As demand for road freight surges towards 2030, Australia is facing a significant shortage of truck drivers, with women still representing only a small share of the workforce. After running a successful Iron Women pilot program, today, Volvo Trucks, WomenCan Australia, Wodonga TAFE (Part of Northern Victoria Institute of TAFE) and Transport Women Australia Limited are launching a joint training, licensing and job placement program to attract more women into secure transport careers and build a stronger, more sustainable driver pipeline.

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 aims to set a new standard for what an inclusive, professional and sustainable trucking industry should look like. A more equitable and diverse driver workforce introduces new skills, new perspectives and more targeted support for the people who keep our trucks on the road. By investing in this partnership, we’re helping reimagine a transport industry that is fairer, more respectful and more sustainable for everyone,” said Jane Humphreys, Vice President, People and Culture, Volvo Trucks Australia.