We Need an Advisory Board

The Federal Motor Carrier Safety Administration will be establishing and facilitating an advisory board to be known as the “Women of Trucking Advisory Board.” Their goal is to “promote organizations and programs that will provide education, training, mentorships or outreach to women in the trucking industry as well as recruit women into the trucking industry.”

While the Women of Trucking Advisory Board will be tasked with identifying ways to support women pursuing careers in trucking, I think the towing and recovery industry could establish an advisory board with the same goals of training, mentorship, education and outreach programs for all careers in our industry such as dispatchers and tow operators.

The advisory board would need representatives from large, mid-sized and small tow companies, along with state and national associations, tow operators, dispatchers, law enforcement, roadside service and insurance companies and industry trainers.

While it might seem like a huge task to take for getting an advisory board together, I believe it would be well worth the effort. Just like the trucking industry, the towing and recovery industry is facing many of the same challenges in recruiting qualified employees. It would pay in the long run to research and find what strategies would be recommended, and how to adopt those strategies.

My husband and I have what is called a “mom-and-pop” shop and I believe there is a shift in the industry to getting away from that type of business. Having some strategies for recruitment in the future would definitely help with that shift.