From Hashtags to Harassment: The Trucking Industry’s Performative Support for Women

If you spend any amount of time on LinkedIn in this industry, you’ve seen it: glossy corporate posts about “supporting women in trucking,” event recaps showing off all-female panels, and photo ops with hashtags about inclusion. And don’t get me wrong, it looks good. It makes us feel like progress is happening. But let’s be real: polished posts and performative panels don’t protect women from harassment, help close pay gaps, or create safer, fairer work environments for women in trucking.

Because when the spotlight shifts, the cracks show. We saw it in the way the Transportation Intermediaries Association (TIA) handled harassment at their own event. We saw it when the Federal Motor Carrier Safety Administration (FMCSA) quietly shut down its Sexual Harassment & Assault Study, the one initiative that could’ve given us actual data to build solutions with. Both are painful yet unsurpprising reminders that while the industry loves to say it supports women, actions often tell a different story.

And before I dive in any further: I’m not sitting on a high horse here. I’ll admit that I’ve been part of the problem too. Featuring women in logistics through interviews and features, which I truly believe matters, is still surface-level compared to what’s truly needed. It’s good visibility, but it doesn’t dismantle systemic barriers. So I’m holding myself accountable too. I can’t just highlight the amazing women in our industry and call it a day. We need to start pushing for institutional and systemic change. For me, that starts here, with this blog post.

Performative Support: Great Optics, Little Impact

There’s a reason companies lean into the performative stuff. It’s safe. It’s polished. And above all else it’s easy.

• Host a women’s panel at a conference? Check.

• Share a LinkedIn post about “breaking barriers”? Done.

• Run a feature on a female employee during Women’s History Month? Gold star.

But where are the harder to accomplish actions? Where are the policies that ensure harassment is actually reported and addressed properly? Where are the initiatives to address pay inequity in driving and dispatch roles? Where is the pressure on event organizers to make sure women can attend without fear of being harassed by the very people they’re networking with?

The truth is, flowers and hashtags don’t move the needle. They make people feel good in the moment, but they don’t actually solve problems. Even worse, they give cover, letting companies say, “Look how supportive we are,” while avoiding the uncomfortable work of changing their own damaging policies or lack there of.

The TIA Incident: Rhetoric vs. Reality

The recent incident at TIA (2025) is a case study in what happens when optics outrun accountability. This is an association that has, in the past, highlighted women in the industry, hosted discussions about diversity, and outwardly positioned itself as supportive. But when harassment happened at their own event? The response was slow, clumsy, and, to many women watching, dismissive.

For context, here’s the statement TIA released to me:

“TIA is committed to ensuring all our events are safe, inclusive, and have professional spaces for every attendee. While we can’t share specific details of individual incidents to protect the privacy of those involved, we take all reports of inappropriate conduct seriously and address them promptly through our Ethics Committee process.

TIA leadership is actively evaluating ways to further strengthen safeguards at future events. This includes exploring potential changes to the registration process, such as requiring each attendee to personally complete registration and affirming a code of conduct before attending to ensure participants are aware of and agree to our behavioral expectations. Other areas under review include the timing and structure of receptions, ticketing for certain evening events, and incorporating leadership remarks to reiterate that TIA gatherings are inclusive spaces where all attendees should feel safe and respected.

Unfortunately, incidents of misconduct are not unique to TIA or the logistics industry. They can occur at any large event, particularly those involving alcohol. This is never acceptable. Our focus is on continuous improvement, ensuring high standards of professionalism, and creating an environment where every member of the 3PL community feels supported.”

On paper, it sounds fine. But here’s the problem: the statement avoids the one thing that matters most, actual accountability. Were the individuals or companies responsible actually held to account? Were they removed, banned from future events, or faced with any real consequences? From the outside, it feels like perpetrators are protected while women are left to quietly process what happened and hope “continuous improvement” will be enough next time.

That’s the disconnect. If you truly want women to feel safe, you don’t just add another checkbox to the registration process. You send a clear message that misconduct has consequences, real ones. Otherwise, the message women hear is: we’ll protect reputations before we protect you.

And here’s another ugly layer: instead of demanding change, some male leaders have floated the idea of “protecting” women by keeping them home from conferences or limiting their participation. Let that sink in. Instead of holding perpetrators accountable, the solution is to sideline women, punishing their careers, their networking opportunities, and their visibility in the name of “protection.” That’s not protection. That’s control. It’s the same old story: protect reputations and just keep women out of the room.

Real protection doesn’t mean excluding women from opportunities. It means creating environments where they can show up, do their jobs, and advance their careers without having to calculate personal safety as part of the ticket price.

The FMCSA Harassment Study: Silence at the Top

On a regulatory level, the FMCSA canceling its Sexual Harassment & Assault Study is just as telling. That study could’ve been a game-changer. It would have given us data on the scope of harassment in trucking, identified where women are most vulnerable, and provided evidence-based recommendations for solutions. Without it, we’re left with anecdotes and assumptions, and no real leverage to push for reform.

What makes it worse is the timing. The FMCSA has no problem rolling out rules when it comes to equipment, safety technology, or compliance paperwork. But when it comes to women’s safety? Suddenly it’s “not a priority.” That’s not just negligence, it’s a message. And the message is: your safety isn’t important enough to study.

Imagine being a young woman considering a career in trucking, hearing that. You’d wonder if this industry is really for you, and honestly, who could blame you? And when the industry is screaming there are problems with recruitment and retention, it’s kind of dumb to alienate half of your potential talent pool.

Why This Pattern Matters

When you connect the dots, the pattern is clear:

• Events: Full of panels and selfies, light on accountability.

• Associations: Quick to showcase inclusion, slow to act when harassment happens.

• Regulators: Ready to enforce compliance on mechanical issues and language, silent on human safety issues.

Performative gestures create the illusion of progress while the underlying issues remain untouched. And that illusion is dangerous because it makes people think, “We are already doing enough.”

But “enough” isn’t hashtags, and photo ops. Enough is safe workplaces. Enough are policies that are enforced. Enough are regulators who take harassment seriously. Until then, the celebration and pats on the back are premature.

Owning My Role

I want to pause here and be honest: I’ve contributed to the problem too. My Gorgeous Girls in Supply Chain series and women-focused content is visibility-driven. And visibility is important,  women seeing other women succeed helps normalize their place in the industry. But if all we do is highlight individuals without demanding systemic change, we risk turning visibility into another performative gesture.

That’s why I’m writing this. I’m not stopping the interviews, they matter. But I’m committing to balance them with deeper conversations about institutional accountability, safety, and policy change.

Because women in trucking don’t just need visibility. They need protection. They need equity. They need allies who will do more than clap for them on stage, allies who will stand up when the mics are off and the hard conversations start.

What Real Support Looks Like

So what does meaningful support look like? It looks like:

• Policies that Protect: Zero-tolerance harassment policies at events, with transparent reporting and real consequences.

• Accountability from Associations: TIA and others publicly outlining how they’ll prevent harassment at future events and following through.

• Regulatory Follow-Through: FMCSA reinstating and funding harassment research, so we have the data to demand solutions.

• Corporate Action Beyond Optics: Companies funding mentorship programs, training, and resources that directly address women’s safety and advancement.

• Peer Pressure in the Industry: Leaders calling out performative gestures and demanding substance from their peers.

That’s not as easy as handing out cupcakes at an appreciation lunch. But it’s what real support looks like.

Final Thoughts: Hashtags Don’t Change Systems

I’ll say it again: appreciation posts, hashtags, and panels are fine. They’re nice. But they don’t change systems. They don’t make women safer. They don’t level the playing field.

The TIA incident and the FMCSA’s silence are reminders that the gap between performative support and real support is wide, and women are the ones falling into it.

I’ve been guilty of leaning too hard on the visibility side myself. This post is my line in the sand. I’ll keep shining a light on the amazing women in supply chain, but I’m also going to use my platform to push for systemic, institutional change that actually makes a difference.

Because women in trucking don’t need another appreciation post. They need a safer, fairer industry. And it’s on all of us to deliver that,  not just say we will.