Yellow Subsidiary Settles EEOC Claim Over Gender Discrimination in Driver Hiring
Yellow Corp. subsidiary USF Holland has agreed to pay $490,000 to settle a lawsuit filed by the Equal Employment Opportunity Commission (EEOC) alleging gender discrimination in the hiring of truck drivers. The EEOC claimed that USF Holland, based in Olive Branch, Mississippi, had been consistently refusing to hire female truck driver applicants since the terminal's opening in 1986 up until 2022. Despite the company denying the allegations when the complaint was filed in December 2022, an amended complaint listed nearly two dozen women who were allegedly qualified for truck driver positions but were not hired due to their gender.
The EEOC stated that USF Holland failed to hire any female drivers at the Olive Branch terminal, except for one who was hired and subsequently fired before completing her first route. Under the settlement agreement, USF Holland will establish a $120,000 scholarship fund to support female applicants in enrolling in the company's truck driver apprenticeship program. The scholarships will cover tuition, wages, lodging, meals, and other related costs. The company will also provide anti-discrimination policy statements to all employees at the Olive Branch location, conduct training for hiring personnel, revise job descriptions to accurately reflect position qualifications, and collaborate with organizations like the Women In Trucking Association to enhance recruitment efforts.
Sherri Garner Brumbaugh and Jen Behnke are two successful entrepreneurs in the trucking industry, demonstrating that women can thrive in what is traditionally considered a male-dominated field.