By Ellen Voie
Chairwoman-Women In Trucking
I was taking a walk recently when I saw a Honda Pilot parked in a driveway with a “for sale” sign in the window. I have been looking for an SUV, so I stopped to read the sign further. I couldn’t help but smile when I read the words, “FEMALE DRIVEN” neatly printed under the price.
Female Driven. The owner must have considered this to be selling point or she (or he) wouldn’t have listed it as a notable item. I recalled the old adage about buying a car that had “only been driven to church on Sunday by a little old lady.” I wondered if this was meant to be an advantage.
Personally, I had never considered a “female driven” vehicle to be any different than one owned by a male. Anyone who knows me will attest to that after they’ve seen me drive my Dale Earhardt Monte Carlo with “Intimidator” imprinted on the back.
I do recall that Insurance companies used to rate girls lower for premiums than boys when they are new drivers. I decided to determine if “female driven” is really a selling point and if that trait extends to eighteen wheelers.
The AAA has researched the driving habits of Americans in conjunction with Carnegie Mellon University, and their reports can be found at www.traffic-stats.us. These figures do not include professional drivers, but I wanted to learn whether or not “female driven” should be a selling point for an SUV.
The insurance companies were right. Women have fewer accidents than men. Over all age groups, women had only .78 fatalities per million miles traveled as opposed to men, who suffered 1.39 fatalities. These statistics covered drivers only.
When looking at the 16-20 age group of new drivers, the rate of males involved in fatalities per million jumped to 3.90 while females in the same age group were involved in only 1.96 fatalities per million miles driven. It’s no surprise that insurance for teenagers is often cost prohibitive for boys and girls.
Paul Fishbeck of Carnegie Mellon, and co-author of the study, claims that the higher rates for men are because men “do stupider things,” like taking more risks, speeding and drinking and driving.
Maybe the difference in driving has more to do with the natural makeup of women as opposed to their competency. A Bradford University study found that women’s estrogen levels assist the part of the brain that allows them to shift their attention from one stimulus to another. This makes women better at multi-tasking, and allows them to perform better at driving safer.
They also noted that the lower levels of testosterone in women make them less capable at spatial skills such as map reading and parking. These traits are also important when considering driver ability overall.
So, are women drivers considered “better” then men? I asked a number of trucking executives what their thoughts were on hiring women. “Bring me as many women drivers as you can find,” said Bill, “they are safer and they take instructions better then men,” he added.
Glenn agreed, “We encourage women to work for us, they are easier on the equipment because they aren’t as rough in shifting and maneuvering.” His company has a large number of women drivers and many of them work as team members with their husbands, boyfriends, or with other women.
“Our women drivers seem to relate better with customers,” claims Steve, who operates 60 trucks in the Midwest. “They are less likely to get angry and offend someone on the dock,” he added, “and they aren’t usually as aggressive.”
So, in addition to being safer, women are often better in dealing with both the customers and the equipment!
For carriers that actively recruit women, they have started thinking about ways to make their company more attractive for female drivers. “We are looking for men and women to deliver our freight and we will do whatever we can to make it as attractive as possible for both of them,” said Shelley, a small fleet operator.
It appears that women can be as good or better behind the wheel of a truck, as well as on the loading dock or behind a desk. Maybe the owner of the Honda Pilot SUV was correct in noting that the vehicle had been “female driven.” However, when I go back to check it out, I’ll ask about a GPS unit and maybe check the rear bumper for any dents!
