Safety First: How the Trucking Industry Is Driving a Culture of Care

Safety is a central focus in the commercial trucking industry — not just as a regulatory requirement, but as a deeply personal commitment to every professional truck driver, their families, and the motoring public at large. A safe trucking environment means fewer crashes on America’s highways, better well-being for truck drivers who spend long hours on the road, and a stronger supply chain that delivers goods reliably and responsibly.

To reinforce this message, the Women In Trucking Association (WIT) has partnered with the National Safety Council (NSC) in its “Safety Is Personal” series — a campaign led by NSC President and CEO Lorraine Martin, who explores what safety means to safety professionals across various sectors, including trucking. One of the featured conversations in the series includes WIT President and CEO Jennifer Hedrick, CAE, who brings unique insight from the trucking industry. 

View the conversation between Hedrick and Martin.

Putting Safety in the Spotlight

The “Safety Is Personal” series focuses on personal stories and professional lessons that shape how business leaders like Hedrick approach safety through the initiatives of their organizations. The series highlights that safety is not just a set of rules — it’s a personal value that influences every decision, from onboarding professional truck drivers to planning a long-haul trip. Through this collaboration, the trucking industry’s perspective — especially around commercial vehicle safety — is amplified to a broader audience of employers, drivers, and transportation stakeholders.

For Hedrick, safety isn’t abstract. It’s about ensuring that professional truck drivers — especially those in underserved segments of the workforce — return home each day without injury to themselves or others. In her interview with Martin, Hedrick addresses core trucking safety issues that extend beyond vehicle operation to the lived experience of drivers on the roads. These include awareness of surroundings, the lack of safe and accessible truck parking, and how harassment and discrimination in the industry can impact safety outcomes.

Why These Conversations Matter

Trucking (long-haul in particular) is a demanding profession where professional truck drivers face long hours, tight schedules, and long stretches away from home. On top of these challenges, research shows that many female truck drivers can experience harassment and discrimination at a significantly higher rate than their male counterparts, affecting not only retention but also personal safety while working.

In the “Safety Is Personal” dialogue, Hedrick and Martin underscore how situational awareness — being alert to one’s environment, potential hazards, and the behavior of others — is a vital part of a professional truck driver’s daily routine. They also shed light on growing issues such as commercial truck parking shortages, which can inadvertently force drivers to make unsafe decisions to comply with hours-of-service rules and other challenges on the road.

Industry-Wide Impact and Ongoing Education

By spotlighting these real-world issues, WIT’s ongoing collaboration with such organizations as NSC helps advance a broader understanding of commercial motor vehicle safety. Their shared message goes beyond compliance: it’s about fostering a culture that values respect, preparedness, and proactive risk mitigation. The conversation — and NSC’s “Safety Is Personal” campaign — encourages all trucking stakeholders to think differently about how safety supports drivers’ health, performance, and career longevity.

Through their conversation, it becomes clear that safety isn’t just a slogan. Rather, it’s a way of life for those who make our freight-based economy run. Through collaborative relationships like NSC’s “Safety Is Personal” series, WIT continues to strengthen the trucking industry's commitment to safety, inclusion, and to champion the employment and advancement of women in trucking.