Ryder Partners with Women in
Trucking to Develop Female-Friendly Vehicle Designs
Partnership addresses the unique
needs of a growing female truck driver population
MIAMI--(BUSINESS WIRE)--March 17, 2014--
To respond to the increasing number
of women choosing careers as professional truck drivers and to inspire more
women to consider the transportation industry as a career, Ryder System, Inc.
(NYSE: R), a leader in commercial transportation and supply chain management
solutions, today announced a partnership with Women In Trucking, a non-profit
organization established to encourage the employment of women in the trucking
industry. This collaboration is aimed at improving working conditions for
female drivers and enhancing safety through ergonomic truck cab designs that
address the unique challenges women face when operating today's commercial
heavy duty vehicles.
Using research recently conducted by
Women In Trucking in partnership with Dr. Jeanette Kersten, Assistant Professor
of Operations and Management Department for the College of Management at the
University of Wisconsin-Stout in Menomonie, Wisconsin, Ryder has identified
custom vehicle designs that better meet the needs of female drivers. As part of
this partnership, Ryder will deploy these designs in its owned and leased fleet
and will help encourage vehicle manufacturers to consider additional design
changes.
"There are close to 200,000
women truck drivers, and that number is steadily growing," says Ellen
Voie, Chief Executive Officer of Women In Trucking. "Having Ryder's
support, particularly given their strong relationships with top vehicle
manufacturers, represents a significant step forward to help the industry
attract more female drivers and improve the work environment for the thousands
of women who've already established careers as professional drivers."
The pilot study was a partnership
between the Women In Trucking Association and students in Dr. Kersten's INMGT
750 Organization Development graduate course at U W-Stout. In spring 2012, Dr.
Kersten and her graduate students developed a survey that specifically assessed
truck cab design and driver experience. The results of the pilot study
identified numerous opportunities for improvement in the designs for seats,
dashes, steering, and in-cab ergonomics for female drivers.
The pilot study conducted by Kersten,
Voie, Mauer, Palakeel, and Chacon in April 2012 corroborated the research
published by Jinhua; Hongwei; Bradtmiller; Tsui-Ying; Reed; Jahns; Loczi;
Hardee; and Piamonte in Human Factors in October, 2012. The findings in both
studies highlight the fact that the average female driver is six inches shorter
and 50 pounds lighter than her male counterpart. This physical discrepancy can
create issues for female drivers operating trucks designed and built for men.
For example, seats, pedals, and gauges are designed to maximize a male's
driving experience and performance. However, female drivers typically have
problems setting their seats for easy access to the pedals and maximum
visibility of the gauges and mirrors.
Female truck drivers are also challenged
in regard to cab accessibility, i.e., getting into their trucks. With steps and
hand rails placed in locations designed for men, women are commonly forced to
enter and exit their vehicles in a manner that makes them more prone to slips,
trips, and falls. This research has been presented to the National
Transportation Research Board, the Technology and Maintenance Council, and to
various truck manufacturers. The findings of this pilot study will also be
presented at the Women's Issues in Transportation Conference (WIiT) April 14-16
in Paris, France.
"Today's trucks are not designed
with women in mind," said Dr. Kersten. "Given the driver shortage and
the changing demographics that the trucking industry faces, it's important for
manufacturers to make trucks more female-friendly through moderate design
changes for seats, pedals and gauges, for example. Not only will this make
trucks easier and more comfortable for women to operate, but it will also
better ensure greater safety for female drivers."
Some of the vehicle specifications
Ryder is reviewing include:
-- Height and placement
of cab steps and grab handles --
Adjustable foot pedal height (accelerator, brake, clutch) -- Height of seat belts (shoulder
area) -- Visibility of dash
gauges -- Electric/hydraulic hood
lifting mechanism -- Automated
transmission shift lever placement/location -- Access to the top of the dash -- Better access to oil and coolant
check and fill
"It's important for
manufacturers to take women's needs into consideration when designing and
specifying new vehicles, and we are encouraging all of our major suppliers to
do so," states Scott Perry, Vice President, Supply Management for Ryder.
"In addition, many of the same design changes will also support the needs
of men who are smaller in stature, as well as the growing population of aged
male drivers. With the current industry-wide shortage of professional drivers,
this is a strategic initiative that can have far-reaching implications for
truck fleets."
Ryder is a Corporate Member of Women
In Trucking.
About Ryder
Ryder is a FORTUNE 500(R) commercial
transportation, logistics and supply chain management solutions company.
Ryder's stock (NYSE: R) is a component of the Dow Jones Transportation Average
and the Standard & Poor's 500 Index. Inbound Logistics magazine has
recognized Ryder as a top third party logistics provider and green supply chain
partner. Ryder has also been ranked three years in a row as one of the top 250
U.S. companies in the Newsweek Green Rankings. In addition, Security Magazine
has named Ryder one of the top companies for security practices in the transportation,
logistics, supply chain, and warehousing sector. Ryder is a proud member of the
American Red Cross Disaster Responder Program, supporting national and local
disaster preparedness and response efforts. For more information, visit www.ryder.com and follow us on
Facebook, YouTube, and Twitter.
About Women In Trucking
Women in Trucking was established to
encourage the employment of women in the trucking industry, promote their
accomplishments and minimize obstacles faced by women working in the trucking
industry. Membership is not limited to women, as sixteen percent of its members
are men who support the mission. For more information visit www.WomenInTrucking.org or call 888-464-9482.
About Dr. Kersten, Assistant
Professor, University of Wisconsin-Stout
Dr. Jeanette Kersten is an Assistant
Professor and Endowed Chair for People Process Culture in the Department of
Operations and Management, College of Management at the University of
Wisconsin-Stout, Menomonie WI. Dr. Kersten teaches graduate courses in Organization
Development/Change management, Organizational Culture, and Human Resource
Development. She supervises many graduate student research projects in the
private and non-profit sector each semester. Dr. Kersten graduated from the
University of St. Thomas, Minneapolis, MN Doctoral Program in Organization
Learning and Development in 2007. Her Doctoral Research investigated the lived
experiences of women in their workplace relationships with supervisors and
their use of Emotional Intelligence Competencies. Dr. Kersten conducts research
with organizations in the private and nonprofit sectors. Dr. Kersten may be
reached at kerstenj@uwstout.edu.
CONTACT: Ryder
Cindy Haas, 305-500-4526
Cindy_Haas@Ryder.com
or Jennifer Hanlon, 305-500-4547 Jennifer_A._Hanlon@Ryder.com
SOURCE: Ryder
System, Inc. Copyright Business Wire
2014
Ellen Voie CAE, President/CEO
P O Box 400 Plover, WI 54467-0400
888-464-9482 920-312-1350 Direct
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Mission: Women In Trucking was established to encourage the employment of women in the trucking industry, promote their accomplishments and minimize obstacles faced by women working in the trucking industry.
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