WRITTEN BY EMILY BAER
Trucking is the backbone of the modern supply chain, quietly moving goods to keep everyday life running.
Traditionally, the industry has been male-dominated, but that’s beginning to shift. In recent years, the number of women entering the field has gradually increased, driven by new training opportunities, changing workforce demands, and targeted efforts to open doors in a field long dominated by men.
In Maine, that shift has been amplified by a nearly $100,000 Women in Trucking grant to Maranacook Adult & Community Education from the Maine Department of Labor and the Maine Department of Transportation, aimed at commercial driver’s license training for women.
“We were extremely fortunate to receive the grant,” MACE Director Steve Vose said. The funding provides scholarships to help more women afford the training required to get their licenses.
Vose and his colleagues have long recognized the need for driver training programs in Maine and have worked to adapt their course offerings to the changing demands of the industry. Recruiting women drivers is part of that.
With two female instructors, Nancy Frost and Patti Springer, leading the charge, the Readfield-based program has created an environment where women won’t feel like outsiders in the classroom.
Instead, they train alongside peers under the guidance of industry professionals who reflect their presence in the field.
Historically, MACE’s CDL program enrolled three or four women annually. But once word of the grant spread, all 16 spots were filled within two weeks.
“I thought we’d have a hard time attracting women,” Vose said. “But the class filled really quickly, and now I’ve got nearly twice as many waiting.”
The timing couldn’t be more critical. Nearly everything in daily life — food, fuel, consumer goods, construction materials — relies on drivers, but the trucking industry hasn’t kept pace with demand.
“There’s a real driver shortage right now, and it’s critical,” Vose said. “Everything we rely on is delivered by trucks, so when there aren’t enough drivers, you feel it everywhere.”
Part of MACE’s success is that it offers a clear, practical pathway into a stable, well-paying career. And it’s fast.
“In about four months, we can take a student with a high school diploma and have them out driving trucks, earning a good living,” Vose said.
But just because it’s fast doesn’t mean the program is easy. Students must complete federally required classroom hours, master manual transmissions, and learn to maneuver massive vehicles with precision. They practice for hours on closed courses before ever hitting the road.
“These trucks are massive vehicles,” Vose said. “We want our students to be safe behind the wheel. That’s the most important thing.”
The work is rigorous, technical, and increasingly in demand.
Women have worked in freight for decades, but the number of female drivers has lagged behind men. In 2025, Women in Trucking, a national organization dedicated to promoting the employment of women in the trucking industry, reported that women still account for only 9.5% of professional drivers in the United States.
Anecdotally, that number appears to be driven more by a lack of training opportunities geared toward women than by a lack of enthusiasm for the profession.
“There is far more demand than I ever expected,” Vose said. “And the interest keeps growing. It just hasn’t stopped.”
In addition to the Women in Trucking grant from the state, Vose draws on a patchwork of grants and partnerships — including support from the Harold Alfond Foundation — to help meet students where they are.
“Our goal is to make this training accessible to students of all ages and backgrounds and to use every resource we can to keep that pathway open,” he said.
Looking ahead, there’s a sense that the Women in Trucking cohort is just the beginning. With additional funding on the horizon and growing interest from women across the region, Vose hopes to expand the program.
“We’ve filled the program for now, but we have all this interest, and I don’t want to turn anybody away,” Vose said. “Trucking isn’t just one kind of job. It offers so many different paths depending on lifestyle, experience, and what drivers want from their careers.”
