Dive Brief:
- Waste Management has joined the Women In Trucking Association (WIT) as a "Silver Level Partner," and the company's Recruiting-Sourcing Specialist Rod Cross will serve on the Association’s advisory committee.
- With more than 4,000 corporate and individual members in the United States, Canada, Mexico, Japan, Australia, Sweden, South Africa, and New Zealand, WIT works to bring women into the trucking industry and support them in job success. Men can join as well.
- Among some of the Association's partners are Bendix Commercial Vehicle Systems, Daimler Trucks North America, BMO Transportation Finance, Great Dane Trailers, J.B. Hunt Transport, Ryder System, Inc., U.S. Xpress, and Wal-Mart.
Dive Insight:
There are some stigmas attached to the profession of a truck driver, especially a garbage truck driver, and perhaps those stigmas stick harder for women.
"Women don't often consider driving a waste disposal vehicle when looking at a career as a professional driver, but it aligns completely with work-life balance for women with families and is less physically demanding than drivers might imagine," said WIT’s President and CEO Ellen Voie in a press release.
While there are 50,000 more trash service workers today than in 2010, according to Labor Department data, the industry is badly in need of truckers. For that reason, the industry is zeroing in on recruitment. Associations like NWRA and SWANA are thinking ahead as the workforce ages and more people leave. And some municipalities have joined the effort, for instance partnering with local workforce development organizations to create jobs while filling an essential service need.
And women make up some of the industry's most influential team players.
"Waste Management is very excited to support the ... Women In Trucking Association," said Cross in a press release. "A diverse workforce is critical to a healthy workforce, and we look forward to working with Women In Trucking as part of our ongoing effort to attract the best talent."
