Researchers: Female Truck Drivers Safer Than Males

Women truck drivers are more likely to follow the rules of the road, according to new research. 

A July 8 paper from a trio of researchers came to this conclusion after studying over 22 million truck inspections taking place between 2010 and 2022. 

“Overall, men were 7.4 percent more likely to be cited for a major violation of rules governing working hours ... and 13.2 percent more likely to have a major unsafe driving violation,” according to the report. 

Currently, men make up more than 95 percent of the truck driving force in this country, the report notes. 

“If women have higher compliance rates and are safer drivers, then improved highway safety could be a positive unintended consequence of company-based and public policy initiatives to attract more women to the profession,” reads the report. 

The research paper was written by Beth Davis-Sramek and Dave Ketchen — both from the university’s Harbert College of Business — and co-author Alex Scott, an associate professor in the Haslam College of Business at the University of Tennessee.