The percentage of female equipment technicians and mechanics in corporations with for-hire or private fleets in the commercial freight transportation industry remains low, according to new data highlighted in the WIT Index, which was just released by the Women In Trucking Association (WIT). The WIT Index is the official industry barometer to benchmark and measures each year the percentage of women who make up critical roles in transportation.
The 2022 WIT Index shows that only 3.7 percent of technicians in transportation companies are women. This is the first year the WIT Index has included the percentage of technicians in its annual survey.
“There is a severe shortage of diesel technicians and women can play a role in addressing this need,” said Ellen Voie, WIT’s president and CEO. “Our foundation provides scholarships to women seeking training in this area as well and we make every effort to promote this career to women.”
Initiated in 2016, the WIT Index is comprised of average percentages of females in various roles that are reported by companies in transportation, including predominantly for-hire trucking companies, private fleets, transportation intermediaries, railroads, ocean carriers, equipment manufacturers, and technology companies. This data was confidentially gathered from January through April of 2022 from 180 participating companies and percentages are reported only as aggregate totals of respondents.
This year, WIT has expanded its collection of the percentage of women to include not only technicians but also operations, human resources and talent management, and sales and marketing. The WIT Index historically also has identified the percentage of women who are in leadership roles and professional drivers in the commercial freight transportation industry.
For more information on the WIT Index and to download a full executive summary of the 2022 WIT Index findings, visit https://www.womenintrucking.
