NBC News recently had an interesting story about how the trucking industry is going to need to add drivers over the upcoming years to meet demands, with a focus on how it was going to be imperative for companies to lure female truck drivers. 
But why female drivers? There are a number of factors, but one expert indicated that they may be safer on the road, leading to fewer truck accidents and costs.
“Our female drivers have about a 25 percent lower accident cost,” the president of one trucking company said, according to NBC News. “They’re having smaller accidents. They’re not having the big ones, if you will, where maybe the attention to detail is a little better, maybe the focus or maybe just the concern is something they bring to the party that just makes them better drivers.”
Ellen Voie, president and chief executive of the Women in Trucking Association, said she has heard similar things. “What carriers are telling me is that they want more female drivers for the safety issue and … women are often better with the customers, paperwork, better with the equipment and often easier to train,” Voie said, according to NBC News.
Currently, women make up about 6 percent of the U.S. truck driver population. The news outlet reported that right now there is a shortfall of 48,000 drivers and the number is expected to quadruple by 2025, as Baby Boomer drivers retire.
Holding a Truck Driver and/or Operator Liable for an Accident
It is very interesting that officials in the trucking industry say women are safer drivers. We hope that more goes into studying statistics about driver safety, so that there are fewer truck accidents on the road.
Tractor-trailers must be operated with care, as they weigh more and are larger than other vehicles on the road. Regardless of a driver’s sex, if he or she causes an accident due to negligence, he or she and his or her operator should be held liable.
Truck driver errors can include distracted driving, tailgating, speeding, illegal lane changes, improper braking and overloading cargo, all of which can lead to devastating accidents. Truck accident victims may wish to speak to an attorney about pursuing a lawsuit following a crash, which may help pay for injury care.
Stay safe this week! We hope you have a wonderful holiday! Roadways will be busy with traffic, so you should plan any trips ahead!
