Washington – American Trucking Associations is pleased to announce the appointment of Elisabeth Barna, executive vice president of industry affairs, to the Federal Motor Carrier Safety Administration’s Women of Trucking Advisory Board. Mandated by the Bipartisan Infrastructure Law, WOTAB will bring together trucking industry stakeholders to focus on the recruitment, retention, support, and safety of women commercial motor vehicle drivers.
In addition, the following representatives from ATA-member companies were also named to WOTAB:
- Joyce Brenny, Owner-Operator, Brenny Transportation
- Marie Druckenmiller, Director of Transportation, Amazon
- Laura Duryea, Manager of Recruiting, Retention, and Driver Development, Boyle Transportation
- Marquita Jones, Professional Driver, J.B. Hunt
- Emily Plummer, Professional Driver, Prime Inc.
“ATA is laser-focused on growing this vital segment of our workforce, and we’re honored to provide our expertise and resources to the Administration as we partner on this shared mission,” said ATA President and CEO Chris Spear. “As our industry continues to shed past stereotypes about who can be a professional truck driver, we look forward to the constructive engagement of this board as we work together to remove roadblocks that deter women from considering the rewarding opportunities that trucking has to offer.”
Barna has represented the trucking industry for 32 years, working directly with women drivers through ATA’s safety and education programs like the America’s Road Team, Share the Road and Workforce Heroes. Most recently, she helped ATA form Women in Motion, an industry-led initiative to accelerate women’s rise in the trucking industry.
“Who better to tackle this issue than the women currently blazing trails in the trucking industry, whether in the boardroom, as a technician, or behind the wheel," Barna said. "That’s why we launched Women in Motion, which serves as a perfect complement to the work of WOTAB and FMCSA.”