January 6, 2025 • 13 mins
Can the trucking industry ever become a safe haven for women or will it remain riddled with dangers like sexual harassment and assault? On "Trucking with Tamie," we're confronting these unsettling realities head-on, focusing on how women trainees often find themselves at risk in an environment that should be nurturing their skills. Despite lawsuits against big names like CRST and CR England, too many stories of harassment go unheard and unresolved. Join us as we spotlight advocates like Desiree Wood and organizations such as Real Women in Trucking, who tirelessly campaign for safer, more equitable conditions. We discuss the strides some companies have made, such as implementing same-gender training policies, but recognize that the journey towards comprehensive safety and respect is far from over.
Our exploration doesn't stop at raising awareness; it's a call to action for both the industry and individuals. We emphasize the importance of reporting incidents to authorities and rally for systemic change to protect and empower women truckers. This episode serves as a reminder that no one is alone in this battle and that there are resources and allies ready to support those affected. Through advocacy and a commitment to fostering an inclusive environment, we can reshape the future of trucking, making it a career path where safety and respect are non-negotiable. Tune in, stay informed, and be part of the movement pushing for a better tomorrow in trucking.
Mark as Played
Transcript
Episode Transcript
Available transcripts are automatically generated. Complete accuracy is not guaranteed.
Speaker 1 (00:02):
Hi, welcome to Trucking with Tammy, where we're
going to dive into an issuethat doesn't normally see the
light of day in the truckingindustry.
Today we're going to tackle avery serious and troubling issue
that affects women across theboard the sexual assault of
women by trainers in thetrucking industry.
(00:23):
Of women by trainers in thetrucking industry.
This is not an easyconversation, but it is one that
we need to discuss.
So buckle up buttercups,because we are going to deep
dive into this topic for aboutthe next 20 minutes or so.
Okay, so let's start with thebasics.
The trucking industry is thebackbone of our economy.
(00:44):
It's responsible fortransporting goods East Coast,
west Coast, north and South.
But behind the scenes there isa very dark side that many are
not aware of sexual harassmentand assault, particularly during
training.
This has been reported foryears.
During training.
This has been reported foryears, yet it remains somewhat
(01:06):
of a silent epidemic.
Imagine being a woman in asituation where your learning
environment is also your livingspace.
For many women in trucking,this is our harsh reality.
We share tight, confined spaceswith trainers for weeks on end.
It leaves us vulnerable, setsup an environment for harassment
(01:33):
, assault.
You can hop on social media andyou will see post after post
from various women that says thesame thing.
You know they put thisinformation out there and it
gets buried.
It's under-discussed, it's nottaken care of.
(01:56):
Multiple reports have surfacedover time and they all paint the
same grim picture.
These counts from various womenare not isolated incidents.
These counts from various womenare not isolated incidents.
They represent a broaderpattern where women are often
subjected to unwanted sexualadvances, unwanted harassment,
unwanted assault, all whiletrying to learn the ins and outs
(02:20):
of our new profession.
So you say, well, go for legalaction, go to the companies.
Legal actions have been taken,highlighting the severity of
this issue.
In 2015, three women sued CRSTalleging they were sexually
harassed, assaulted or rapedduring training.
(02:43):
These lawsuits, along withothers, have brought some
attention to the problem, butnot a lot.
So I did a search today on theweb of all the lawsuits that I
could find and there weren'tmany because most of it's been
buried.
The CRST, as I mentioned.
At least seven women reportedbeing raped by their trainer or
(03:06):
co-driver while working.
Three of those filed that claimthat I said.
Another woman, christina, shewent and said that she was raped
by her trainer.
There was a Utah woman whofiled a lawsuit against CR
England, um multiple.
(03:28):
But the number of actuallawsuits and information is just
not out there because the womenare not reporting it or if they
do report it, it's not goingpast the company.
One case that echoes throughall of this is that woman who
sued Sierra England After shewas assaulted by her trainer.
(03:52):
She pointed out the company'snegligence in background checks
and their negligence in how theyresponded to prior complaints.
So these legal battles areillustrating not just the
individual traumas that thesewomen are experiencing, but it's
also highlighting the systemicfailures where the companies
(04:12):
have been accused ofprioritizing business over
safety, where the companies havebeen accused of prioritizing
business over safety, and notjust once, not just twice, but
repeatedly over the years.
So what's being done about this?
Anybody, anybody know.
Well, there's been a push forchange.
If you know Desiree Wood, areal woman in trucking, I know
she has been advocating forchange for years.
(04:34):
Now Some companies have adopteda few more stringent policies,
like same-gender training,though it's not without its own
legal and ethical challenges.
There have been reports ofsexual assault from one female
to another.
The FMCSA it's shown interest.
It's planned studies to betterunderstand and mitigate these
(04:56):
issues shown interest.
It's planned studies to betterunderstand and mitigate these
issues, so it shows a shifttowards acknowledging and
addressing the problem.
However, progress is slow.
There's a lot of criticism, andI'm right there with it, that
the industry's response has beenmore about optics than real
change.
The Women Bureau of the USDepartment of Labor has also
stepped up, hosting events androundtables to discuss
(05:20):
strategies for safety.
But are these efforts enoughwhen the stories of assault
continue to emerge?
No, they're not.
Real change needs made.
More women need to come forward, and not just to their
companies.
They need to come forward.
They need to report theseincidences, these assaults, to
the local authorities where ithappened and also to the
(05:43):
Department of Labor, because theimpact on these women is
profound.
Not only do they suffer throughthe trauma of the actual
assault, but they also faceprofessional repercussions of
the actual assault.
But they also face professionalrepercussions.
Many leave the industry, cutstheir career short, creates a
hostile environment.
Then they have to deal with thepsychological effects that are
(06:06):
long lasting.
They deal with anxiety,depression, they can develop
PTSD.
I had a woman that was raped bya carrier that I worked for
previous.
She needed mentoring after theincident because she was
experiencing high levels ofanxiety.
You know, I went out with heron the road, hung out with her,
(06:29):
talked to her, tried to get tothe root of the problem so we
could get some resolution.
The company was so insensitivein their dealing with her that
after the incident had occurredthey had even left her in the
same truck and just being inthat same environment was
causing her extreme anxiety.
(06:49):
You know, things like that needto be addressed.
They need to step up andunderstand what these women are
going through and give them moresupport.
As I was talking about DesireeWood, organizations like hers
Real Women in Trucking have beenvocal advocates.
They have pushed for bettertraining, better reporting
(07:11):
mechanisms, better workplacesafety for women in trucking.
They have been veryinstrumental in bringing these
issues to light and supportingsurvivors.
Yet there's still a long, longroad ahead for them to truly
feel safe and for these women tofeel like they are supported in
their work environment.
Okay, so we hear what's goingon.
(07:34):
We hear what the complaints are.
So what can be done?
Moving forward, regulation thereneeds to be a lot more
regulation concerning women inthis industry.
There needs to be stricterregulations from the government
to ensure that trainingenvironments are safe.
Environments are safe.
(07:54):
Mandatory background checksshould be the norm, especially
for trainers.
And then they need to makeclear protocols for reporting
and handling complaints.
And if a trainer has acomplaint against them, don't
put them in the truck withanother female.
Come on people, pull them outof the training environment
(08:17):
until this is investigated andresolved.
You know company policies needto be implemented to have a zero
tolerance level for harassmentand assault.
Real consequences for thesetrainers that are accused or
even found guilty.
They need to offer more samegender training options and
(08:40):
actually promote women driversto trainers and increase the
number of female trainersavailable, instead of making you
wait right.
Third party oversight you know,maybe a third party needs to be
developed to come in andoversee to make sure women who
report assault are taken care of.
(09:01):
Better Training and educationthere should be mandatory
training for both trainers andtrainees on what constitutes
harassment, how to report it andthe legal and ethical
responsibilities of all partiesinvolved.
There needs to be a bettersupport system.
(09:22):
I don't even think that weshould even have to say the
things that are needed.
I mean, is it really necessaryto say, hey, when somebody's
raped, they need a supportsystem.
Hey, this so-and-so is raped.
They need counseling.
Duh, I mean, just to put itbluntly there, legal assistance,
(09:43):
legal assistance, come on.
If somebody is accused ofraping someone, the victim needs
all these resources that shouldbe available to them.
The victim needs all theseresources that should be
available to them Counseling,legal, career reentry, anything
that's going to help thesurvivor navigate their trauma
(10:05):
and potentially keep them in theindustry.
You know, one bad experience isjust like being in an accident,
right?
So if you are in an accident,the companies have protocols set
up to keep you moving forward,to come in and assist you with
anything you need to keep youdriving.
(10:26):
Well, this should be the same.
The steps should be taken toensure that the woman gets all
the assistance they need so thatthey can move forward, and a
cultural shift within theindustry is needed.
More than anything, women needto be seen as equals, not
targets.
I am so tired of hearing ohwell, she was asking for it.
Well, she's working in thisenvironment.
(10:48):
It was her decision to be intrucking.
It was her decision to do this.
It was her decision to do that.
Where's the consequences of hisactions?
Where is he or she?
If the attacker is female.
Where is the responsibility fortheir actions?
For being the aggressor?
(11:09):
You know there needs to be acomplete cultural shift in the
mentality surrounding women intrucking.
This means promoting more womento leadership roles, fostering
an environment of respect,actively dismantling the old
(11:29):
boys club mentality thatperpetuates these abuses.
I myself deal all the time withthe old boys club mentality
that women do not belong intrucking.
We do a damn good job out here.
We have earned our right to behere.
Women have been in trucking fordecades now.
(11:51):
There is no reason why we arestill dealing with the boys club
mentality today.
So I will stop from ranting,because we all know, once I get
started, I don't want to stopand I'm going to end this on a
note of hope.
It's important to keep talkingabout this, to keep pushing for
(12:14):
change.
Stop sweeping it under the rug,stop, stop hiding it.
You know it is out there, andit is out there more than you
can ever imagine.
But it's like judge, judge,let's not talk about it.
No, we need to talk about it,we need to fix it.
We need to talk about it.
We need to fix it.
(12:35):
We need to support those whohave been affected.
So if you or someone you know isexperiencing this in the
trucking industry.
You're not alone and there areresources.
There are people out there thatwant to help you navigate
through this.
And to the industry itself totrucking.
(12:56):
Step up man, protect yourworkforce, ensure that the road
ahead is safe for everyone.
That's all today on thisepisode of Trucking with Tammy.
Thank you for joining me onthis tough but necessary
discussion.
Remember we will keep talkingabout it, we will keep fighting
(13:21):
for change, but we can't changeif you're not aware.
So together let's push for asafer, more inclusive trucking
world.
Until next time, keep rollingsafely and let's keep pushing
for progress.
Hi, welcome to Trucking with Tammy, where we're
going to dive into an issuethat doesn't normally see the
light of day in the truckingindustry.
Today we're going to tackle avery serious and troubling issue
that affects women across theboard the sexual assault of
women by trainers in thetrucking industry.
(00:23):
Of women by trainers in thetrucking industry.
This is not an easyconversation, but it is one that
we need to discuss.
So buckle up buttercups,because we are going to deep
dive into this topic for aboutthe next 20 minutes or so.
Okay, so let's start with thebasics.
The trucking industry is thebackbone of our economy.
(00:44):
It's responsible fortransporting goods East Coast,
west Coast, north and South.
But behind the scenes there isa very dark side that many are
not aware of sexual harassmentand assault, particularly during
training.
This has been reported foryears.
During training.
This has been reported foryears, yet it remains somewhat
(01:06):
of a silent epidemic.
Imagine being a woman in asituation where your learning
environment is also your livingspace.
For many women in trucking,this is our harsh reality.
We share tight, confined spaceswith trainers for weeks on end.
It leaves us vulnerable, setsup an environment for harassment
(01:33):
, assault.
You can hop on social media andyou will see post after post
from various women that says thesame thing.
You know they put thisinformation out there and it
gets buried.
It's under-discussed, it's nottaken care of.
(01:56):
Multiple reports have surfacedover time and they all paint the
same grim picture.
These counts from various womenare not isolated incidents.
These counts from various womenare not isolated incidents.
They represent a broaderpattern where women are often
subjected to unwanted sexualadvances, unwanted harassment,
unwanted assault, all whiletrying to learn the ins and outs
(02:20):
of our new profession.
So you say, well, go for legalaction, go to the companies.
Legal actions have been taken,highlighting the severity of
this issue.
In 2015, three women sued CRSTalleging they were sexually
harassed, assaulted or rapedduring training.
(02:43):
These lawsuits, along withothers, have brought some
attention to the problem, butnot a lot.
So I did a search today on theweb of all the lawsuits that I
could find and there weren'tmany because most of it's been
buried.
The CRST, as I mentioned.
At least seven women reportedbeing raped by their trainer or
(03:06):
co-driver while working.
Three of those filed that claimthat I said.
Another woman, christina, shewent and said that she was raped
by her trainer.
There was a Utah woman whofiled a lawsuit against CR
England, um multiple.
(03:28):
But the number of actuallawsuits and information is just
not out there because the womenare not reporting it or if they
do report it, it's not goingpast the company.
One case that echoes throughall of this is that woman who
sued Sierra England After shewas assaulted by her trainer.
(03:52):
She pointed out the company'snegligence in background checks
and their negligence in how theyresponded to prior complaints.
So these legal battles areillustrating not just the
individual traumas that thesewomen are experiencing, but it's
also highlighting the systemicfailures where the companies
(04:12):
have been accused ofprioritizing business over
safety, where the companies havebeen accused of prioritizing
business over safety, and notjust once, not just twice, but
repeatedly over the years.
So what's being done about this?
Anybody, anybody know.
Well, there's been a push forchange.
If you know Desiree Wood, areal woman in trucking, I know
she has been advocating forchange for years.
(04:34):
Now Some companies have adopteda few more stringent policies,
like same-gender training,though it's not without its own
legal and ethical challenges.
There have been reports ofsexual assault from one female
to another.
The FMCSA it's shown interest.
It's planned studies to betterunderstand and mitigate these
(04:56):
issues shown interest.
It's planned studies to betterunderstand and mitigate these
issues, so it shows a shifttowards acknowledging and
addressing the problem.
However, progress is slow.
There's a lot of criticism, andI'm right there with it, that
the industry's response has beenmore about optics than real
change.
The Women Bureau of the USDepartment of Labor has also
stepped up, hosting events androundtables to discuss
(05:20):
strategies for safety.
But are these efforts enoughwhen the stories of assault
continue to emerge?
No, they're not.
Real change needs made.
More women need to come forward, and not just to their
companies.
They need to come forward.
They need to report theseincidences, these assaults, to
the local authorities where ithappened and also to the
(05:43):
Department of Labor, because theimpact on these women is
profound.
Not only do they suffer throughthe trauma of the actual
assault, but they also faceprofessional repercussions of
the actual assault.
But they also face professionalrepercussions.
Many leave the industry, cutstheir career short, creates a
hostile environment.
Then they have to deal with thepsychological effects that are
(06:06):
long lasting.
They deal with anxiety,depression, they can develop
PTSD.
I had a woman that was raped bya carrier that I worked for
previous.
She needed mentoring after theincident because she was
experiencing high levels ofanxiety.
You know, I went out with heron the road, hung out with her,
(06:29):
talked to her, tried to get tothe root of the problem so we
could get some resolution.
The company was so insensitivein their dealing with her that
after the incident had occurredthey had even left her in the
same truck and just being inthat same environment was
causing her extreme anxiety.
(06:49):
You know, things like that needto be addressed.
They need to step up andunderstand what these women are
going through and give them moresupport.
As I was talking about DesireeWood, organizations like hers
Real Women in Trucking have beenvocal advocates.
They have pushed for bettertraining, better reporting
(07:11):
mechanisms, better workplacesafety for women in trucking.
They have been veryinstrumental in bringing these
issues to light and supportingsurvivors.
Yet there's still a long, longroad ahead for them to truly
feel safe and for these women tofeel like they are supported in
their work environment.
Okay, so we hear what's goingon.
(07:34):
We hear what the complaints are.
So what can be done?
Moving forward, regulation thereneeds to be a lot more
regulation concerning women inthis industry.
There needs to be stricterregulations from the government
to ensure that trainingenvironments are safe.
Environments are safe.
(07:54):
Mandatory background checksshould be the norm, especially
for trainers.
And then they need to makeclear protocols for reporting
and handling complaints.
And if a trainer has acomplaint against them, don't
put them in the truck withanother female.
Come on people, pull them outof the training environment
(08:17):
until this is investigated andresolved.
You know company policies needto be implemented to have a zero
tolerance level for harassmentand assault.
Real consequences for thesetrainers that are accused or
even found guilty.
They need to offer more samegender training options and
(08:40):
actually promote women driversto trainers and increase the
number of female trainersavailable, instead of making you
wait right.
Third party oversight you know,maybe a third party needs to be
developed to come in andoversee to make sure women who
report assault are taken care of.
(09:01):
Better Training and educationthere should be mandatory
training for both trainers andtrainees on what constitutes
harassment, how to report it andthe legal and ethical
responsibilities of all partiesinvolved.
There needs to be a bettersupport system.
(09:22):
I don't even think that weshould even have to say the
things that are needed.
I mean, is it really necessaryto say, hey, when somebody's
raped, they need a supportsystem.
Hey, this so-and-so is raped.
They need counseling.
Duh, I mean, just to put itbluntly there, legal assistance,
(09:43):
legal assistance, come on.
If somebody is accused ofraping someone, the victim needs
all these resources that shouldbe available to them.
The victim needs all theseresources that should be
available to them Counseling,legal, career reentry, anything
that's going to help thesurvivor navigate their trauma
(10:05):
and potentially keep them in theindustry.
You know, one bad experience isjust like being in an accident,
right?
So if you are in an accident,the companies have protocols set
up to keep you moving forward,to come in and assist you with
anything you need to keep youdriving.
(10:26):
Well, this should be the same.
The steps should be taken toensure that the woman gets all
the assistance they need so thatthey can move forward, and a
cultural shift within theindustry is needed.
More than anything, women needto be seen as equals, not
targets.
I am so tired of hearing ohwell, she was asking for it.
Well, she's working in thisenvironment.
(10:48):
It was her decision to be intrucking.
It was her decision to do this.
It was her decision to do that.
Where's the consequences of hisactions?
Where is he or she?
If the attacker is female.
Where is the responsibility fortheir actions?
For being the aggressor?
(11:09):
You know there needs to be acomplete cultural shift in the
mentality surrounding women intrucking.
This means promoting more womento leadership roles, fostering
an environment of respect,actively dismantling the old
(11:29):
boys club mentality thatperpetuates these abuses.
I myself deal all the time withthe old boys club mentality
that women do not belong intrucking.
We do a damn good job out here.
We have earned our right to behere.
Women have been in trucking fordecades now.
(11:51):
There is no reason why we arestill dealing with the boys club
mentality today.
So I will stop from ranting,because we all know, once I get
started, I don't want to stopand I'm going to end this on a
note of hope.
It's important to keep talkingabout this, to keep pushing for
(12:14):
change.
Stop sweeping it under the rug,stop, stop hiding it.
You know it is out there, andit is out there more than you
can ever imagine.
But it's like judge, judge,let's not talk about it.
No, we need to talk about it,we need to fix it.
We need to talk about it.
We need to fix it.
(12:35):
We need to support those whohave been affected.
So if you or someone you know isexperiencing this in the
trucking industry.
You're not alone and there areresources.
There are people out there thatwant to help you navigate
through this.
And to the industry itself totrucking.
(12:56):
Step up man, protect yourworkforce, ensure that the road
ahead is safe for everyone.
That's all today on thisepisode of Trucking with Tammy.
Thank you for joining me onthis tough but necessary
discussion.
Remember we will keep talkingabout it, we will keep fighting
(13:21):
for change, but we can't changeif you're not aware.
So together let's push for asafer, more inclusive trucking
world.
Until next time, keep rollingsafely and let's keep pushing
for progress.
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