Volvo changing designs for female truck drivers

by Beatrice Credi - 2016.10.26

With an increase in female truck drivers, the designs of trucks are changing. At least in Sweden where the University of Örebro in collaboration with Volvo is working on finding new solutions that respond to the needs of "women at the wheel". For example, looking for a way to keep them from having to leave their truck to use the toilet at night, in an inconvenient truck stop, they are designing WC and showers inside the cabin of the vehicle. The sizes and positions of seats, gear-shifts and pedals will be next on the list for changes. The idea behind this focus, according to Dag Balkmar, one of the researchers involved, is clear: the moment has arrived to revolutionize a sector that has been traditionally conceived of as “of men and for men”.