Mentorship and collaboration important issues during Women of Trucking Advisory Board meeting

Members of the Women of Trucking Advisory Board emphasized the importance of collaboration and mentorship during the group’s most recent meeting.

On Aug. 14, the board held its fourth meeting, with a focused discussion on “opportunities to enhance trucking training, mentorship, education, and advancement and outreach programs that would increase the number of women in the trucking industry.”

For most of the board, the sentiment was that sowing the seed of becoming a trucker starts early. Several members suggested increasing the number of events designed to engage younger crowds – like Touch-A-Truck events – to raise awareness of opportunities in the industry. Additionally, the board suggested the Federal Motor Carrier Safety Administration help sanction these events.

Kellylynn McLaughlin, a driver for Clean Harbors and member of the Owner-Operator Independent Drivers Association, believes the agency should be taking that a step further.

“Maybe there’s a way for FMCSA or the Department of Transportation to collaborate with school counselors, student associations and vo-tech centers to really raise awareness about these opportunities for women in the industry,” she said.

While opening doors for individuals will benefit the total number of drivers, it does little to address the issues of retention.

Nicole Ward, co-founder of the African American Women in Trucking Association, said she believes the support needs to continue even after drivers have completed CDL training. Ward’s group currently awards 10 CDL scholarships per quarter through their “The Power 2 Drive Change” program, with plans to increase that number in 2024. She says the training provided through the program extends beyond the drivers.

“Part of that [training] is a driver development program, so each one of our members that’s part of this initiative has received the mentorship to help with retention and development.”

On top of helping employers, Ward says her group has also worked with schools to develop relationships with carriers to ensure graduates have access to jobs once their training is complete.

Ward knows that while her program is helping to attract women and other underrepresented groups to the industry, it’s not unique. In fact, plenty of similar programs exist – which begs the question, “Why not collaborate?”

“We all have the same goal,” Ward said. “How do we get that across?”

That theme of collaboration was shared by a number of the board members, who suggested FMCSA take the reins when it comes to unifying some of these programs. Additionally, the board suggested the agency take steps to encourage carriers to offer mentorships to new drivers.

During the meeting, it was announced the 15-person board will be thinned down to six for a “Final Report Committee,” which will prepare the board’s final report for FMCSA. Members of that committee will include:

• Joyce Sauer Brenny, founder and president, Brenny Transportation, Inc. and Brenny Specialized, Inc.
• Dianne McNair-Smith, CEO, 3 Girls Trucking Academy
• Kellylynn McLaughlin, professional driver, Clean Harbors, Inc.
• Sharae Moore, founder/president, SHE Trucking Foundation
• Nicole Ward, co-founder, African American Women in Trucking Association
• Soledad Munoz Smith, vice president of operations, Munoz Trucking

The board’s next meeting will be its last with a topic of consideration. After that, the Final Report Committee will compile the recommendations from all previous meetings.

The creation of the board was mandated by Congress as part of the 2021 infrastructure law, with the goal of making recommendations to FMCSA on how to recruit and retain more females in the industry. The board’s statutes dictate that report be filed within two years of that law being enacted, putting the deadline in November 2023. LL