Attacked Behind the Wheel – and Silenced Again: The Fight for Safety in Trucking

Honoring the Beacon That Shined the Light

Every American is about to be treated like a lady—well, like a female truck driver.

In 2022, the Center for Public Integrity and Scripps News released a groundbreaking investigation: “Attacked Behind the Wheel.” The report detailed harrowing stories of women recruited into trucking who were sexually assaulted by trainers or co-drivers while corporations and regulators looked the other way. The series not only won a Gracie Award but also spurred a criminal investigation into violent abuses hidden inside the industry’s training pipelines.

👉 Read the original here: Attacked Behind the Wheel – Public Integrity & Scripps News

The investigation became a watershed moment, forcing a national audience to confront the uncomfortable truth: the open road carries risks beyond crashes and fatigue. For many women, the greater danger comes from the very people meant to train or mentor them.

Shuttered Research: FMCSA Halts Study Midstream

In response to mounting pressure from the mythical “driver shortage,” the Federal Motor Carrier Safety Administration (FMCSA) launched the Crime Prevention for Truckers initiative in March 2022. It aimed to survey hundreds of drivers on experiences of sexual harassment, stalking, assault, and rape—collecting the first federal dataset on violence in trucking.

But instead, drivers were shut down:

  • By late 2022, FMCSA released only a literature review and preliminary survey design, never advancing to full data collection (FMCSA Final Report, 2022).

  • In February 2024, the agency issued a Request for Information (RFI), seeking input on methodology and best practices (Trucking Info, 2024).

  • By August 2025, FMCSA confirmed the project was abruptly canceled after three years of planning, citing only that the study had been “discontinued” (FreightWaves, 2025).

For survivor-advocates, this was devastating. Without comprehensive federal data, harassment and assault remain statistically invisible, even as stories like those in Attacked Behind the Wheel prove the crisis is very real.

What the Partial Data Revealed

Even the limited findings FMCSA released were stark:

  • 33% of women drivers reported being “touched inappropriately,” compared to 8% of minority men and 14% of non-minority men (FMCSA Briefing, 2022).

  • Incidents most often occurred at truck stops, fueling stations, and pick-up/drop-off sites (The Trucker, 2022).

  • Nearly half of all incidents went unreported, largely because victims believed it would change nothing.

These are not isolated experiences. They represent a systemic failure to protect drivers, particularly women, in one of America’s most essential industries.

Why the Data on Women Is Valid—and How It Connects to the Felon Incentive Program

Drivers cross from state to state; they can be anywhere in the country in a very short amount of time. There is little defining who can become a truck driver with a criminal record. Laws vary by state, federal laws remain the same across all states, and the FMCSA has a list of disqualifying offenses.

Here is a list of what is not on it*:

  • Arson

  • Kidnapping

  • Treason

  • Intent to murder

  • Manslaughter (non-vehicular only)

  • Drug charges

  • Human trafficking

  • Extortion

  • Sex crimes and violence

  • And many more.

*If any charge involves a vehicle, you are federally disqualified.

Industry Responses: FMCSA, WIT, and ATA

FMCSA

In December 2023, FMCSA introduced a Sexual Assault Enforcement Policy, noting that assaults had occurred during training and at truck stops. The rule barred convicted sexual offenders from holding commercial driver positions (TT News, 2023).

FMCSA also formed the Women of Trucking Advisory Board (WOTAB) to advise on harassment and safety issues (CCJ, 2022). Yet the halted study undercuts these efforts, leaving policy disconnected from lived reality.

Women In Trucking (WIT)

WIT supported the push for research, highlighting in a 2021 survey of nearly 450 women that 87% considered truck stops unsafe, though only 18% felt the industry overall was unsafe (WIT Survey, 2021).

The FMCSA study could have elevated these findings nationally, but its cancellation leaves WIT without the federal backing it sought.

American Trucking Associations (ATA)

ATA expressed general support for safety initiatives and backed FMCSA’s original study ambitions through its affiliate, Women in Motion (Trucking Info, 2024).

But ATA has been largely silent since the study was shelved.

WIT, Silent Violence, and a Business Incentive

Hiring women and minorities was once a financial incentive for trucking companies until recent DEI rollbacks. Now, FMCSA is creating the same thing for felons—since, for one reason or another, they will no longer support women or minorities.

And businesses do everything for the bottom line. The reality is this: there is an active financial incentive for companies to hire convicted criminals. But there is no plan in place to thoroughly vet who these new hires are. Instead of creating an equitable landscape that includes a population otherwise ignored in traditional hiring practices, the policy risks inviting new dangers.

Ellen Voie, President and CEO of the Women in Trucking Association, offers a stark warning:

“The proximity of the sleeper berth and personal quarters creates an atmosphere where privacy is often compromised.”
 — Ellen Voie, Women in Trucking Association

This observation is more than a neutral statement—it crackles with urgency. For women entering trucking, the cab is not just a vehicle; it is a sealed space where economic uncertainty, unfamiliarity, and the absence of oversight collide under one brittle roof.

Trainees are thrust into an environment where their ability to assert boundaries is weighed against their need for survival in a male-dominated workplace. These sleeper cabs become their world—offering no cameras, no HR office steps away, and no sympathetic colleague to witness or intervene. Many women recount enduring inappropriate remarks, unwelcome physical advances, or worse—all for fear of losing a rare opportunity at stable work.

The silence is not accidental; it is coerced by the structure of power and isolation baked into the training system. Voie’s observation makes clear: this is not just about discomfort—it is about safety.

Yet, despite her visibility, Voie herself has never been a truck driver. She established the Women In Trucking Association and a 501(c)(3) with the same name, backed by many large corporations and government agencies. While she has acknowledged safety issues, WIT has not mounted a sustained campaign against violence in trucking.

For example:

  • A December 2021 WIT article addressed women’s safety but did not directly confront predatory threats.

  • In 2022, WIT published a Female Driver Safety and Harassment Study. This study is no longer publicly available; in its place is a gated “white sheet” requiring users to submit personal information before downloading.

  • The article addressed unsafe locations but not the dangers of co-ed training programs. Instead, it closed with advice that women could mitigate threats by “paying attention and not being distracted while outside your cab”—a message that shifts responsibility onto victims rather than addressing systemic risks. (womenintrucking.org)

Felon Incentives: A Dangerous Loophole

As FMCSA considers reinstating hiring bonuses for felons, advocates warn that such policies—if not tightly regulated—will widen opportunities for predatory trainers and co-drivers to re-enter the system unchecked. Without safeguards, women could once again be paired with men whose criminal pasts make them high-risk, creating an environment ripe for abuse.

This is not a call to deny second chances-it is a demand for vetting, accountability, and boundaries.

As Lewie Pugh, Executive Vice President of the Owner-Operator Independent Drivers Association (OOIDA), sharply noted:

“We don’t want to do the hard things in this industry, which is spending extra money, taking extra time to train people to safely operate trucks.”
 — Lewie Pugh, OOIDA (Time)

His words underscore the industry’s resistance to meaningful safeguards—and the urgent need to reverse that trend.

The hypocrisy is striking. In November 2021, TIME published “The Truck Driver Shortage Doesn’t Exist. Saying There Is One Makes Conditions Worse for Drivers,” where Mike Chavez, Executive Director of the Inland Empire Labor Institute, explained:

“There’s no shortage of workers, that’s the narrative that gets propagated by industry leaders. We still have a lot of positions that can’t be filled because of the working conditions.”
 — Mike Chavez, Inland Empire Labor Institute (Time, 2021)

The contradiction between these narratives reveals an industry more concerned with optics than with safety.

Advocacy Recommendations (Public-Facing)

To ensure safety while maintaining opportunities for re-entry, FMCSA must adopt guardrails that protect trainees:

  • Separate Pathways – Hiring incentives should not automatically place felons in trainer or co-driver roles.

  • Enhanced Background Checks – Trainers and co-drivers should face heightened vetting, especially for crimes tied to violence or exploitation.

  • Restricted Pairing – Vulnerable trainees should never be forced into overnight isolation with high-risk individuals.

  • Anonymous Reporting – Trainees deserve a safe way to raise concerns without retaliation.

  • Carrier Accountability – Companies should be held responsible for who they place in mentoring roles.

Second chances matter. But so does safety. Rehabilitation should not be a loophole for predators.

Policy Memo to FMCSA: Safeguards Needed for Felon Hiring Incentives in Trucking

Recommendations:

  • Trainer Eligibility Restrictions – Prohibit individuals with convictions for sexual assault, domestic violence, trafficking, or stalking from serving as trainers or co-drivers.

  • Enhanced Screening – Require federal-level background checks for all trainers/co-drivers, with re-verification every 2–3 years.

  • Safe Pairing Protocols – Establish rules to prevent solo overnight trainer-trainee pairings where risk is elevated. Options include same-gender pairing, dual-trainer systems, or mandatory in-cab monitoring technology.

  • Anonymous Reporting Mechanism – Create a federally managed hotline and secure reporting platform accessible to all trainees.

  • Carrier Oversight and Audits – Mandate that carriers disclose trainer qualification processes and submit to FMCSA audits to ensure compliance.

Felon hiring incentives can support rehabilitation, but without proper guardrails, they risk enabling predatory behavior in an industry already grappling with safety and harassment issues. FMCSA must balance opportunity with accountability by implementing strict trainer eligibility criteria and oversight mechanisms.

Why This Matters

The lesson of Attacked Behind the Wheel was simple: silence breeds violence.

The FMCSA study could have been the next step—transforming testimony into data, anecdote into policy. Instead, its cancellation reverts the industry to a dangerous status quo.

Sexual violence isn’t gender-specific, but silence is its ally. And silence is exactly what survivors are being met with.

The Road Ahead: What Must Be Done

  • Reinstate and expand the canceled study with survivor input, diverse sampling, and transparent methodology.

  • Create independent reporting systems shielded from employer retaliation.

  • Mandate rigorous trainer background checks and restrict those with violent histories.

  • Offer safe training options, including same-gender pairings and separate lodging.

  • Embed harassment prevention training into every stage of trucking education and carrier onboarding.

Final Word

Attacked Behind the Wheel gave survivors the microphone. The FMCSA study was supposed to be the amplifier. By shutting it down, federal regulators have dimmed the spotlight just as the nation began to pay attention.

Until that light is restored through research, policy, and survivor-centered reform, the industry remains on a collision course with silence.

And silence, history shows us, is never safe.

References

Center for Public Integrity and Scripps News. Attacked Behind the Wheel. 2022. https://publicintegrity.org/inequality-poverty-opportunity/workers-rights/attacked-behind-the-wheel-sexual-assaults-in-trucking/.

Commercial Carrier Journal (CCJ). “FMCSA Names Women of Trucking Advisory Board Members.” CCJ Digital, 2022. https://www.ccjdigital.com/regulations/article/15303341/fmcsa-names-women-of-trucking-advisory-board-members.

Federal Motor Carrier Safety Administration. Crime Prevention for Truckers: Final Report. U.S. Department of Transportation, 2022. https://rosap.ntl.bts.gov/view/dot/65158.

FreightWaves. “FMCSA Ends Sexual Assault, Harassment Research Project.” FreightWaves, August 14, 2025. https://www.freightwaves.com/news/fmcsa-ends-sexual-assault-harassment-research-project.

The Trucker. “FMCSA Releases Results of Study on Sexual Harassment and Assault in Trucking.” The Trucker, 2022. https://www.thetrucker.com/trucking-news/the-nation/fmcsa-releases-results-of-study-on-sexual-harassment-and-assault-in-trucking.

Trucking Info. “FMCSA Seeks Input on Sexual Assault and Harassment Research.” Heavy Duty Trucking / Trucking Info, February 6, 2024. https://www.truckinginfo.com/10205664/fmcsa-seeks-input-on-sexual-assault-and-harassment-research.

TT News. “FMCSA Clarifies Rule on Sexual Offenders.” Transport Topics, December 12, 2023. https://www.ttnews.com/articles/fmcsa-clarifies-rule-sexual-offenders.

Women In Trucking Association (WIT). “What Women Really Think About Trucking.” Women in Trucking Blog, December 2021. https://www.womenintrucking.org/blog/what-women-really-think-about-trucking.