Operations

Your Aug. 11 Pre-Trip: Trucking industry seeks to recruit more women

Aug. 11, 2015

Here are five things worth knowing today: 1. As the shortage of truck drivers increases, many trucking companies are looking to qualified women to fill the cabs of their vehicles, the Kenosha News reports. According to the report, Ellen Voie, president and CEO of Women in Trucking, said companies are looking at female drivers as a potentially safer alternative to male drivers. “They avoid the risks that some male drivers might take. Companies realize there is less equipment damage, and they might drive slower,” Voie told Kenosha News.2. According to the Journal of Commerce, the National Union Fire Insurance seeks $42 million from ADT Services, which provided security for Eli Lilly & Co.’s Enfield, Conn., warehouse. According to the report, that warehouse was the target of a March 2010 break-in, which netted an estimated $75 million worth of pharmaceuticals. The lawsuit claims this was the largest pharmaceutical theft in U.S. history and became possible when a cargo theft ring acquired a copy of an ADT report detailing the warehouse’s security weakness, JOC said. A trial is set for Oct. 9 in Miami. JOC has more.3. Lincoln Fire and Rescue is looking to use alternative vehicles to respond to emergency calls in an effort to save money and wear on the department’s aging engines and ladder trucks, according to the Lincoln Journal Star. Public officials have criticized the department for using alternative vehicles for emergency response calls, arguing the use of alternative trucks “traded public safety for questionable savings,” according to the report. The Journal Star has more. 4. A San Antonio woman who allegedly stole a U-haul truck has been arrested, according KSAT ABC 12. The woman, who paid to rent the truck for a day back in May, rented a GMC pickup and never returned it, according to the report. According to police, Katrina Goodwin, 32, painted the vehicle black and put a fake license on it. She has been charged with theft of a vehicle. 5. A tractor-trailer carrying Bud Light overturned on Tuesday along I-75 in Hernando County, Florida, Bay News 9 reports. According to the report, the driver was allegedly distracted by his dog when he lost control of the vehicle and then crashed. No injuries were reported.

About the Author

Cristina Commendatore

Cristina Commendatore was previously the Editor-in-chief of FleetOwner magazine. She reported on the transportation industry since 2015, covering topics such as business operational challenges, driver and technician shortages, truck safety, and new vehicle technologies. She holds a master’s degree in journalism from Quinnipiac University in Hamden, Connecticut.