Australia’s road freight demand is set to grow by 80% by 2030, while the industry is already short of more than 28,000 truck drivers. This shortage is projected to worsen as an aging workforce moves towards retirement and too few younger people enter the profession.
Women remain significantly under-represented in truck driving roles, making up just 4.4% of truck drivers.Research commissioned by Volvo Group Australia has identified the major barriers as accessing the right licenses (36%), concerns about physical strength (34%), and a "blokey" culture (33%). However, the biggest barrier is that women have never even considered the industry as a career option (76%).
The new partnership brings together Volvo Trucks, WomenCan Australia, Wodonga TAFE and Transport Women Australia Limited to remove these barriers and create clear pathways into work. The program will support women to gain a truck licence, connect with real job opportunities and receive ongoing mentoring and industry support.
The new partnership directly addresses industry barriers by:
- Providing targeted training and licensing pathways for women.
- Ensuring wraparound support, job placement and mentoring, so women not only gain licences but enter and stay in meaningful, secure work.
- Creating a scalable, repeatable model that can be used with regional and metro employers across the freight and logistics sector.
WomenCan Australia supports women to connect to new career pathways — including women who have been out of the workforce due to caring responsibilities, family violence, migration and settlement, or other barriers to education and training. These women bring lived experience, determination and potential that the workforce needs. Through this partnership, these women will have access to accredited training through Wodonga TAFE and strong industry connections and mentoring through Transport Women Australia Limited and Volvo Trucks.
“Right now Australia simply does not have enough qualified drivers to keep our freight moving, and we cannot solve that challenge if we keep drawing from the same small talent pool. By partnering with WomenCan Australia, Wodonga TAFE and Transport Women Australia Limited, we are opening the road to secure, skilled transport careers for more women and building a stronger, more sustainable driver workforce for the long term.”
Event details:
The program will be formally launched on Friday 10 April at CMV Truck & Bus in Melbourne (392 Boundary Rd, Derrimut). The event will showcase the training pathway, feature women already pursuing transport careers and provide opportunities to hear from partners, government and industry about solutions to the driver shortage.
“This partnership is about setting a new standard for what an inclusive and professional trucking industry should look like. A more equitable and diverse driver workforce brings in new skills, new ideas and better support for the people who keep our trucks on the road. By working together in this partnership, we’re helping shape a transport industry that is fairer, more respectful and more sustainable for everyone,” said Jane Humphreys, Vice President , People and Culture, Volvo Trucks Australia.
