Freight and LGBTQIA+

Monday’s Supreme Court decision [1] was momentous for the LGBTQIA+ community’s struggle for equal rights. Against the backdrop of current world events, we’ve learned that legal amendments aren’t enough to ensure all people are treated equally. The SCOTUS decision, like many historic decisions recognizing marginalized groups, marks a powerful moment in time where the real work is still to come.

At Convoy, our Pride employee resource group (ERG) is dedicated to building an inclusive workplace. The Pride ERG focuses on highlighting and representing the LGBTQIA+ [2] members of our team and their allies, we create and advocate for community-building within Convoy, we recruit and retain LGBTQIA+ talent, and we honor the LGBTQIA+ community within our industry. We are uniquely positioned in freight to support drivers, dispatchers, and carriers who are part of this community.

Trucking is a career suited for those who can manage the long hours, the delays and tight schedules. It’s the right choice for professionals who value mobility, flexibility, and the independence to make their own rules outside of a traditional “nine to five”. This profession demands fortitude and determination to succeed. Entering this traditional career path as a queer person — especially if you are Black and queer, a queer person of color, or disabled and queer — can be daunting. 

However, we celebrate the intersection where the vibrant resilience of the LGBTQIA+ community meets the hardiness of the trucking industry. Convoy is stepping into this space as an ally to empower and acknowledge the contributions and opportunities of the LGBTQIA+ community in freight. 

As a first step, Convoy has launched a Supplier Diversity Program and has made a commitment to offset the cost for minority-owned carriers to receive their Minority Business Enterprise (MBE) certification. Certified carriers gain access to loads that businesses allocate specifically for diverse suppliers. The Supplier Diversity Program at Convoy is designed to increase opportunities for diverse carriers, and we hope that by helping to cover the certification cost more diverse carriers will be able to take advantage of this opportunity to grow their business. LGBTQIA+ carriers can visit Convoy’s Supplier Diversity page or email supplierdiversity@convoy.com for more information.

We stand with freight’s LGTBTQIA+ community, and we’ve updated our social channels to show our support of this community during Pride month. This year the importance of intentionally and materially supporting marginalized communities has come into even sharper focus. In the same month that we express that Black Lives Matter, we also express that Black Queer & Trans Lives Matter. The need for equality is not finite, it applies to multiple, overlapping, and equally valid spaces. At Convoy, we’re driving change together. 

[1] On June 15, the U.S. Supreme Court decided the language of the Civil Rights Act of 1964, which prohibits discrimination based on race, religion and sex, applies to discrimination based on sexual orientation and gender identity.