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Streeter frequently received the same response to her applications, she said. Upon hiring, Streeter would need several weeks of training by a seasoned driver — a common industry standard, the potential employers said. However, she was told she was only allowed to train with a woman and that because there was no woman trainer available, she would be placed on a waiting list. Weeks would pass and Streeter couldn’t get off the waitlist.
“The complaint is based on misunderstanding or on a policy that we don’t have,” Dean said. He added that the company’s cross-training program was developed in response to a previous sexual harassment lawsuit against Stevens several years ago. He did not specify what type of training drivers must receive in order to train new drivers of the opposite gender.
The filing comes as the trucking industry faces a nationwide shortage of about 78,000 drivers, according to the American Trucking Association. If current trends continue, that shortage could surpass 160,000 in 2031. The shortage in part stems from the scarcity of women in the field — women make up just 8% of all drivers.
Same-sex training policies were initially put in place to protect women from sexual harassment or hostility in the male-dominated workplace. Female drivers do report high rates of harassment — in one poll, a third of female driversLiz Chacko, an attorney at the National Women’s Law Center who is co-counsel on the complaint, said creating a same-sex training policy is not the right way to address sexual harassment.
The company then sent Wood to train with a male trainer, who helped Wood get to the point where she could drive independently.