The National Transportation Institute is again overseeing all aspects of the confidential data collection and analysis of the Women In Trucking Index.

The annual survey accurately tracks the percentage of women working as professional drivers and in management positions within the trucking industry, the expansion of which is seen as a key solution to the driver shortage. The data collection is offered at the opportune time when companies nationwide are completing their EEO-1 Survey.

With the deadline fast approaching, NTI and WIT together issued a call to action for all fleets to participate in the survey. The two organizations stressed that confidentiality is guaranteed for carriers participating in the survey.

The 2019 WIT Index Survey will run through April 8, 2019. The survey can be accessed through online through this link.

"We launched the 2019 survey earlier this year, and I would strongly encourage every company that employs truck drivers in our industry to participate in the WIT Index," said Leah Shaver, chief operating officer of NTI. "Opportunities are expanding for women across the industry, and one of the key long-term solutions to the driver shortage will be the further expansion of the employment of women at motor carriers. The response by carriers to the brief list of survey questions is the critical first step in the process of our work with the WIT Index. The data NTI collects from carriers will allow us to measure progress, identify best practices and continue to benchmark standards in our industry."

NTI and WIT began working on the WIT Index in 2016 when Shaver joined the WIT board of directors. Ellen Voie, the president and chief executive officer of WIT, sought to obtain the most detailed and accurate data available in the examination of employment trends for women found in the trucking industry. During each of the years that NTI has managed the survey and analysis aspects of the WIT Index, the participation among companies has grown and the results have shown continued increases in the percentage of women behind the wheel and in trucking management positions, according to the creators of the WIT Index.

"The WIT Index allows us to accurately track progress and identify trends and best practices by fleets nationwide,” said Shaver. “The 2019 results can be used by participating carriers in efforts to further address the driver shortage and their own strategy. NTI always does a deep dive into the data generated by the WIT Index survey, and that allows us to provide WIT and the participating fleets with the kind of analysis that can promote further growth of opportunities for women within our industry.”