Business View Magazine - August 2023

151 BUSINESS VIEW MAGAZINE VOLUME 10, ISSUE 8 WASHINGTON TRUCKING ASSOCIAT ION programs for those pursuing a commercial driver’s license (or CDL). This tuition grant was the first of its kind dedicated to CDL training for operators of trucks and buses. This has translated to an increased capacity for training and driver availability, and it has also meant pulling vital programs out of mothball status and making them available to people hitherto unlikely to seek this training in rural areas of Washington State, as Call informs, including at the level of high school electives. “This has been a big plus for us,” she adds. Further, Washington’s state legislature recognizes the need for truckers in keeping America’s supply chains running smoothly. To this end, as Call points out, the lawmakers have also committed another $6 million to fund the CDL tuition grant training program over the next two years. “So we’re excited about that,” she continues. Returning to the topic of women in the trucking industry, Call says the WTA is working to get more of them into the field and make for a more inclusive workplace; one that is welcoming for all types of individuals. “I have never experienced any sort of discrimination myself, being the head of an organization for an industry that has typically been dominated by males,” she reveals. “I can honestly say that I’m probably a great spokesperson for women who are considering getting into the industry. It is not meant to be an exclusive industry, but it is perceived that way.” As an example of the progressive thinking at the WTA, Call cites a potential grant for child care for women truckers who are also mothers, thus allowing them access to training and more. Elsewhere, the WTA has been lobbying entities at both the state and federal levels for an increase in truck parking. What Call is hearing, she reports, is that the side of the road is just not acceptable, and parking there, as many truckers