The Changing Face of Trucking
Women in Motion is an initiative of the American Trucking Associations to accelerate the rise of women throughout the industry and help eliminate the roadblocks that stand in their way.
No industry is more vital to our economy than trucking; Truckers embody the most central and critical link in the U.S. supply chain, touching every aspect of our lives by delivering the goods we all depend on. And in growing numbers, women are changing the face of this essential industry.
Working with coalition partners, policymakers, and business leaders, WIM aims to create a more secure work environment for women truckers, including advocating on issues like safer truck parking and greater diversity. WIM offers career support and professional development opportunities for women in the industry, in addition to promoting trucking careers to women across the country.
Trucking's Trailblazers
Behind the wheel and on the shop floor, from the back office to the top of trade associations, Women in Motion represents a growing community of trucking's leading women who are filling every lane of the industry.
Join the movement as we work to shape the future of our industry. Connect with us to stay tuned for networking events, professional development tools, and other career resources!
WIM Advisory Board
- Jenny Abernathy, Vice President of Enterprise Capacity Development, CRST
- Cari Baylor, President, Baylor Trucking
- Amy Boerger, Vice President and General Manager North America, Cummins, Inc.
- Shelley Dellinger, Marketing and Public Relations, Cargo Transporters, Inc.
- Mandy Graham, Chief Operating Officer, Great West Casualty Company
- Wendy Hamilton, Senior Manager, Operations and Executive Support, Pilot Company
- Rhonda Hartman, Professional Truck Driver, Old Dominion Freight Line.
- Kendra Hems, President, Trucking Association of New York
- Tamara Jalving, Vice President, Safety and Talent Acquisition, Yellow
- Jaime Maus, Vice President Safety & Compliance, Werner Enterprises
- Megan Melichar, Managing Director, Finance, FedEx Ground
- Alix Miller, President & CEO, Florida Trucking Association
- Brenda Neville, President & CEO, Iowa Motor Truck Association
- Tina Peterson, Professional Truck Driver, Red Pine Transport, Inc.
- Rebecca Pohl Liette, Vice President of Marketing, Pohl Transportation
- Shellie Shellabarger, Senior Vice President, Field Operations, Stericycle
- Sarah Statlander, Vice President, Human Capital and Talent Acquisition, Yellow
- Marilyn Surber, Transportation Advisor, TenStreet
- Angela Tillery, Managing Director, Learning & Development, FedEx Freight
- Ellen Voie, President/CEO, Women In Trucking
- Sarah Wellman, Director of Government Relations, Ryder System, Inc.
The WIM Speaker's Bureau offers more than two dozen trucking professionals available for media appearances, public events, and private gatherings.
Women Take Center Stage at National Truck Driving Championships
As the trucking industry continues to shed past stereotypes about who can be a truck driver, nowhere was that fact more evident than at the National Truck Driving Championships in Indianapolis, August 16-19. A record 11 women drivers competed at NTDC after besting the competition in their class at the state level:
FMCSA Acting Administrator Robin Hutcheson speaking with Haleigh Fickett, R.H. Foster Energy, who competed in the Tank Truck Division
- Karen Roderick, FedEx Ground, CT – Straight Truck
- Rebecca Nelson, FedEx Express, FL – Straight Truck
- Theresa Spencer, A&A Express, Inc., South Dakota, Straight Truck
- Karen Tierney, FedEx Express, Mass, 3-Axle
- Dawn Cochran, ODFL, Indiana, 5-axle
- Ina Daly, XPO Logistics, Arizona Tank Truck
- Haleigh Fickett, R.H. Foster Energy, Maine – Tank Truck
- Joyce Bain, FedEx Ground, Maryland – Sleeper Berth
- Michelle Poirier, FedEx Express, Florida – Step Van
- Jennifer Vonbonn, FedEx Express, Nebraska – Step Van
- Julie Williams, FedEx Ground, Virginia – Step Van
And among the 408 competitors who made it to Nationals in Indy, Ina Daly of XPO Logistics was one of only 45 drivers to advance to finals after she placed in the top five of the Tank Truck Division. Ina sat down with Jimmy Mac of Sirius XM's Road Dog Trucking and the PodWheels Network to discuss her multi-decade experience competing at NTDC:
Ina Daly, XPO Logistics, on stage with her family during the awards ceremony
There are many more great conversations featuring Women in Motion that took place at NTDC, courtesy our friends at Road Dog Trucking and PodWheels:
NTDC Voice Tina Peterson Always Drawn To Trucking Industry
America’s Road Team Captain Tina Peterson is enjoying the honor of serving as a course announcer at NTDC 2022. In this chat with Jimmy Mac, Tina shares how she discovered the trucking industry at the age of seven while growing up in Wyoming. As a Road Team Captain these days, Tina understands the importance of being an inspiration to young girls and teens as part of the Share the Road program. She is also the owner of a seven-truck fleet that is based in St. Paul, Minnesota.
April Coolidge & How NTDC Helps To Grow The Industry
In her visit with Jimmy Mac, America’s Road Team Captain April Coolidge talks about the career path that brought her to trucking. April is a North Carolina-based professional driver for Walmart who is volunteering at NTDC. Prior to trucking, April was a real estate broker and when the market collapsed she followed her father’s footsteps and became a professional truck driver. She continues to do real estate in her free time. April loves visiting schools as a Road Team Captain to talk about being a truck driver, and she discusses the power of those visits as well as the impact of events like NTDC 2022.
Road Team’s Rhonda Hartman On Her First Visit To NTDC
In this podcast, Jimmy Mac spends some time chatting with Rhonda Hartman. She is a 40-year veteran of the trucking industry, and she is also a Captain on America’s Road Team. Rhonda is an Iowa-based professional driver for Old Dominion Freight Line and she is part of ATA’s volunteer group at NTDC 2022. As you’ll hear, Rhonda is a trainer for Old Dominion who has developed ways to communicate and teach people from different countries about driving a truck. Rhonda is also a part of the new Women-in-Motion program from ATA.Past NTDC Chairman Patti Gillette On The Road To The NTDC
Patti Gillette is a veteran of the NTDC and she talks to Jimmy Mac about the road all the competitors take to be a part of the national championships. Patti is a past NTDC Chairman, and is currently NTDC Vice Chairman and Vice President and COO of the Colorado Motor Carriers Association. Patti has been on the NTDC Committee for numerous years and her late husband Sam Gillette was a volunteer. As you’ll hear, the road to become a state champion and qualify for the NTDC event are not all the same.Meet Gina Jones, America’s Road Team Captain & Woman In Motion
Gina Jones, an America’s Road Team Captain tells Jimmy Mac, host of Dave Nemo Weekends, what it’s like becoming a track driver a little later in life and what it is like driving with her husband. Spoiler alert, giving each other space is one of the keys. Gina also tells Jimmy that driving a two-wheeled vehicle has similarities to driving one with 18 wheels. It’s also about safety and getting home at the end of each day.
Driving Careers: Where Need Meets Opportunity
The COVID-19 pandemic exacerbated a long-term, nationwide shortage of truck drivers. Today, the industry is short some 80,000 drivers needed to meet the economy’s freight needs. As global supply challenges place ever greater demand on trucking, the industry will need to hire 1.1 million new drivers over the next decade to keep pace with retirements and economic growth.
It's amidst this driver shortage that more and more women are finding lucrative career opportunities in a field where they've historically been underrepresented. And the time to get into trucking could not be better: driver pay is now rising at five times its historical average, with many fleets offering sizable, ten-figure sign-on bonuses.
Truck driving offers a clear path to the middle class without the costly requirements and debt load that comes with a college degree. ATA's latest driver compensation study found that:
- Truckload drivers earned a median salary of $69,687 in 2021, plus benefits.
- Less-than-truckload drivers earned a median salary of $73,000 in 2021.
- Drivers for private fleets earned a median salary of $85,000 in 2021.
- Independent contractors for truckload fleets earned a median salary of $235,000 in 2021.
From CNBC:
April Coolidge became a truck driver in her mid-40s after a long career in real estate. Eight years later, as the coronavirus shut down the economy, she is making more money than she ever did selling houses. Watch this video to learn more about why Coolidge decided to become a trucker and how the coronavirus has changed her time behind the wheel.
Issue Spotlight: Truck Parking
A serious lack of commercial truck parking remains a grave challenge for the trucking industry. A recent study by the Federal Highway Administration found that 98 percent of drivers regularly experience difficulty finding truck parking. Drivers surrender on average 56 minutes of available drive time per day to secure parking, amounting to a loss of $4,600 in annual income. Drivers are often forced to park in unsafe locations without access to restrooms, food, and well-lit facilities.
The availability of safe and secure truck parking is not just a challenge for current drivers, it is a barrier our industry must overcome in attracting new drivers – particularly women. That is why Women in Motion is leading efforts to grow truck parking capacity by taking delivering that message directly to government officials. It is imperative that women truck drivers have ready access to safe parking options to rest as they deliver the nation’s goods, and we will not rest until federal and state policymakers provide the necessary resources to make that happen.
Last week, we sent a letter to leaders of the House Transportation and Infrastructure Committee urging greater federal investment toward this critical need.
Women in Motion Letter on Truck Parking by ATA Media on Scribd
In response, the committee wasted no time in passing the Truck Parking Safety Improvement Act – which would authorize $755 million over the next four years to build out new parking infrastructure. The legislation will now be weighed by the full House and the Senate’s Environment and Public Works Committee.
From Transport Topics:
ATA’s Newly Formed Women In Motion Program Pursues Safer Truck Parking
Already backing safer truck parking in Congress, the new Women In Motion initiative is taking action within days of forming to improve the working environment for women in trucking.Launched July 15 by American Trucking Associations, Women In Motion wrote a letter July 19 to Reps. Peter DeFazio (D-Ore.) and Sam Graves (R-Mo.), leaders on the House Committee on Transportation and Infrastructure, in support of the bipartisan amendment Truck Parking Safety Improvement Act under consideration in Congress. The measure was approved by a House committee on July 20.
“In speaking with women truck drivers past and present, one of their chief concerns is their safety while on the road. No single issue encapsulates that worry more clearly than the severe lack of truck parking capacity nationwide,” noted the ATA Women In Motion Advisory Board, adding that the legislation can “open the doors” to historically shift trucking’s workforce to empower women nationally to pursue rewarding careers in an essential industry.Keep reading...