Hillsborough includes route time deadlines in its contracts the work still gets done because of more efficient, smaller routes. Improved hours are a big draw too, he says. But what else has helped is that we do active outreach to women through targeted recruitment activities, social media ad campaigns, and other programs so they become more aware of the opportunities to drive and thrive in our industry.” He attributes the uptick largely to the improvements in automated truck design. He’s hired eight women haulers for Hillsborough County alone in the past year, after a 10-year roll where only a total of two came on board.
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These upgraded capabilities hugely decrease physical demand as the typical residential trash load is 30 to 50 pounds Hillsborough County drivers do 500 to 600 homes per route.īevis has been in the waste industry for 33 years and has seen few women come into trucking until recently. Drivers no longer get out of the truck to lift the cans the technology does it.
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The evolution from manual to automated collections is what has most attracted more women trash truck drivers in the opinion of Ken Bevis, senior district manager for Waste Management, servicing Hillsborough County. “But the waste industry is further ahead (in my opinion) than many other industries in using technology in trucks to make the job less physically demanding, while also attracting younger drivers who are more comfortable with the technology,” Voie says. The first is improved ergonomics-various interior adaptations like the kind Bailey talks about, making it easier for women to reach the pedals and see over the hood.įurther, manufacturers have added technology to remove much of the need for brawn, from hydraulic hoods to power steering and brakes, says Ellen Voie, president/CEO, Women In Trucking Association. The trucking industry at large has made advances to better accommodate women and older workers. This tweak elevated the seat about a foot, taking care of the visibility problems, providing more control, and more comfort.
She spoke up, and Waste Management made accommodations for her, then other women, moving the joystick (that controlled the lift arm) from the center console to the driver’s side. Women without the height had to stand to see over the steering wheel and through the side mirrors. They were right-hand-side drive trucks with low, hard plywood fold up seats. When new automated front loaders came to Hillsborough County in 2013, she wanted to get a feel for how they ran and worked. She transitioned to dispatch and eventually to other operational roles to balance work and family life. She was hired on to drive a rear loader, advancing quickly to higher-earning driver jobs and bringing in annual income of $45,000 before the end of that first year.īut Bailey’s days began at 4 a.m., a schedule that no longer worked for her once her daughter was in first grade she needed to take her to school. I was on the verge of giving up but didn’t.” “I took the opportunity because I was 25 and had a daughter and needed to work. She spent morning till evening in the cold, and sometimes rain, jumping on and off a non-automated rear loader, lifting and dumping roughly 12 to 20 tons a day. She first came in as a temp helper for Waste Management earning $39 a day while pushing to prove she had the stamina to do trash routes. We see a lot of female supervisors, which impacts us greatly because this is a relatable person,” Bailey says.
And management is much better because the versatility inside management has changed. Looking back, then forward, she says, “It’s become a much more appealing industry for women. Currently the solid waste project manager for Hillsborough County, Fla., she’s seen a lot change for women over time, having operated almost every type of trash truck and route stepping into multiple dispatcher, supervisory, and management positions then sliding back into the drivers’ seat for a while. Since Toni Bailey got behind the wheel of her first trash truck in 2004, she’s been around the block and back– both literally and figuratively.
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