The Women In Trucking Association’s 2024-25 WIT Index arrived with encouraging headlines. Women now hold 28% of C-suite positions across the industry, 34.5% of supervisory leadership roles, and nearly 30% of board seats.
For an industry that previously felt nearly out of reach to women, those numbers represent real, hard-won ground.
But buried in the same report is a figure that tells a very different story. Female CDL holders now sit at just 9.5% of the professional driver workforce, down from 12.1% in the previous cycle.
A Tale of Two Trendlines
Progress at the top and regression at the entry level can exist at the same time, and right now, that’s exactly what’s happening in trucking. Women are earning seats inside boardrooms and corner offices at an encouraging rate. Meanwhile, fewer women are getting behind the wheel. Those two trendlines pulling against each other are likely to prompt some uncomfortable questions about what kind of pipeline the industry is actually building.
Why the Driver Gap Deserves More Attention Than It’s Getting
The drop in female driver representation signals a structural issue. Obstacles such as safety concerns on the road, limited access to affordable childcare during long hauls, and misconceptions about what a trucking career actually looks like are keeping women from entering the field at the ground level.
If fewer women start out as drivers, the pool of future female leaders who understand operations from the inside shrinks by default.
Why Starting Behind the Wheel Still Matters
Lisa Steed, founder of Linked Again Inc. and a multi-year accident-free FedEx contractor, built her entire leadership philosophy on the ground floor of the industry.
She started driving, trained drivers, and competed at the American Trucking Association championships—and won. That experience shaped her approach to safety culture, team development, and business growth. From her perspective, you can’t lead a delivery operation you’ve never actually worked. The credibility that comes from having done the job yourself doesn’t transfer from a boardroom seat.
Progress Has to Run Both Ways
The WIT Index data is worth celebrating. Women in executive and supervisory roles bring measurable results, and the industry is better for it.
But sustainable representation means building from both ends. More women need pathways into driving roles that address the real barriers keeping them out. And more experienced female operators need to be visible in those spaces so younger women can see themselves there.