Women Driving Change: IRU New Industry Shapers eye transport transformation | IRU | World Road Transport Organisation

International Women’s Day puts the spotlight on a big challenge that the commercial road transport sector faces every day. 

Transport companies in most countries around the world have, historically, lower rates of female workers compared to men as well as to the percentage of women working in the country’s overall economy.

According to the International Labour Organization, only 11.8% of employees in the global ground transport industry (road, rail and pipeline transport) were women in 2018, compared to 22.6% for water transport and 42.9% for air transport. 

For road transport, and drivers in particular, the rates are even lower. Less than 6% of the world’s truck drivers are women, according to IRU’s last driver shortage survey. In Europe, 16% of bus and coach drivers are women.

While the figures are grim, change is starting to happen, led by women who are empowering other women to join the industry across a wide range of occupations in the mobility and logistics sector.