Carol Nixon joined more than 100 of her fellow women Wal-Mart Stores Inc. truck drivers in Bentonville earlier this month for the company's first Women in Trucking conference.
Despite the title, Nixon said she thought the Wal-Mart conference went beyond gender.
"I think the way that it's done is not pushing all about women or all about men," she said. "The way that I view it is, we're doing it to make things better for the industry."
For two days, drivers heard from Wal-Mart senior management, truck manufacturers, a self-defense specialist and the leader of the national Women in Trucking group.
Nixon has been a member of Women in Trucking for five years and participated in several of its events and conferences. Those conferences inspired her and other Wal-Mart drivers to ask for a company-specific version.
"We believe helping more women live better is a defining issue for our business," said Bryan Most, vice president of Wal-Mart's private fleet. "This is part of our effort to empower more women to develop careers in the supply chain, transforming their lives and the lives of their families."
Drivers were able to provide feedback to truck manufacturers and Wal-Mart management directly about potential improvements.
"One of Wal-Mart's big things is trying to make these trucks adaptable to women drivers," she said. "A lot of companies hadn't thought about it. It was, you just get what you get. Wal-Mart wanted to make it more friendly for female drivers."
Many of the suggestions that have come from women are welcomed by men, too, Nixon said.
"Anything you do to make that truck better to fit a woman of a smaller stature, you are making it to fit a man of a smaller stature," she said. Similarly, she said something like a removable portable toilet in the cab is attractive to everyone.
"I don't care if you're a man or a woman, you do not want to have to get out of your truck in certain places to go to the restroom at night. The guys were like, 'That's a great idea!'"
Nixon has been pushing for individual lock systems for trucks for years. She said most truck fleets have a small number of key variations, which leave trucks vulnerable.
"They listened. They're doing it," she said. "I'm really proud and thankful that the company listened because when I park, I don't want anybody else's key to fit my lock. So now they're changing that which is fantastic."
She said it was also nice to hear that the company is looking to hire more women companywide. "Does that mean they are going to hire less qualified candidates? Absolutely not. But I was pleased to hear that's going to be a goal -- getting more women into the workforce within Wal-Mart."
While Wal-Mart would not release specifics about how much of its fleet of drivers is female, Nixon said it was a rare opportunity to see everybody in one place. "When you think about the percentage of women drivers, it's not very many. So you never see anybody, because we're all running different areas."
As president and CEO of Women in Trucking, Ellen Voie has organized and attended many female truck driver events around the country over the group's 10-year history. She said they help build community.
"Women make up less than 7 percent of the driver population, so it's important to carriers to give these women the opportunity to network, mentor and learn from each other," she said. "The camaraderie these women have is empowering."
Business on 06/24/2017