An MSNBC host is raising eyebrows for a recent comment painting the trucking industry in an unflattering light.
On Sunday, MSNBC’s Tiffany Cross hosted CrossCountry Truck Driving School owner and president Pamela Day on the program “Cross Connection.”
MSNBC’s @TiffanyDCross: Trucking “is an industry populated by a lot of white men over the age of 55. This group of people overwhelmingly voted for Trump. Some people have talked about, you know, aggressive truck drivers cutting them off or not being helpful.” pic.twitter.com/Ob8Kg03Dwa
— Tom Elliott (@tomselliott) November 14, 2021
In a segment meant to highlight labor issues and supply chain constraints within the trucking industry, Cross said she worried about her brother, who is a truck driver, operating in what Cross called “a dangerous industry,” and then questioned Day about her efforts to increase diversity in trucking.
Day attempted to steer the conversation back toward safety, stating that her focus was to help develop “safe CMV operators.”
Cross then asked Day how the trucking industry could be more welcoming to people of color and mentioned “racism on the CB.”
Cross went on to say that “[trucking] is an industry populated by a lot of white men over the age of 55. This group of people overwhelmingly voted for Trump. Some people have talked about, you know, aggressive truck drivers cutting them off or not being helpful.”
Cross went on to press Day for answers, asking “how can you encourage someone to come and disrupt this space when it seems a bit unwelcoming?”
Day stated that she was a driver for eight years and pointed to the importance of getting more women to enter the trucking industry.
The American Trucking Associations (ATA) took to Twitter to call out Cross for her comments.
Actually, 41.5% of truck drivers in this country are minorities. Trucking delivers 72.5% of everything… except BS—we leave that to @TiffanyDCross. https://t.co/ktyNaOBoiq
— American Trucking (@TRUCKINGdotORG) November 14, 2021