Why sexual harassment in trucking often goes unreported
Most women in trucking who do not report when they fall victim to sexual harassment cite similar reasons for not doing so. Most of them say they never make formal reports because they feel their employers are not going to do anything to hold the harassing parties responsible.
The sexual harassment underreporting issue has become so problematic that the U.S. Department of Transportation’s Women of Trucking board devoted the majority of its first-ever meeting to discuss the matter.
