Women In Trucking Association (WIT) and CarriersEdge have opened applications for the inaugural Diversity and Inclusion (D&I) Index. The Index will collect and celebrate diversity efforts across the North American trucking industry, and the final results and recognition of outstanding achievements will be unveiled at WIT’s Accelerate! conference from Nov. 7-9 in Dallas.
“Diversity and Inclusion is a broad subject that encompasses gender, ethnicity, ability, and more," Jane Jazrawy, CEO of CarriersEdge, said. “With the D&I Index we’ll be capturing all the efforts fleets are making across the entire lifecycle of employment for all those groups. We already know there are fleets with great stories to tell, and we’re eager to collect and share them.”
The D&I Index is open to any for-hire or private fleet operating 10 trucks or more in the U.S. or Canada. Participation in the program starts with an application, and any current employee can apply on behalf of the company. After applying, companies will be provided with a questionnaire to collect details of current diversity and inclusion efforts across the company. The questionnaire will be followed by an interview with company management, and a survey of employees.
“At Total Transportation we have worked hard to create a culture of inclusion. Twenty-two percent of our drivers are female,” Kesha Jones, chairwoman for the WIT D&I Index Task Force, said. “I am hopeful that carriers will get involved so we can learn and grow from each other. This is an enormous step the industry can take to attract a new workforce.”
The application period will be open until midnight ET on July 31.
“Trucking has a real opportunity to raise the bar for all industries," Ellen Voie, president and CEO of WIT, explained. “While many industries struggle with diversity and inclusion efforts, trucking already does well in pay equity and has a tradition of sharing ideas and learning from each other. We’re very excited to start help that process with this program.”
