The U.S. Equal Employment Opportunity Commission (EEOC) has filed a lawsuit against a transportation company over its women-only training policies, which put female drivers at a disadvantage.
The EEOC filed a lawsuit against KLLM Transport Services LLC and KLLM Driving Academy Inc. on August 5, 2026, in the U.S. District Court for the Northern District of Texas.
According to the director of Human Resources, the complaint details the ways in which the company’s truck driver training program unfairly treated female drivers: the option to choose between a male or female trainer, procedures requiring notification of the female drivers’ husbands if a male trainer was assigned, and the possibility that male trainers would refuse to train female truck drivers.
The lawsuit describes how female students at the driving school were required to fill out a form indicating whether they preferred a male or female instructor, or if they had no preference, for the six-week over-the-truck (OTR) training period. Apparently, the company maintained a policy that “female students who chose to wait for a female instructor would receive no compensation during the wait, if a male instructor was available.” In contrast, men who preferred a male instructor would receive compensation for the same waiting period, if necessary.
The form also contained a section exclusively for female students in the truck driving training program, requiring them to formally notify their husbands if they chose a male instructor or if they had no preference. “I certify that I have notified my spouse and/or partner that I have volunteered to complete my training with an instructor of the opposite sex,” the form read. Male students were not required to fill out a similar section.
Furthermore, male instructors were allowed to refuse to train female truck drivers without having to provide an official reason. The EEOC alleges that this further prolonged the wait time for any female truck driver in training, since most truck drivers are men, and they could refuse to train them.
Two female truck drivers in training were named in the case. One of these drivers states that she waited a month to receive training and was told that “[n]not all men can train women. We have 22 women waiting to [a] a trainer right now… They can do it, but some simply choose not to.” A second driver cited in the case indicated that she felt comfortable with a male trainer, and was later told that her husband had to give his consent before the training could begin.
The EEOC issued a reasonable cause finding as early as February 2025, but was unable to reach a settlement. The current lawsuit was filed in August 2026.
