US Trucking Industry Reflects on Racial Bias: Industry Data and Calls for Reform Coexist

Michael Ware, who has 23 years of experience driving refrigerated trucks independently, saw a problem in the U.S. trucking industry while attending an industry trade show. The private trucks on display were expensive, well-equipped, and owned by white drivers. Ware, founder of the Facebook group "Black Truckers United," questioned whether Black drivers had the same financing opportunities as white drivers. According to a September 2019 survey of 900 long-haul trucking companies cited by Ellen Voie, president of the Women in Trucking Association, white drivers make up about 77% of long-haul drivers.

Ware told Transport Dive that networking, training, and recruitment are also dominated by white people, and Black drivers are often overlooked for job opportunities and industry information. He also mentioned that Black drivers frequently receive racist remarks directed at them over CB radios. In 2014, frustrated, Ware founded the Facebook group to combat what he calls the "old boys' network" in the U.S. trucking industry. Ware believes networking is crucial, and Black drivers seem excluded from discussions among independent drivers about jobs, good routes, and other topics. The Facebook page helps Black drivers "learn to drive the right way," teaching them the industry know-how beyond the steering wheel and brakes.

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"It's not going to change overnight, but it's slowly changing."

Michael Ware

Founder of "Black Truckers United"

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But Ware knows things won't improve overnight. "It's not going to change immediately," Ware said. "It's slowly changing."

Fleets respond on social media and beyond

After the killing of George Floyd on May 25, American society began to re-examine its values. Companies started evaluating how racism, whether systemic or otherwise, impacts corporate culture. Some fleets and original equipment manufacturers (OEMs) issued statements condemning racism and violence. UPS supported an anti-lynching bill on social media and pledged support for civil rights organizations. This is not the typical type of post from UPS's public affairs account. In the weeks prior, UPS Public Affairs had tweeted about grants, small businesses, COVID-19, trade, and women-owned businesses.

Historically, the U.S. has typically left most murder cases to the states. But H.R. 35, introduced by Rep. Bobby Rush, aims to combat lynching. According to Merriam-Webster, lynching is "to put to death (as by hanging) by mob action without legal approval or permission." According to the NAACP, lynching was often used after the Civil War as a means of spreading terror in Black communities. The bill states: "Between 1882 and 1968, at least 4,742 people, primarily African Americans, were reported lynched in the United States." The bill passed the House by a overwhelming vote of 410-4.

.@UPS urges swift passage of the federal Emmett Till Antilynching Act and supports immediate passage of hate crime legislation in Georgia.

— UPS Public Affairs (@UPSPolicy) June 10, 2020

UPS pledged aid measures. The company said it would provide $3.2 million to support employment, education, small business, advocacy, and reform programs, partnering with its long-time partners the National Urban League, the NAACP, and the United Negro College Fund. Additionally, the company committed to providing 1 million hours of UPS employee volunteer time globally to support mentoring and education programs in underserved Black communities.

FedEx was the only one of the top ten U.S. carriers to answer Transport Dive's three basic questions on diversity: What percentage of executives are people of color? What about the board? And the overall workforce?

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"Women make up 23% of FedEx's global management employees, while minorities make up 37% of U.S. management employees."

Jonathan Lyons

FedEx spokesperson

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"Currently, 49% of our team identifies as African American, Hispanic/Latino, Asian, Native Hawaiian or Pacific Islander, American Indian/Alaska Native, and other ethnicities," said FedEx spokesperson Jonathan Lyons. "The FedEx board has 13 directors, of whom 4 are women and 4 are of diverse ethnicity. Women make up 23% of FedEx's global management employees, while minorities make up 37% of U.S. management employees." Lyons said that among other efforts, FedEx has multiple employee-led business resource groups "that help build connections, build community, and foster an appreciation for diversity and culture."

XPO sent Transport Dive a link to a statement from CEO Bradley Jacobs from early June. The remaining top ten carriers did not comment. J.B. Hunt, Knight-Swift, YRC Worldwide, Schneider, and Landstar did not respond by the deadline. Old Dominion Freight Line responded but declined to comment. TFI International responded but did not provide comment by the deadline.

How to achieve diversity

Can social media posts and LinkedIn statements solve diversity and racism issues in the trucking industry? Ellen Voie, president of the Women in Trucking Association, says if fleets want to recruit Black employees, fleet leaders need to look at the makeup of their recruiting teams. "They need African American recruiters," Voie told Transport Dive. "(Applicants) need to feel comfortable communicating."

Fleets and OEMs also need to research where potential applicants will be. Based on her experience, Voie finds many companies don't fully understand how to recruit women. One example she gave was a truck show she attended where an advertisement showed a woman waiting at home for her husband. Demographic interest studies could help. Voie said 80% of female applicants say they hold a motorcycle license. She suggested recruiters go to motorcycle shows to find drivers. "They need to recruit where people are, not where they think (applicants) are," Voie said.

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"They need to recruit where people are, not where they think (applicants) are."

Ellen Voie

President of the Women in Trucking Association

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The driver shortage is helping recruiters boost diversity. Fleets' demand for drivers continues to grow, with the American Trucking Associations (ATA) pegging the annual shortage at 61,000 drivers. There are also tens of thousands of fleets. Unlike other industries, trucking is highly competitive and fragmented. The U.S. trucking industry includes at least 200,000 independent owner-operators who are their own bosses, with millions more driving various trucks for various companies.

According to U.S. Department of Labor data, of the 3.6 million drivers in the U.S. in 2019, 38.6% were Black or Hispanic. That's a 45.1% increase from 26.6% in 2001. Among the broader truck driver category, 25.8% of heavy industrial truck or tractor-trailer drivers are Black, according to Labor Department web data. The Bureau of Labor Statistics doesn't have a specific category for fleet managers, but among "first-line supervisors of transportation and material moving workers," 19.4% are Black and 72.2% are white.

Voie cited research her organization released in September 2019 in partnership with FreightWaves. The study focused on long-haul trucking and surveyed 900 carriers. It found that 77% of drivers were white, 16.3% were Black, 3.2% were Asian, and 20.9% were Hispanic. She said female drivers made up 10.2%. These racial figures are roughly proportional to the Census Bureau's estimates of the total population, but the female share is wildly disproportionate—women make up 50.8% of the total population.

Ware said he is very focused on financing and networking opportunities. He said Black drivers with similar credit profiles often can't get the same types of truck loans that white drivers can. He wants the industry to be race-blind on credit issues and hiring opportunities. "If my credentials prove I'm a good driver, what's the problem?" Ware said.

This story has been updated with revised data from FedEx regarding board composition.