Efforts to Incorporate Women as Cargo Operators Emerge in Tijuana

In an effort to position women as cargo operators in Mexico´s transportation industry, a Tijuana-based association is seeking to formalize the inclusion of women in the industry, while fulfilling a 20 percent cargo operator gap. 

The Association of Women Operators (AMO) was founded in Tijuana in 2021 and it currently represents approximately 30 women that have between five to 10 year-working experience in the sector.

“It [AMO] was born due to the lack of operators that we have in the region and also because of the need to include women in the freight transportation industry, given that in this region, there were none [female cargo operators],” said Paola Moncada, President of AMO.  

Israel Delgado, delegate of the National Chamber of Freight Transportation (Canacar) Baja California Coastal Zone, says there is a cargo operator deficit that is estimated at around 20 percent. With AMO, this gap in the industry can be reduced by linking more workers to the sector as it formalizes the inclusion of women in this industry.

To formalize their incorporation to the industry, women must take training courses at CECATI 144, an official educational institution that teaches cargo operators to professionalize the sector. Out of the 60 current students, only 14 are women. The aim is to place them with other transportation companies that will help them grow professionally within the industry, primarily through professional internships.

Training at CECATI 144 lasts for three months. The attendees must log 150 driving hours and they must take English courses when they plan to cross the border, says Moncada. AMO´s president reassured that this new association will provide women who take this training course the opportunities to land a job.

The vision is to take this movement nationally. Moncada invites women who aspire to be operators to join AMO while reminding them that they can receive scholarships for their qualifications. “There are already seven women who have graduated from the CECATI 144 training program for cargo operators,” said Moncada.