Region truck drivers show Girl Scouts what a career in trucking is like

Tanisha Davis of Highland and Renee Thompson of Hammond, who both work for Dot Transportation Chicago in University Park, recently mentored Girl Scouts as part of the Women in Trucking program. They let girls in the sixth grade get in the cabin of their 18-wheeler trucks and learn about truck driving from a female perspective. 

The program aims to help address the trucker shortage, brought on by low retention, long hours, days spent away from home, fears of replacement by autonomous vehicles and other persistent issues that have dogged the transportation sector for years. The American Trucking Association estimates the country is currently short 78,000 truckers, down from an all-time high of 81,258 the previous year. 

The career website Zippia estimates 91% of truckers are men and only 9% women, greatly reducing the potential labor pool.

The students took part in hands on-activities and heard stories about Davis and Thompson’s experiences on the open road and working in the transportation industry. They told them about transportation jobs not behind the wheel, such as being a business owner, corporate professional, trainer, technician or engineer.

The students earned their Women In Trucking Girl Scout Patch after taking part in the program.

Dot Transportation, the trucking affiliate of Dot Foods, also donated $2,000 to the Girl Scouts to encourage girls to take more of an interest in the trucking industry.

The company is the largest food industry redistribution in North America, carrying 125,000 products from more than 1,020 food manufacturers. It moves food products to stores and vending machines in all 50 states and 55 countries worldwide.