This transport month we celebrate ladies taking the wheel in our transport division

South Africa is said to have an astonishingly low rate of employed women. According to the Organisation for Economic Co-operation and Development (OECD) only 50% of women between the ages of 25 and 54 are employed. With a skills shortage and burgeoning demand for the transportation of goods, the transport industry is well suited to provide a solution for women whose innate attributes could make them well suited for driving trucks.

Supply chains have evolved from moving limited goods in close proximity to moving complicated products across complex global networks. From moving finished products along the Silk Route in pre-historic times to fully automated warehouses making use of robotics, driverless trucks and drone deliveries, supply chains have always played a large role in the progression of society and will continue to connect the world in unimaginable ways.

It is increasingly clear that the modern consumer is immensely digital, global and indeed influential, with access to products, services and companies at their fingertips, 24/7.  This digital revolution has infinitely increased competition, consequently pushing companies to not only innovate products but also how they deliver those products to their consumers. Thanks to digitisation (and the ability to “go viral) modern consumerism is subject to a heightened sense of trending – with products suddenly, and aggressively peaking in demand – often most unexpectedly.

At Barloworld Logistics, we believe that diversity is fundamental for an organisation growing into the future and as such we employ and leverage the skills of women throughout our organisation. The inclusion of women in the transport and logistics industry is not only a Barloworld Logistics imperative but is part of a global drive to promote inclusive economies where the benefit of economic growth can be shared with all who contribute, regardless of gender.  Our vision of gender equality at all levels of our organisation is strongly evident, from the female executives at the very top of our organisation to our professional driver learnership for women, and Barloworld Logistics is well on the way to being a genuinely gender inclusive organisation.