The Sconi

Sen. Tammy Baldwin of Wisconsin introduced the Promoting Women in Trucking Workforce Act on Nov. 16, which is set to be part of the country's infrastructure package.

“One of the biggest issues we’re facing in our supply chain is simply not enough truckers, but my Promoting Women in Trucking Workforce Act is included in the bipartisan infrastructure legislation so we can create new job opportunities and speed up delivery," Baldwin said in a tweet.

If passed, the legislation would establish a “Women of Trucking Advisory Board,” tasked with identifying various barriers that prevent women from entering the trucking industry, in addition to establishing training programs for women who already work in the industry, according to the press release. 

“Over the past year, we have relied on the essential service the trucking industry provides to transport critical resources to Kansas and across the country during the COVID-19 pandemic,” said Sen. Jerry Moran, according to the press release. “As the trucking industry continues to face a driver shortage, we must find new ways to recruit and retain drivers, including supporting women pursuing careers in trucking. This sensible and bipartisan legislation will lead to new job opportunities for women and promote equality for those who are currently working in the trucking industry.”

Numbers taken in August of 2021 showed that the U.S. trucking industry is currently about 33,000 workers short of its pre-pandemic workforce, according to Yahoo! News. Of those workers in the trucking industry, only 7.8% are women, according to the Department of Labor.