5 Easy Ways To Sharpen Your Networking Skills In 2017

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If you’re on the market for a new CDL trucking job in 2017, now is a good time to brush up on your networking skills. Several avenues exist to help you take control of your next career move, like these touted by Mary Sherwood Sevinsky of the noted career site Work It Daily.

1. Use LinkedIn

I can’t say enough about LinkedIn. Many professionals are coming to have a better understanding of the platform and how it can benefit them. But most don’t recognize what a powerful skill and knowledge building tool it can be.

By following influencers, channels and individuals as well as engaging themselves in groups, members can keep current in their industry and sharp on business in general. Discussions with those from similar and dissimilar backgrounds can broaden your horizon and give you a different perspective.

2. Join Professional Groups

Sometimes you need to see like-minded people in a different venue and in person. Online groups are fine, but nothing can replace the impact of a smiling face, warm handshake, or appreciative nod. Find or create a group near you. Meetup is becoming a great way to create and manage in-person groups.

Chamber of Commerce or industry groups in your area are likely to be accessible to you and can be a good way to learn and build your network. Networks can help you by allowing you to feel connected, but they can also help ensure you find out about opportunities in a timely way.

3. Volunteer

Yes, you can learn a lot through volunteering for charity or civic groups. Big Brothers Big Sisters, Rotary, your local hospital or church can all be great places to learn and grow. Sometimes, you learn how well-off you are. Sometimes you find that you have the best social media skills (even if you consider yourself technologically challenged). Before you know it, you might be improving a skill you never knew you needed and that will benefit others as well as yourself.

4. Get Additional Education

You can take a class or go back to school to pursue a degree or certification. There are plenty of online options for formal training, but don’t forget about the brick and mortar facilities as well.

5. Schedule Downtime

You may miss learning opportunities, or at least insights, if you don’t set aside time to process your work day. Make sure you allow enough time to think about what you did and how you did it. What did you learn? Whom did you help? What did you accomplish? What could you have done better?

Think about these things – keep a work journal to capture even further opportunities to learn.

Are you looking for a CDL trucking job in 2017? Follow Drive My Way on social media here and stay up to date on the trucking companies hiring!

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CDL Trucking Jobs Among the Deadliest in the U.S., Study Finds

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trucks.comThis fact won’t come as much of a surprise to people with CDL trucking jobs. But, the data is out and it shows that truck driver remains one of the deadliest occupations in the country. 745 drivers died in 2015. Trucks.com wrote about the report put out by the U.S. Labor Department’s Bureau of Labor Statistics.

Work-related fatalities for trucking jobs dropped slightly in 2015 from 2014, when 761 drivers died on the nation’s streets. Despite the drop, trucking transportation occupations accounted for slightly more than a quarter of all work-related fatalities last year.

What’s more, the Trucks.com article says, CDL trucking job fatalities rise.

Over the past five years, truck driver fatalities rose 11.2 percent. Increased reliance on trucking to transport goods. This includes demand for rapid delivery created by the rise of online shopping, putting more truck drivers on the road. This contributed to higher incident rates for accidents and driver deaths, according to trucking industry experts.

Unlike many occupations, drivers don’t have total control of their work environment – public roads and highways – so there’s always danger, said Steve Viscelli, an economics sociologist at the University of Pennsylvania and author of “The Big Rig: Trucking and the Decline of the American Dream.”

But because of the way drivers’ compensation is structured, they’re often asked to choose between productivity and safety, a tug of war that leads some to keep driving when they should be taking a rest break, Viscelli said.

Long hours, low pay and tough working conditions also play into annual turnover that “hovers around 100 percent and puts inexperienced drivers on the road,” the article states.

Michael Belzer, a transportation economist and associate professor at Wayne State University, said he blames carriers for creating pay issues that lead to chronic turnover and driver shortages. And the lack of National Highway Transportation Safety Administration standards for crashworthiness of heavy-duty trucks plays a role in fatality rates, said Norita Taylor, director of marketing and public relations for the Owner-Operator Independent Drivers Association, in the Trucks.com article.

Thanks, truck drivers, for the sacrifices you make for others. Does the fatality rate in CDL trucking jobs concern you? Join our community here and share your thoughts.

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ATRI: Truckers lose nearly $5,000 a year looking for parking

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falco / Pixabay

Earlier this year, the American Transportation Research Institute asked people with CDL driver jobs to keep a two-week diary of their parking experiences in an effort to collect valuable data.

Land Line magazine published the findings in a news article that shows truckers lose nearly $5,000 a year looking for parking.

Nearly 150 diaries, representing 2,035 days and 4,763 unique stops, submitted.

Noncommercial vehicles take up much needed space, ELDs exacerbate the problem, and truckers  spend less time searching than other studies suggest. Perhaps the most surprising aspect of the study, Land Line wrote, was the amount of driving time available per hours-of-service regulation after parking.

Nearly 3/4 of respondents lost 1-2 hours of driving time. Furthermore, 40% report a loss of 31-60 minutes and 32% lose 61-120 minutes.

That’s an average loss of $4,600 a year, according to ATRI. The research institute calculated average truck speeds at nearly 40 mph, 250 days worked/year, and loss time of 56 minutes/day. This generated an average loss of 9,300 revenue-producing miles.

With average wages of $0.499 per mile an hour, ATRI concluded a nearly $5,000/year loss. Another surprising result in ATRI’s study was time spent finding a parking spot. More than half claimed they found a spot within 5-10 minutes, 15.5% within 11-15 minutes and 18.3% within 16-30 minutes. These findings directly contrast studies conducted by the Kansas Department of Transportation and the Mid America Association of State Transportation Officials.

In June, KDOT released a study indicating that truckers were spending an average of 30 minutes searching for safe parking. A MAASTO study showed more than half of respondents spend more than 30 minutes looking for parking.

What’s your experience with truck parking? Connect with us on social media here and share your story.

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3 Great Ways Truckers Help Truckers at the Holidays

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As Santa well knows, it’s nice to receive at the holidays—but it’s even better to give. Truckers, it turns out, give as well as anyone at the holidays. Here are three trucker groups or individuals that go above and beyond during the holiday season, spreading Christmas cheer in big ways and small.

Stockings for Truckers  has delivered more than 4,000 stockings and 3,200 meals to truckers since its inception four years ago.

Founded by trucker wife Heather Bair, Stockings for Truckers is a lifeline for truckers who find themselves on the road at the holidays. Volunteers are truckers’ husbands, wives, mothers and grandmothers.

Volunteers can choose whether they want to cook homemade meals or create stockings filled with personal necessities, treats and gift cards. Volunteers pay for the goods themselves and distribute them at truck stops. Each stocking contains a hand-written Christmas card for truckers as well.

“Truckers don’t get enough recognition,” says volunteer Heather Nelson, who rides along in the truck with her boyfriend. “This is our way of saying thank you.”

As an added treat, Stockings for Truckers distributes stockings to each person in the truck and offers special stockings for diabetics and pets.

“It puts a big smile on everyone’s face,” Nelson says. “Some people get emotional. They break down crying, because truck drivers aren’t used to being recognized in a good way.”

Meals for Truckers

Raised on a farm, Teddi Dunson has been driving trucks since age 14. She’s been giving back to the trucking community for nearly as long. Every year since 1977, Dunson has cooked Christmas dinner for nearby truckers, and she’s still cookin’ in 2016.

Dunson and her husband were team drivers themselves. For years, they hit the local truck stop on Christmas Day and brought truckers back to their home for a holiday feast. “Back then, drivers were more trusting of each other than they are today,” Dunson says.

Now 60, Dunson keeps the tradition alive, though she has changed the format a bit. She prepares a home-cooked Christmas meal for 30, plates it and distributes the meals at two truck stops by her home in Arkansas. “I put my Santa hat on and deliver the meals between noon and 2 p.m. on Christmas Day,” she says.

The plates are piled high with ham or turkey, stuffing, sweet potato casserole, vegetables, pumpkin pie and more.

It’s a lot of work, but Dunson has a good reason for preparing the feast.

“I do it because we’ve got a lot of drivers that don’t have a family to go home to on Christmas,” she says. “Or you have drivers who have families but they can’t make it in for Christmas. It’s depressing. I’ve continued the tradition all these years because it’s five minutes of a bright spot on Christmas Day (and I’m a pretty good cook).”

Truckers Christmas Group

In November 2008, a trucker named “Wonderful” Wayne Hortman had an idea to launch a trucker charity and posted about it on social media. According to the charity’s website, Hortman wrote: “Got to thinkin’ about Christmas. I like to help the needy. Thought maybe my fellow truckers might want to join me in setting up a fund right here on CDL for some trucker families that might be in need of having a good Christmas.”

The rest, as they say, is history. In the eight years since, Truckers Christmas Group has raised monetary donations for trucking families in need across North America. Truckers nominate families who would make good candidates (nomination forms are on the organization’s website), and the organization chooses recipients based on those nominations.

The group’s goal is to raise enough money to make a difference in the families’ lives at Christmastime. In addition to other fundraising measures, Truckers Christmas Group sells products on its website to raise funds. To date, the group has helped 125 trucking families with $73,000 in monetary donations. In 2016 alone, the charity distributed $7,000 in aid to 13 families.

What other great charities are you part of, truck drivers? We want to highlight all the good you’re doing! Connect with us here and tell us how you’re giving back.

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The Trucker Who’s Sprucing Up The Holiday One Load At A Time

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christmas-tree-farm

Before you tied your Christmas tree to the top of the car and carted it home, a truck driver worked to get it to the Christmas tree lot in the first place. John Reed is one of those drivers. He has been delivering Christmas trees for 15 years. “It’s just part of driving a truck every year,” says the veteran owner operator (and Drive My Way columnist).

When we spoke with Reed, he had just delivered a load of 640 Christmas trees from a farm in Washington state to a business in southern California. They ranged from 18-inch decorative trees to eight-foot conifer spruces.

Loading the trees in Washington state

Loading the trees in Washington state

“I always enjoy having the responsibility of transporting Christmas trees because I have an 11-year-old daughter and 13-year-old son and they love the holiday season,” Reed says. “They’re thinking about their Christmas lists and wondering if they’re going to get what they want. I really enjoy this time of year, and I get a lot of pleasure out of watching my kids.”

When Reed first began transporting Christmas trees, he got caught up in the festive holiday vibe easily.

Now, Reed happily brings the spirit of the season to people through his delivery. But, Christmas trees resemble his other loads—they just have to get there.

Unloading the trees in California

Unloading the trees in California

“After a couple years, you don’t think about it as much,” Reed says. “It runs just like a normal load would. It pays the same. For me, it’s just about keeping busy before the holidays.”

Reed hauls the trees in a dry van. They don’t travel with a water source because it usually takes only a day or two to transport them. But when Reed opens his trailer, the fresh scent of pine hits him hard. “It’s overwhelming sometimes,” he laughs.

For Reed, the Christmas trees are no-touch freight.

Workers at the Christmas tree farm load the trees into Reed’s truck and when he arrives at his delivery point, staff unloads them.

john-reed-trees-wrapped-up“I just have to sweep out my trailer really well because it’s full of pine needles when the trip is over,” Reed says.

As the longtime truck driver that he is, Reed can’t help but feel for his colleagues who won’t be able to spend the holidays with their families this year.

“The responsibility of delivering the essentials for everyday living sometimes gets in the way of the family bonding we all need for a healthy existence,” Reed says. “Let’s remember people who will be away from their families over the holidays and keep them in our prayers.”

Do you have a special load that gives your CDL trucking job a sense of purpose? Connect with us here and tell us about it for the chance to be featured in a Drive My Way story.

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The People’s Tree Is A Tannenbaum Unlike Any Other

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capitol-christmas-tree1At long last, the People’s tree made its way into downtown Washington, D.C., during the first week of December. It was the culmination of a month-long, 3,800-mile journey that began in Idaho’s Payette National Forest and ended at the U.S. Capitol.

Behind the wheel was Gary Amoth, the owner of Gary Amoth Trucking in Twin Falls, Idaho. Thanks to his company’s stellar reputation and safety record, he was hand picked for the honor of driving the Capitol Christmas tree.

“I’ve had a great journey,” Amoth said on his return to Idaho. “The most awe-inspiring part was driving into Washington, D.C. We came in early in the morning, before dawn. The whole thing was special.”

Festive atmosphere

capitol-christmas-tree2As the Capitol Christmas tree made its journey from one end of the U.S. to the other, Amoth made 31 stops in towns nationwide. People lined up along the road to welcome the tree with much fanfare, cheering and applauding at every turn.

“The atmosphere was festive and there was a lot of excitement along the way,” says Amoth, a 30-year veteran of the road. “People took pictures and would be waiting with signs as we came through. Schoolchildren were out. It was great to see the nation be excited about something, especially right now in the political arena that we’re in.”

With police officers escorting the tree from town to town and throngs of people greeting the tree wherever it went. Amoth never saw anything like it.

“I had not done anything like this before,” he says. “I made some lifelong friends in the process.”

Gary and Suzanne together

Gary and Suzanne together

Former owner operator Suzanne Stempinski drove the tree in an honorary role in 2014 and has ridden along twice—including with Amoth this year. She revels in the festivities, whether she’s riding shotgun or driving.

“It’s one of those fabulous traditions I looked forward to as a kid,” she says. “Now that I’m older and I’m a kid at heart, my eyes still light up at Christmastime. It still feels like magic.”

Riding along as a passenger with Amoth had special charms—without the responsibility.

“As a passenger, it was still exciting to be involved with it but I didn’t have to worry about maneuvering it,” Stempinski says. “It’s always the driver’s responsibility for the safe operation of the vehicle. No matter what you’ve driven before, every time that tree moves an inch you carry that responsibility of the safe transportation with you.”

While Amoth was charged with the heavy lifting this year, he still marveled at the levity along the route. The Capitol Christmas tree is called “The People’s Tree,” and with good reason. So many hands are involved with the project from beginning to end. For example, schoolchildren in Idaho crafted 18,000 ornaments to adorn this year’s tree. That’s the kind of community effort The People’s Tree embodies.

“The most surprising thing was how well received the tree was by the people,” Amoth says. “I saw firsthand that it really is The People’s Tree. They were genuinely impressed. It symbolizes a sense of hope for the nation and represents the Christmas spirit. It unites people.”

Suzanne driving in 2014

Suzanne driving in 2014

Meticulous Planning

As the driver transporting the Capitol Christmas tree on its cross-country journey, Amoth bore a weighty responsibility. The tree is indeed an oversized load, and together the truck and trailer measure nearly 105 feet from bumper to bumper.

As a driver, “it’s not so much about the speed as it is about the geometry, knowing where your pivot points are and how you’re going to make a turn,” Stempinski says. “You have to plan the turns in advance. It’s a very big deal. The eyes of the whole world are upon you and you have one opportunity to get it right, that’s all.”

Nothing about the Capitol Christmas tree is arbitrary. The tree is selected from a national forest and sawed by hand. The driver chosen to take the Capitol Christmas tree on its journey to the U.S. Capitol originates from the same state the tree does.

Every step of the way, the tree gets special treatment. It even travels with its own water supply, drinking up to 20 gallons a day while it’s in transit. Joining Amoth on his full cross-country trek was Forest Service elite “Smokejumper” Chris Niccoli,  who spotted for Amoth in tight areas, watered the tree, and sprayed it down as needed.

Gary driving this year

Gary driving this year

Security for the tree is high, too.

Every night, Amoth says, it had to be kept in a locked, secured facility or be guarded. Fortunately, the U.S. Forest Service provides the best points of access for drivers ahead of time. But maneuvering is not easy, especially in small communities where streets are narrow. While there were some tight squeezes, there was nothing Amoth couldn’t handle.

Tight spots aside, both Amoth and Stempinski feel richer for having met the people’s tree.

“It really is embracing the holiday spirit, no question about it,” Stempinski says. “It’s definitely a community effort, and everybody’s a little better for having been a part of it. I know I am.”

Finding an initiative you connect with can enhance your life in unexpected ways. What other causes out there make you better, drivers? Connect with us here and share your story.

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Military-Friendly Companies That Hire Veterans for Trucking Jobs

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military-friendly trucking companies that hire veterans for trucking jobs

After serving our country, many veterans make the transition into the trucking industry, seeking companies who hire individuals with military experience for their truck driver jobs. Many trucking companies enjoy hiring veterans for their driver positions as they embody the motivation and dedication the company is seeking. In the process, these companies are putting veterans on a strong path for the future in civilian jobs while adding disciplined employees to their talent pool.

PTS Worldwide

pts worldwidePTS Worldwide Inc. is a family owned and operated over the road trucking company dedicated to the Department of Defense and the security of our nation. They are fundamentally a people-oriented organization and know that the intelligence, insight, and energy that each individual brings to the job makes them better and stronger as an organization. It is their objective to maintain a working environment where all employees can achieve their fullest potential.

PTS Worldwide, Inc. is a company founded by drivers for drivers and knows they need your skills, enthusiasm, and commitment to achieve our goals together. They run all 48 states from military base to base, and they hire CDL A OTR Team Drivers and OTR Owner Operator Teams nationwide. As a company founded by drivers for drivers, they offer competitive pay with minimum guaranteed miles, generous bonuses, and excellent health and welfare benefits.

Oldcastle

oldcastleAs North America’s largest manufacturer of building products and materials, CDL trucking jobs are just one part of what makes the wheels at Oldcastle turn. But, they are an essential part of the equation. No matter what role a worker plays at Oldcastle, however, one thing is certain. Veterans work at this Atlanta-based company with 2,000 locations nationwide.

“Attracting truck drivers is a huge challenge, so we wanted to promote those opportunities,” says Cindycindyr Reeves, Human Resources Director for Oldcastle, Inc. To attract more military talent to Oldcastle jobs, the company overhauled its website to include a military tab on its careers page. Therefore, when applicants click on the military tab, open job opportunities can be seen, including CDL trucking jobs, engineering and sales opportunities, warehousing jobs and more. Also, the website features a link to help retiring military personnel translate their skills to civilian jobs.

“Our website tells them what job would be a good fit for them,” Reeves says. “It’s a page through military.com with a lot of credibility.”

In addition, Oldcastle launched its military-focused webpages in January 2016, and the company launches other military initiatives this week on Veterans Day. “Attracting veterans serves as an important part of our strategy,” Reeves says. “We wanted to make a place where potential military employees could come and feel welcome and know that Oldcastle has positions that are a strong fit for them.”

hollandHolland

In August 2015, this Holland, Mich.-based company hired Jason Schenkel, an Army veteran, as its talent acquisitions and fair employment manager. It did so specifically to increase its veteran recruiting and outreach.

Schenkel recruits for every position in the company, including CDL trucking jobs. “If I can find a military veteran that fits, I will recruit them for any position in the company,” Schenkel says, estimating that 70% of his recruits are truck drivers. After all, of Holland’s more than 8,000 employees, 6,000 of them are drivers.

Jason Schenkel (center) with his family

Jason Schenkel (center) with his family

Early on, Holland recognized similarities between the trucking industry and military culture in terms of safety, stress, customer service, and hours, Schenkel says. As a result, the military job candidates Holland encounters “have all the intangibles that make for a good truck driver. That’s the way Holland looks at it.”

Being an Army veteran helps Schenkel connect with his audience. “As a veteran, I know the culture, the tempo, the language, the hardships,” he says. “I think it helps me in my work. Holland, from the beginning, has put a lot of time and effort into the veteran initiative. We don’t do it because some government agency says we should. We just feel it’s a good fit for the veterans and for the company.”

exchangeArmy & Air Force Exchange Service

The Army & Air Force Exchange Service (AAFES) proudly served America’s armed forces since 1895. Striving to deliver quality goods and services at competitive prices, trucking plays an instrumental part of AAFES’ mission. AAFES commits to hiring veterans, National Guard members and reservists. In fact, veterans compose 12% of the company’s workforce. Overall, the company hires them because of the high value they bring to the organization.

“The AAFES partnered with the National Guard and U.S. Army Reserve…to actively recruit members,” says Col. Karen G. Fleming, Deputy Director, Logistics, for AAFES and herself a 26-year U.S. Army veteran. “We collaborate more than ever with installation transition offices to recruit soldiers and airmen who transition back into the civilian workplace.”

To support its military personnel, The Exchange, as AAFES provides up to 15 days annually of paid leave to guard members or reservists performing military duties that take them away from the job.

AAFES is similar to the military in some respects, Fleming adds, especially in regard to devotion and service. “Their motto is “family serving family,” Fleming says. “In addition, they remain devoted to providing the goods and services to our Army and Air Force.’”

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Drive My Way to Participate in Women in Trucking Conference This Week

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Salute-to-women-600x450

The Women in Trucking Accelerate! Conference and Expo runs from Nov. 7-9 in Dallas, Texas. The conference strives to bring gender diversity to the trucking industry and show how diversity can positively impact a driver’s career and a company’s success.

Several Women in Trucking members will be on hand at the conference, including trucking companies, truck driving schools, manufacturers, health and wellness businesses and more.

First, the conference kicks off with the opening session (1:15 p.m. Monday, Nov. 7), when FMCSA Administrator Scott Darling discusses safety in trucking.

Also, the conference offers valuable networking opportunities among those who value gender diversity in the industry. In addition, there are more than 30 sessions on important transportation issues and trends. Drive My Way’s own Beth Potratz, the company’s president and CEO, will participate in one of those sessions, “Secrets to Successful Mentoring and Why It’s So Important.”

Expect engaging discussion about how women can:

  • Use mentoring to their advantage
  • Why some programs work and others don’t
  • What types of mentoring are available for new female drivers
  • And more

“I’m excited to be part of this important women-focused conference,” Potratz says. “As a woman-owned business in the trucking industry, Drive My Way is proud to be represented at Accelerate! and be part of a conversation that fosters the success of women in CDL trucking jobs.”

If you’re a truck driver looking for a job that fits your qualifications and lifestyle, visit us at Booth 607.

Drive My Way matchmakers will be on hand to answer your questions and help you register on DriveMyWay.com. Therefore, you can get one step closer to landing the best job for you.

Are you a woman driver on social media? Be part of the show’s conversation with the hashtag #WIT16. Can’t make the conference? Follow us on Facebook here and stay up to date on all the latest trucking job opportunities that can help you grow your career in the industry, regardless of your gender.

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Firms Tweak Training to Attract More Women to Trucking Jobs

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trucks.comWhile it’s taken time, lawsuits and the rise of female driver support groups to inspire trucking companies to hire more women, there’s an earnest effort now to make training programs more appealing to women, an article by Trucks.com states.

Overall, it’s all in hopes it will help carriers expand their driver applicant pool and attract more female truck drivers.

Carriers increased assistance for female trainees by offering more practice time in truck driving simulators, creating internal support groups and adding female driver liaisons.

In addition, they added sexual harassment awareness and self-defense classes to training curriculums. Then, women feel safer on training runs and respond better in abusive situations.

To recruit more women, some carriers now allow current male drivers to train their spouses to drive. Also, other carriers expanded military veteran recruiting to promote trucking jobs among women retiring from active duty.

They also fund scholarships for female high school grads interested in CDL trucking jobs.

Despite the ongoing deficit, women account for only 5.1% of U.S. truck drivers. In addition, 11.4% of all trucking transportation industry workers are women, according to the ATA.

The numbers continue to decline. From 2014 to 2015, the population of female drivers in the industry shrank by 10%, to 177,000, according to the trucking trade group.

Past efforts to get more women behind the wheel failed, and in some cases, lacked legality, Trucks.com writes.

In May, the Equal Employment Opportunity Commission (EEOC) ordered New Prime Trucking Inc. to pay $3.1 million for discriminating against women by adopting a same-sex driver training policy. In a 2011 lawsuit, the EEOC said the policy forced women to wait up to 18 months for training.

Over-the-road driving positions remain the hardest to fill in the trucking industry.

“The hours are long, quarters are cramped and trainees make only a percentage of a regular driver’s per-mile wage,” it states. “Some bail after a short time.”

“They come into the industry saying, ‘I heard it on the radio, they’re making lady truck drivers, the industry wants more women.’” said  Desiree Wood, a veteran driver and host of the Real Women in Trucking website and podcast. “Nobody tells them you will have to work hard, and you will have to lift.”

“The bottom line is it’s a male-dominated field. For you to succeed, you have to be twice as good as the worst man out there,” adds Real Women in Trucking board member Tracy Livingston.

As part of its recent efforts to create a better workplace for women, Prime created a support group and recognition program. This serves women drivers, featuring training specialist and female driver liaison, Brooke Mosley.

Mosley credits the carrier’s training program for growing Prime’s female driver cohort to 766. That’s more than twice the industry average.

Does your company have a unique means of attracting new talent to the job? Join our community here and share your ideas.

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For One Trucking Couple, Halloween is a Real Treat

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halloween-truckWhile Americans are gearing up for Halloween with jack-o-lanterns on their doorsteps, one truck driving couple has taken Halloween to the highway.

That’s right. Cammy Ann Conway and her husband, Ken, are OTR truck drivers for Quest Global out of Georgia. They run from Atlanta to the Canadian border and from southern California to the East Coast. Sure, they’ve been on the road a lot this October. But that hasn’t stopped them from going all-out with their Halloween décor.

halloween-catThe Conways’ truck is a conspicuous sight on the road, to be sure.

Flanking its grill are a big black cat and fuzzy spider. The decorations get a lot of attention from others on the road.

“The kids love it most,” Cammy Ann says. “We do it to get a reaction from them. They’ll point or make their siblings look. It’s a lot of fun.”

When the Conways make their deliveries, shippers and receivers shout out to them as well, giving them a hearty thumbs-up. The Conways get a thrill from it all.

“We’re out here on the road, so we’re not home to decorate,” Cammy Ann says. “Decorating the truck makes you feel like you’re not on the road every day, like you’re bringing a little bit of home with you.”

Ken Conway, who’s had a CDL trucking job for five years, loves the fall holidays most of all.

Decorating the truck makes his job more enjoyable, he says. The decorations break up monotony even for those who cross their path. “The reaction we get from men is a little surprising,” Ken says. “You would think guys would rip on me for decorating, but even they get into it. It’s pretty neat.”

Ken decorated his truck for Christmas even before Cammy Ann began teaming with him two years ago. When Cammy Ann came on board, the Conways upped the ante, decorating for every major holiday.

halloween-dog-2“Putting something on the front of the truck is always our thing,” Cammy Ann says. “We do shamrocks at St. Patrick’s Day, pumpkins at Thanksgiving. People always honk and wave. To see their reactions is always fun.”

The Conways’ dogs, two mini-schnauzers, even get in on the Halloween action (They’re dressed up like super heroes this year.).

“The animals add to our life on the road,” Ken says.

The Conways plan to decorate their truck at the holidays for as long as they have CDL trucking jobs.

“Definitely, we’ll do it for as long as we’re out here,” Ken says. “Whether it’s Halloween, Thanksgiving or Christmas. When we retire, we’ll be able to look back on our time together on the road—the experiences, the people—and feel good about it.

“Let me tell you,” he adds. “If you can make a crusty old trucker smile at your decorations at 2 or 3 in the morning, you’re doing something right.”

Sometimes a truck can feel like home. Do you bring home to the highway, too? Connect with us on Facebook here and tell us how.

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