Mississippi Trucking Company Settles EEOC Gender Discrimination Claim

A Mississippi trucking company has settled a claim with the U.S. Equal Employment Opportunity Commission (EEOC) for refusing to hire female applicants since 1986. The company will pay $490,000 and give out $120,000 in scholarships to encourage women to gain their own trucking credentials.

Case background

The EEOC claim alleged that USF Holland, a trucking company, only hired one woman at their Olive Branch, Mississippi terminal since 1986. The woman was fired before she ever completed her first route. Meanwhile, a “significant number” of qualified female candidates had applied for positions at Holland, thanks to their reportedly robust benefits, but were routinely passed over—even when their credentials were equal to or greater than their male counterparts.

Title VII protections

This case hinges on gender discrimination protections within Title VII of the Civil Rights Act of 1964. Employers may not make employment decisions based on stereotypes about gender, including specific abilities (or lack thereof) and traits.

In this case, USF Holland’s alleged pattern of almost exclusively hiring male employees is a violation of Title VII provisions. While trucking may be a male-dominated field, women are entitled to the same hiring and employment protections as men. Because the company repeatedly refused to hire women, even when their qualifications were superior to male applicants, they ran afoul of federal law.

USF Holland is, under the guidance of the EEOC, taking steps to train and hire more female drivers in Mississippi, Tennessee and Arkansas.

If you’ve noticed gender discrimination at your workplace, you may be entitled to file a whistleblower claim against the company. An experienced whistleblower attorney at Kardell Law Group can review your situation and explain your legal options. Call today for a consultation.