Spring 2022
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By Jordan Ewart, Manager, Policy & Government Relations, Saskatchewan Trucking Association

The Saskatchewan Trucking Association’s Women Shifting Gears (WSG) program, in partnership with the YWCA of Saskatoon, just completed its second cohort of students.

The program is designed to help women who have experienced barriers to employment enter the transportation industry with the skills, knowledge and education needed to be successful.

WSG had a diverse selection of students in the second cohort, totalling ten women. The program attracted high school graduates and individuals looking for a pivot in their life and/or career. The program also welcomed SGI as a partner this year, who provided ten seats to their online Mandatory Entry-Level Training (MELT) modules.

The SGI partnership elevated the level of education by providing students with a comprehensive dive into Saskatchewan’s MELT program. It also created space for SGI/STA to have important conversations around women in trucking and the data SGI collects from those being issued a class 1A license. Today, SGI has the capability to show male versus female licenses in the province – which speaks to the influence WSG is having.

In the last five years, Saskatchewan has experienced an average of 163 new female class 1A drivers into the industry. The Women Shifting Gears program goal would be to see that number increase year-over-year – and a lot will need to be done to accomplish that.

To date, attracting women to the Women Shifting Gears program has not been the challenge. Our application pool in both cohorts has been numerous, however, finding the right fit has proved challenging. A lot of people think they may want to drive a truck for a living, however, that mindset simply does not cut it. Being a professional driver is a career choice. It takes a high level of skill, comprehension, and a strong ability to adapt to challenges. The industry can be eye opening if new to it, and the WSG program must continue to find ways to ensure the realities of the industry are being understood by our students.

We recognize there is a place for women in trucking. From the Social Issues Research Centre, there are safety benefits to hiring women as professional drivers. The study concluded that women take fewer risks as drivers,
while men are more likely to be involved in crashes that occur on curves, in the dark, or while passing other vehicles. Furthermore, women are often easier to train because they are more eager to learn.

Carving out a bigger role for women in trucking is not an easy task though. Trucking needs federal and provincial government to ante up the dollars necessary to produce a safe and reliable workforce. Across the country, a four-week program is costing $10,000.

This is the challenge Women Shifting Gears has faced in both cohorts. As great as theory is and classroom learning is, this does not meet the needs of employers today. Moving forward, WSG will look to build our partnerships and have conversations on how we can help advance our students to a position where they are employable and ready to train and drive.

Thankfully, lessons learned are an important part of the program evaluation process. We are beginning to see where the program needs to go. This should be a program that inspires women to value their skills, feel confident in their abilities, and hopefully help them gain meaningful employment. Securing employment is ultimately the end goal for every student who comes through WSG.

We must continue to define what the career path looks like to becoming a professional driver –especially for new entrants with no prior experience in the industry. I feel strongly that making this clear will help ensure trucking is attracting and hiring the most adept women for the job.

The future is exciting for the program. Continuing to carve out what it looks like will be our challenge, however, maintaining our passion for the industry is what will keep this great program alive.

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