Is the Trucking Community More Inclusive Than Other Blue-Collar Jobs?

In the working world, certain industries keep society running in ways that aren’t always visible. Trucking, construction, and manufacturing move goods, build cities, and produce the materials we rely on every single day.

They also share another trait – a reputation for being male-dominated, traditional, and, in many cases, slow to embrace diversity.

Lately, however, there’s been a growing conversation about whether trucking is beginning to pull ahead in making its community more welcoming to underrepresented groups. The answer isn’t simple, but the numbers and initiatives tell a story worth examining.

Key Highlights

• Trucking has lower female representation than manufacturing but is growing fast, up 88% since 2010.
• Industry is using targeted recruitment, safety measures, and international outreach to boost diversity.
• Barriers remain, including isolation, safety concerns, and limited access to local routes.
• Inclusivity brings business benefits like better safety records, retention, and innovation.

What Inclusivity Really Means in Blue-Collar Work

Inclusivity isn’t just about checking boxes on a diversity report. In the context of blue-collar jobs, it means creating a work environment where people from all walks of life feel valued, supported, and safe.

That sense of safety extends beyond the workplace, and having semi truck accident lawyers like Hensley Legal available ensures drivers are protected on the road as well.

That includes gender, race, ethnicity, age, and even less visible traits like disabilities or caregiving responsibilities.

In industries like trucking, construction, and manufacturing, the stakes are high. The workforce is aging, labor shortages are looming, and companies need to broaden their hiring reach to survive.

The American Trucking Associations, for example, estimates that the U.S. may need over a million new drivers by 2026 to keep pace with freight demand, according to altLINE. That urgency has pushed many employers to rethink who they’re recruiting and how they’re supporting them once they’re on the job.

A Side-by-Side Look at the Numbers

It’s easier to talk about inclusivity when you start with a clear picture of who’s already in the workforce. Here’s how trucking compares to construction and manufacturing on a few key metrics.

Trucking

Women make up just over 8 percent of U.S. truck drivers, a number that’s been inching upward for seven straight years. That growth is encouraging, but still far from parity with the broader labor force.

Hispanic or Latino drivers hold 15.3 percent of commercial driver’s licenses, while Black drivers account for about 14.8 percent of the for-hire trucking workforce.

The age profile skews older, with many drivers between 46 and 64. CDL holders also have higher rates of certain disabilities, such as hearing or mobility limitations, compared to the general workforce.

Construction

Women represent around 10.9 percent of the workforce, though they’re often concentrated in administrative, sales, or project management positions rather than on job sites.

Hispanic workers have a strong presence at 31 percent, significantly higher than in trucking. Black workers account for about 6 percent of the industry. The median age sits around 43.

Manufacturing

Women have a larger footprint here, nearly 29 percent of the workforce, though, again, many are in roles outside of direct production.

Racial representation includes roughly 20 percent Hispanic and 12 percent Black employees, with about 7 percent Asian representation. The workforce is aging, and many highly skilled employees are nearing retirement.

Barriers That Keep Diversity from Growing

Every one of these sectors has structural and cultural challenges that limit inclusivity. Some overlap, while others are unique to the work environment.

Challenges Shared Across All Three

• Stereotypes about the work: The perception that jobs require extreme physical strength or are “men’s work” still deters women from applying.
• Work-life balance issues: Long hours, shift work, and unpredictable schedules make it hard for caregivers – especially women – to stay in the field.
• Harassment and discrimination: Reports of bias and harassment persist. FMCSA reports that in trucking, 59 percent of women drivers say they’ve experienced name-calling, and 33 percent report inappropriate physical contact. Construction and manufacturing have their own versions of this problem, particularly on job sites or in male-heavy crews.
• Limited exposure for younger workers: Few high school or vocational programs promote these careers effectively to women or minority students.

Barriers Unique to Trucking

• Isolation: Long-haul drivers spend days or weeks on the road, away from familiar support networks.
• Safety concerns: For women and minority drivers, truck stops and delivery points can pose safety risks.
• Access to desirable local routes: Entry-level drivers often start with long-haul assignments, and local driving jobs with more predictable hours are scarce.
• Training environment: For some, being paired with a trainer of the opposite gender can create uncomfortable or unsafe situations.

Where Efforts to Change Are Happening

Despite the hurdles, there’s been movement across all three industries to improve inclusivity, but trucking has some particularly creative and targeted efforts underway.

In Trucking

• Women in Trucking Association (WIT): A national organization that hosts events, publishes research, and runs outreach campaigns to increase female representation.
• Safety-focused training policies: Some carriers have adopted same-gender trainer assignments or added in-cab cameras for accountability.
• International recruitment: Programs like the EB-3 Visa bring in drivers from Latin America, Asia, and Eastern Europe.
• Youth outreach: High school partnerships and social media campaigns, particularly on TikTok, showcase drivers from diverse backgrounds.
• Female-focused recruitment abroad: Sweden’s girls-only truck driving camps have a 100 percent application rate for transport programs.

Since 2010, the number of female truckers in the U.S. has grown by 88 percent – a significant leap, even if the starting point was small.

In Construction

• School-based internships: Partnering with trade schools and vocational programs to bring in more women and minority students.
• Minority and women-owned business partnerships: Working with diverse contractors and suppliers to strengthen supply chains.
• Worksite bias training: Educating managers and crews on respectful conduct and inclusion.

In Manufacturing

• FAME program: A co-op initiative that blends technical education with on-the-job training, targeting a broader demographic.
• Upskilling and reskilling: Offering pathways for workers in administrative roles – often women – to move into production or leadership positions.
• Employee resource groups: Building peer support systems for underrepresented workers.

Why Inclusion Pays Off

Diversity isn’t just good for public image – it produces measurable business benefits.

• Better safety records: Women truck drivers have fewer seat belt violations and lower crash rates in some studies.
• Higher retention: Inclusive companies tend to have lower turnover, reducing the costly cycle of recruiting and training.
• Revenue growth: Construction companies working with diverse suppliers report revenue increases of around 19 percent.
• Financial performance: Manufacturing firms with high diversity report 2.5 times better cash flow than less diverse peers.
• Innovation boost: Different perspectives lead to more creative problem-solving, whether that’s a safer loading procedure in trucking or a more efficient production line in manufacturing.

Real-world examples include JE Dunn Construction’s ongoing commitment to awarding contracts to minority and women-owned vendors, and TransForce’s push to bring more diverse candidates into trucking.

Is Trucking Really Ahead?

Looking at the raw numbers, trucking doesn’t yet lead in all categories. Gender diversity is lower than in manufacturing and only slightly behind construction. Racial and ethnic representation is solid but not exceptional compared to construction’s high share of Hispanic workers.

Where trucking stands out is in the intensity and visibility of its outreach. The growth rate in female drivers, safety-focused policy changes, and creative recruitment strategies signal an industry willing to adapt quickly.

The highly mobile nature of the work also creates unique opportunities to draw talent from a wider geographic and cultural pool.

The Road Ahead

Inclusivity in trucking, and in blue-collar work overall, is still a work in progress. But momentum is building.

As labor shortages grow more urgent, companies that broaden their recruitment pipelines and make real cultural changes will have a clear advantage.

For trucking, the next big steps could include:

• Expanding mentorship programs for women and minority drivers.
• Continuing to improve safety infrastructure at truck stops.
• Offering more pathways into local and regional routes for new entrants.
• Strengthening harassment reporting systems and holding offenders accountable.

Progress in trucking can offer lessons for construction and manufacturing, especially when it comes to grassroots, community-driven outreach.

Final Take

The trucking community hasn’t yet reached a point where it’s clearly more inclusive than other blue-collar industries across the board. But it is making faster strides in certain areas, thanks to targeted recruitment, safety measures, and a willingness to experiment with new approaches.

The path forward will require sustained effort, but if the current trajectory holds, trucking could become a model for how a traditionally homogenous industry can reshape itself to welcome a broader range of talent.