Women truckers, execs take their case to Washington

Members of the American Trucking Associations’ (ATA) Women in Motion (WIM) group met with federal government leaders in Washington this week to advocate for policies that support women truck drivers and that will encourage recruitment and retention of more women in the industry.

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The two-day event represented the group’s inaugural Call on Washington.

In meetings on Capitol Hill and at the White House, 18 WIM members from 10 states shared their experiences in trucking and made the case for Congress to pass bills to foster safe and productive workplaces, reduce financial barriers to joining the industry, and preserve pathways to entrepreneurship. The group included both women drivers and executives from across the industry.

Proposed legislation discussed included the Truck Parking Safety Improvement Act, which would create a dedicated funding stream to build safe and secure truck parking; the Bipartisan Workforce Pell Act, which would help lower-income individuals access CDL (commercial driver license) training programs; and a resolution to overturn the U.S. Department of Labor’s 2024 independent contractor rule, which advocates say would protect the more than 350,000 truckers—including many women—“who choose this employment model because of the economic opportunity it creates and the flexibility it provides,” according to ATA.

“Women In Motion was founded with the purpose of promoting the role of women in the trucking industry, highlighting their unique perspectives and bringing about positive change. By leveraging ATA’s deep relationships on Capitol Hill and in the Executive Branch, we were able to deliver WIM’s message directly to our nation’s top policymakers,” ATA COO Sarah Rajtik, co-chair of Women In Motion, said in a statement following the event Wednesday. “We are grateful that so many women leaders in the trucking industry took time out of their busy schedules to participate in our inaugural Call on Washington, which will be the first of many. The major strides we made to advance our legislative priorities will help create a more inclusive and welcoming work environment for all.”