WARRENVILLE, Ill. — International has become an inaugural sponsor of the new association, Women in Trucking (WIT), with Dr. H. Lenora Hardee, Internationals manager of human factors and ergonomics, serving as the groups treasurer and one of 12 directors.
WIT was formed to a help develop greater interest for women in pursuing a career in trucking and also to help the industry become more female-friendly.

Traditionally, trucking has been male dominated, with men comprising more than nine of 10 truckers, but we also realize that a huge group of male drivers will be retiring in the near future and we need to recruit more women to replace some of them, says Hardee, who helps designs International truck cabs to be more ergonomically correct for women. Women in Trucking can help promote the industry to women.

International, the only OEM among the organizations corporate sponsors, is the primary sponsor of a WIT reception on Mar. 23 at the Mid-America Trucking Show in Louisville, Ky. The associations directors will be in attendance at the event, as well as 31 International employees who will are slated to become members of the organization.

“The Women In Trucking Association’s mission is to attract more women into the trucking industry, and Internationals quest to provide the best cab environment for women shows that their focus complements ours, said Ellen Voie, chairwoman for WIT, and manager of recruiting and retention programs at Schneider National. We are proud to count International Truck as one of our corporate members, and sponsor at the Mid America Trucking Show.”

As part of her ergonomics research, Hardee has measured more than 2,000 drivers, including drivers of heavy trucks, and is helping incorporate the findings of those measurements in the development of new truck designs. For instance, the new International ProStar, the companys flagship aerodynamic class 8 tractor, incorporates several design features that assist women and other drivers, including a closer dash board and lower shelving in the bunk.

Hardee and International will be measuring drivers at the Mid-America Trucking Show at International Trucks booth. As an incentive, International will give the first 100 women with a commercial drivers license who get measured a free membership in Women in Trucking, a $25 value, and $5 in cash.

We need the data to continue to improve our tractor design for women and smaller drivers, and we also can help grow membership in Women in Trucking, Hardee says.