On Oct. 4, the Equal
Employment Opportunity Commission will be hosting a listening session focusing
on the needs of women truck drivers. The listening session will provide a
platform for drivers to communicate their personal experiences to the EEOC and
offer suggestions on how the agency can better address their unique issues.
Commissioner Kalpana Kotagal will conduct the
virtual listening session from 12 p.m. to 1:30 p.m. Eastern time on Friday,
Oct. 4. The session is off the record and will not be recorded. Anyone wanting
to participate must register by Sept. 30.
Real Women in Trucking
is calling on women truck drivers who have experienced discrimination, sexual
harassment or sexual assault while on the job to participate in the listening
session. The association is offering to tell a driver’s story for them if they
are not comfortable speaking but want their story heard.
The listening session for women truck drivers is
part of the EEOC’s REACH
initiative. In January, the agency announced the multi-year
effort that includes reaching out to and educating workers who are the least
likely to seek assistance from the EEOC despite their need. The goal of the REACH initiative is to prevent and
remedy illegal employment discrimination by ensuring workers can access the
agency’s services and know their rights.
Depending on the source, anywhere from 7% to 12% of truck drivers are women. According to Women In Trucking, the percentage of women truck drivers decreases
as the company size increases. In trucking companies with 5,000 or more employees,
only 7% were female professional drivers compared to 12.5% among companies with
less than 500 employees.
Studies and numerous lawsuits over the years reveal
the pervasiveness of discrimination and harassment of women truck drivers.
Over the years, the EEOC has gone after trucking companies for sexual
discrimination against women truck drivers. Last year, USF Holland settled a sex
discrimination case filed by the EEOC for a half million dollars. In 2019, a South Carolina company settled an EEOC
lawsuit accusing it of
denying employment to a female driver due to her sex.
Last October, Real Women in Trucking filed an EEOC charge against Stevens Transport alleging discriminatory hiring practices.
That charge is still pending.