New IRU Charter for Women in Road Transport

Last week the IRU held its AGM in Geneva, and passed several policy positions for the organisation to focus on for the next year globally. Significantly, IRU members, which includes the RHA, voted to adopt a new “Charter for Women in Road Transport”, which sets out core principles to increase women’s participation across the industry’s workforce. Reflecting how the global road transport industry is committed to improving its efficiency, attractiveness and professionalism, especially relating to current challenges in the workforce and skills shortages.

A key pillar of this effort is increasing women’s participation in transport and logistics, as employees, drivers and managers, by promoting career opportunities and addressing the practical, social and cultural barriers that prevent women entering and thriving in the industry.

The Charter for Women in Road Transport, as adopted at the 2026 General Assembly, advances six core principles to open the industry to more women:

1. Recruit neutrally: Use recruitment approaches with clear and specific job descriptions that attract both qualified female and male candidates
2. Empower career development: Ensure that learning opportunities are equally open to women and men.
3. Align pay: Pay women and men equally based on their role, experience and skills rather than their gender.
4. Work-life balance: Promote a healthy balance between work responsibilities and personal lives, including reintegration into work after maternity leave.
5. Address conflicts: Develop an open, transparent process for employees to raise concerns about issues such as bullying.
6. Champion safe, secure and dignified working environments: Support the need for all to invest in better parking, depots and terminal stations for professional drivers – with particular attention to the needs of women.

The charter builds on recent years in diagnosing challenges for women working in the industry around the world, surveying and analysing workforce issues, including on driver shortages, and supporting the industry on recruitment and retention of female employees.

The Charter mirrors the findings from an International Transport Forum (IFT) report last year that found women are significantly underrepresented in the global transport sector workforce, comprising of only 12% of transportation and storage workers worldwide.

The report emphasizes that employing more women in transport is essential for advancing towards greener, safer, and more efficient transport systems. Achieving gender parity enhances the performance and decision-making capabilities of transport companies and yields substantial benefits for workers and service users, was the conclusion of the report.