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Ellen Voie has contributed to 416 posts out of 3647 total posts
(11.41%) in 1,087 days (0.38 posts per day).
20 Most recent posts:
DOT 145-10
Monday, July 26, 2010
Contact: Olivia Alair
Tel: 202-366- 4570
U.S. Transportation Secretary LaHood Announces Expanded Internship Program to Get More Women Working in Transportation
U.S. Department of Transportation Secretary Ray LaHood today announced the expansion of an internship program designed to encourage young women to pursue careers in transportation. Secretary LaHood made the announcement at a Women’s Small Business Day hosted by the Department of Transportation (DOT).
“Women are an essential part of today’s labor force, yet women are underrepresented in the transportation industry,” said Secretary LaHood. “We’re saying to all the college women out there – no matter where you’re enrolled, there’s a DOT Small Business Transportation Resource Center close by to help you plug into your dream job, whether it’s an airport, an engineering or aerospace firm, a railroad, a transit agency or perhaps one of our DOT offices.”
The internship program will expand from one to ten regions of the country, enabling young women from colleges and universities across the country to participate. It will be administered through the Department’s 11 Small Business Transportation Resource Centers. These Centers, spread throughout the nation, provide resources, technical assistance and outreach to all 50 states and U.S. territories. Each Center will be responsible for placing qualified female college students in transportation related internships in their regions.
The expanded program, based on a successful pilot with Spelman College that Secretary LaHood announced in 2009, is part of a broader effort by the Department of Transportation to create a pipeline of younger women coming into the transportation workforce.
“We are excited about expanding a great program that will introduce young women to transportation careers nationwide,” said Office of Small and Disadvantage Business Utilization Director Brandon Neal. “It is our goal to assist as many women as possible and continue to be the training ground for future small business owners.”
In May 2010, Secretary LaHood also signed a Memorandum of Cooperation with the Women’s Transportation Seminar International to engage women at the juncture when they’re beginning to think seriously about their futures and inspire them to pursue careers in transportation by completing undergraduate and graduate degrees in science, technology, engineering and math. The aim is to attract and retain a new generation of women in transportation professions.
The Women’s Small Business Day at the Department of Transportation enabled small business specialists from all of the department’s operating administrations to meet with the small business owners in attendance.
The program is one of several internships and fellowship programs offered through the U.S. Department of Transportation for both high school and college age girls. The expanded effort supports President Obama’s mission and the work of the White House Council on Women and Girls.
###
Ellen Voie
President/CEO
Member 10002-I
Women In Trucking, Inc.
Check out these great videos from the Mid-America Trucking Show!
http://www.dualzone.com/index.php?tag=Mid%20America%20Trucking%20Show
Ellen Voie
President/CEO
Member 10002-I
Women In Trucking, Inc.
Major Cable Network Seeks Hardest Working Moms in America! Are you a working mom with an out-of-the-ordinary job, a hectic schedule, and interesting story to tell? Then we want to hear from you! We're going to spend some time walking in the shoes of the hardest working moms in America and you just might be one of them. Perhaps you're a Garbage Woman with four kids.... or maybe you're a ER Veterinarian with triplets on the way... or maybe you're a parole officer who's adopted 10 special needs children. The tougher the job and the more interesting family the better. We are only looking for families from the East Coast. If you'd like to share your story, please email us at hardestworkingmom@gmail.com and tell us a little about yourself. Please include the names and ages of all of the members of your family, as well as photos of you at work and at home.
Michael Raptis
Casting Director
michael_raptis@yahoo.com
Phone: 917.981.1972
Ellen Voie
President/CEO
Member 10002-I
Women In Trucking, Inc.
http://driverhealth.org/DH/VOL/0207/CoverStory.cfm
The Trucking Solutions Group Driver Health Council
This proactive group of industry professionals serves as the charter Driver Advisory Board of the Healthy Trucking Association of America
The Trucking Solutions Group Driver Health Council is a group of professionals coming from diverse areas of the trucking industry with a shared vision of a healthier trucking community. The group is made up of the following seven members:
Linda Caffee is the group leader, and her areas of interest are walking and running. As a matter of fact, Linda has become quite an expert on walking and running paths across America. Linda and her husband Bob are a husband and wife team who are leased to FedEx in their Custom Critical Division. Bob and Linda also have a blog at: expeditersonline.com/trucking/writer1/index.html.
Jeff Clark is a professional driver and dedicated marathon runner (he's completed eight marathons), and when he is not driving or running, he is also a contributor to Driver HEALTH magazine and a columnist for Truckers News. Jeff was named Truckers News 2008 Health Hero of the Year.
Timothy Weber has an interest in eating healthy while out on the road. He is the one to talk to about the healthiest pickings from the truck stop buffet. Tim has been in the trucking industry since 1995. He currently owns a bookkeeping business and still drives a commercial vehicle full-time.
Rick Ash likes to park his truck, put on his iPod and walk until he drops. Rick has been driving professionally for 26 years. Before becoming a professional truck driver, he was a regional training manager of a fast-food chain. Rick decided to change careers because he didn't enjoy working in corporate America. He says that the only thing he misses about his old line of work is all the perks, like paid vacations.
Henry Albert looks for a parking spot far away from the truck stop and takes the stairs as much as possible. He stays active riding his ATV and motorcycle. Henry has been a truck driver since 1984. Before becoming an over-the-road professional, he worked as a group leader in a chicken plant. While there is nothing about his old line of work that he misses, he does miss being home every day.
Henry was recognized by Overdrive magazine as the 2007 Trucker of the year and is an alternate on OOIDA's board and also one of the participants in Freightliner's Slice of Life Program. You can follow his adventures at sliceoftruckerlife.com/blogs/henry-albert.
Scott Kinley likes to ride his bike or walk for at least a half hour daily. Scott has been in the trucking industry since 1998. He previously fished commercially for salmon and Dungeness crab in Puget Sound. He chose a career in the trucking industry because that was what his grandfather did.
Lily Williams used to be in the legal field. It took her husband Charles over eight years to talk her into driving team with him. She likes power walking and uses weights on both her arms and legs to get a total body workout. She recently stopped smoking, so her walking workouts are more important now than ever before. Lily has a blog at uptowntrucker.blogspot.com.
The group is a subgroup of the Trucking Solutions Group, whose goals are to improve industry business practices, bring trucking related issues to the forefront and promote a more positive image of the trucking industry.
In April of 2009, the group did just that at a week-long business conference. Here they discovered a shared interest in leading a healthy lifestyle out on the road. It was a natural progression for the group, since what first got them together was an interest in operating a healthy business and sharing their information with others in the transportation industry. The seeds for The Trucking Solutions Group Driver Health Council were planted there.
Initially, the group concentrated on sharing nutrition, health and exercise information with each other during their weekly telephone conferences. Last November, the group discovered Driver HEALTH magazine. They contacted the publishing team and found them to be open to the idea of a health walk for truck drivers. In March, with the help of Driver HEALTH, The Healthy Trucking Association of America and Bob Perry, the Trucker Trainer, the group held the first ever 61+ Health Awareness Walk at MATS. The walk was so popular that they will hold another walk at the Great West Truck Show this year and another one at GATS. To pre-register for the GATS walk, please go online to HealthyTruck.org.
Since the 61+ Health Awareness Walk at MATS, the group has invited Todd Whitthorne, president and CEO of Cooper Concepts, and Bob Perry to their conference.
The group serves as The Healthy Trucking Association of America's charter Driver Advisory Board and continually works on programs relevant to the trucking professional. They are currently developing a place on the Healthy Trucking Association of America's Web site where they can share their information with a broader audience. The group's ultimate goals are to help drivers improve their quality of life while out on the road and bring awareness to trucking companies of the benefits of a healthier transportation industry.
Life isn't about waiting for the storm to pass, it's about learning to dance in the rain!
© Copyright,
Ramp Media Group, 2009
Ellen Voie
President/CEO
Member 10002-I
Women In Trucking, Inc.
Hi Ellen,
I just wanted to let you know about a project we are doing to help Cindy Stowe and The Convoy For a Cure. Her Convoy For A Cure is a group of women drivers who are raising awareness and monies to help in the fight against breast cancer.
I have recently written and recorded a song for them that we have made available as a download only on our site and the major portion of any and all monies raised is donated back to them. Since both of my grandmothers died from breast cancer it has become a major thing for me and I was happy to help them with the song.
The song is there and what it is for, it is all on our site www.highwayfever.net and just click on the Convoy banner. And if those folks would also help spread the word, it may be just the ticket to cause this to catch on so that there possibly could be enough money raised to find that cure in our lifetime.
I really appreciate anything you can do to help and hopefully you might have a need for my guitar and myself at another of your events. I hope you know I will be happy to help in any way I can.
Thanks again
Terry Wooley
Ellen Voie
President/CEO
Member 10002-I
Women In Trucking, Inc.
http://www.dcvelocity.com/articles/20100623_worst_driver_shortage_looming/
June 24, 2010
Worst-ever driver shortage looming, trucking executives warn
Motor carriers contend that rising demand, demographic trends, and new safety regulations will conspire to reduce the pool of qualified drivers.
By Mark B. Solomon
The trucking industry will face the worst driver shortage in its long history unless conditions change during the next two years, trucking industry officials said in comments on and off the record in Atlanta this week.
Several factors are conspiring to create such a pronounced imbalance, executives said at a conference sponsored by the United Kingdom-based firm eyefortransport. One is the increasing demand for freight services, especially in the truckload segment. A second is the federal government's new safety initiative, known as "Comprehensive Safety Analysis," or CSA 2010. This program, designed to remove the worst company and driver violators from the road, is expected to also reduce the available pool of drivers. A third is the aging driver workforce; by some estimates, one out of every six drivers is now 55 or older.
These trends, combined with carriers' reluctance to invest in new rigs, will trigger significant rate increases for shippers and third-party logistics providers. Not only will they have trouble finding and retaining capacity but they also will pay more should they procure it, according to trucking executives.
The pain will be especially sharp for the legions of shippers who took advantage of the buyers' market for truck space during the recession to beat down their carriers on rates, abandon a longtime carrier for a rival, or play off two or more carriers against each other, trucking executives said.
Carriers criticized the Federal Motor Carrier Safety Administration's (FMCSA) CSA 2010 initiative, which measures the safety of carriers and drivers using seven criteria. The program is slated to take effect November 30. It will mark the first time that the federal government has measured driver safety directly.
CSA 2010's objective is to reduce the number of crashes and associated injuries and fatalities while making the most efficient use of FMCSA's resources. While truckers say the initiative is well-intentioned, they believe the point-based ranking system will have the effect of penalizing otherwise safe and qualified drivers. They also say it will force many carriers, who will face higher insurance premiums for keeping supposedly higher-risk drivers behind the wheel, to terminate thousands of drivers whose point rankings are too high to be deemed safe operators under the program.
The consensus at the Atlanta meeting was that CSA 2010 would result in a driver attrition rate of 5 to 8 percent. However, Derek Leathers, COO of truckload carrier Werner Enterprises, said that percentage is "too low." Leathers didn't offer a more detailed projection. However, he noted that two of his company's drivers, who have more than 7.4 million miles between them without an accident, would be considered unsafe operators under the CSA guidelines.
Leathers said that if left unchanged, CSA could become the most damaging regulation in the trucking industry's history. He urged shippers to make their voices heard in opposition to the program if they do not want to face a significant shortage of drivers to haul their freight.
Government officials say that CSA's purpose is not to disqualify safe drivers, and that operators with good track records and a history of good behavior behind the wheel have little to worry about. "If you are a good driver today, or a good motor carrier today, you will be a good one after CSA 2010 takes effect," FMCSA Administrator Anne S. Ferro told a shipper policy group in early June.
The American Trucking Associations (ATA), the nation's largest trucking trade group, told Congress on June 23 that CSA 2010 should be modified to ensure that the cause of a crash is determined before it is entered into a carrier's record; this would make drivers or carriers accountable only for crashes that they actually cause, the organization said. Among other recommendations, ATA also said FMCSA should base its assessment of a driver's safety performance on actual citations for moving violations and not on so-called warnings issued by law enforcement.
ATA said it continues to support the CSA 2010 initiative because it is based on safety performance rather than compliance with paperwork requirements, focuses limited enforcement resources on specific areas of deficiency rather than on comprehensive on-site audits, and will eventually provide up-to-date safety-performance measurements. However, the group recommended that FMCSA wait to implement the program until it has reviewed an evaluation by the University of Michigan's Transportation Research Institute that is currently under way.
Ellen Voie
President/CEO
Member 10002-I
Women In Trucking, Inc.
Pit Stop® is proud to be members of Women In Trucking. We are offering WIT members a $20 Discount to the first 100 members who purchase a Pit Stop® Portable Urinal for truckers. Coupon Code WIT2010. Pit Stop® is a "Green Product", and is Male AND Female friendly.
http://pitstopinfo.com/
Joe Nicassio
District Sales Manager
972-571-3244
Ellen Voie
President/CEO
Member 10002-I
Women In Trucking, Inc.
I am bringing this to the top in case there are people interested in becoming a board member. You must be a corporate member of Women In Trucking (or your company a member) and you must provide the board development committee with a letter outlining what you feel you will contribute to the organization.
Thanks!
Ellen
You can send the letter to info@womenintrucking.org
Ellen Voie
President/CEO
Member 10002-I
Women In Trucking, Inc.
I received this email from a photographer looking at photographing women in the trucking industry. If you are interested in working with her, please contact Avital at avitalphoto@gmail.com or 516-996-4667.
Ellen
-----
Hello,
I am a NY based female photographer. I have been documenting truckers for a while now, as I planned to become a truck driver after college and am fascinated with the culture and aware of many of the issues that affect trucking. I would love to give the female truck drivers the recognition the deserve and start focusing on them. This has been a long term project, but I am also looking to create relationships with new clients and would love to photograph any portraits or photographic needs you may have. Please keep me in mind for any future photography you may need. You can see some of my work at: www.avitalphoto.com and my trucker project at:
http://photocrew.com/avitalaronowitz/portfolio
Thank you,
Avital
PS: I will be photographing the New Jersey, East Coast Large Cars Annual Truck
Show and the Iowa 2010 Walcott Truckers Jamboree Iowa 80 Truckstop,
Walcott, IA
Ellen Voie
President/CEO
Member 10002-I
Women In Trucking, Inc.
Nice article about Ingrid Brown
http://www.highcountrypress.com/weekly/2010/06-10-10/local-woman-wins-national-award.htm
JUNE 10, 2010 ISSUE
Local Woman Wins National Award for Big Rig Safety
Brown One of Only 14 Nationwide
Story by Bernadette Cahill
Three-million-miler Ingrid Brown of Zionville, whose safety record is one of only 14 among women truckers in the United States.
Brown’s own truck—the Peterbilt she always said she’d own.
The 290 professional women drivers who attended the Mid-America Trucking Show in Louisville, Ky. in March.
Ingrid Brown of Zionville remembers when she was five years old she used to sleep on the armrest of her father’s motor grader while he was pushing snow. Even then, she just knew she’d always work in trucking and construction.
That early intuition has not only become a reality, but recently she received a national award for her work with big rigs, as only one of 14 female truckers nationwide who has driven three million miles safely—“no accidents, no tickets, no nothing,” she said.
The award came from the Federal Motor Carriers Association of Washington, D.C. in cooperation with the Women in Trucking organization during a banquet for the Mid-America Trucking Show in Louisville, Ky. in March. Sixty one-million-milers and 28 two-million-milers—all women—were also honored.
When Brown started out in the trucking business, “less than one percent of truckers were women. Now they are around five percent,” she said.
“We drive 18-wheel trucks and travel 48 states and Canada,” said Brown. “I own and operate my own business and there are others that do also. We are a huge backbone to our area as well as all areas of the U.S. Look around and see if there is anything that you can reach out and touch that wasn't on a truck at sometime.”
Brown calls her company Rollin’ B. Cartage, because she’s “old school.” The name comes from the time when people used to “cart” things around, not “haul” them, she explained. She does everything from sales to trucking, billing and accounting, public relations and a lot more besides.
From her mother, Brown belongs to the Hartley family, one of the original settlers of this area. Her father owns local builders Brown Brothers Construction. She credits him and her brother, Blake Brown, the Town of Boone’s Director of Public Works, for encouraging her to enter this still-male world.
Besides her over-the-road haulage business, Brown is proficient with other heavy machinery like backhoes and dozers, and having “grown up” beside the track at the Daytona 500 because of her family’s involvement there, she also now works at NASCAR events, having most recently spent the Memorial Day Weekend working with a NASCAR team in the garage area and the pit.
“It’s tough being in a man’s world,” she said, adding that her fellow workers sometimes wonder if a lady, which she adamantly calls herself, can actually do not only heavy tasks, but mechanical ones. So she lists just some of the things that are second nature, like changing alternators, belts, lights, hoses and tires.
“I may have to find a different way [of doing something] because I am not as strong as a man, but I will find that way,” she said.
“It is a tough life if you choose to look at it that way,” she said. “But I choose to look at it as a wonderful one. There is no time to sightsee, [but] it is making sure you and others have what you need or want, and there is food on your table and clothes on your back.”
Through the Trucker Buddy program, Brown is a mentor to school kids and sees herself not just as a local modern-day pioneer and role model for other women, but also as a cheerleader for them.
“There are ladies who are sitting in Boone and the surrounding areas…[and] there is no reason that they can’t in these hard times [go into trucking]. The companies pay for their training,” she said.
She constantly expresses gratitude for coming “from Boone and [being] recognized for this kind of work and [living] in the most beautiful place that God has given us.”
Ellen Voie
President/CEO
Member 10002-I
Women In Trucking, Inc.
Casting Call
Bray Entertainment is casting for a role in an upcoming television project
that involves truck drivers and food.
If you are a trucker age 25 – 45 and you consider yourself knowledgeable on
the subject of food, we want to hear from you. We’re looking for someone
with an outgoing personality and the ability to make people laugh. If your
friends have always told you that you should be on TV – now’s your chance
to give it a shot.
Send us an email with a short paragraph about yourself and your trucking
and food experience to info@brayentertainment.com. Please also include
your age, a recent photo and tell us why you want to be on TV.
If we think you’re right for the show, we’ll give you a call to talk further
about the next round of casting.
This is a great opportunity to be on TV just doing what you love: truckin and
eatin!
Ellen Voie
President/CEO
Member 10002-I
Women In Trucking, Inc.
If you have not ordered your photos from the Salute, cut and paste this into your browser
http://www.flickr.com/photos/22271890@N07/sets/
You can order the prints or posters from
Paul Hartley
AddMedia
220 Division St.
Northfield, MN 55057
Phone 507.645.2200
email: hartley@addmedia.com
5X7 photo - $11.95
8X10 photo - $17.95
18X24 poster - $29.95
Shipping & Handling - $5.95 per order
Tell Paul which photo you want and he will let you know the cost so you can mail a check or use Paypal.
Ellen Voie
President/CEO
Member 10002-I
Women In Trucking, Inc.
http://www.trucknews.com/videos/play/?plid=1000373434&link_source=aypr_tn
Watch the video about Women In Transportation in Canada.
Ellen Voie
President/CEO
Member 10002-I
Women In Trucking, Inc.
www.WorkforceTrained.com brings online training right to your fingertips because our workforce needs to constantly update, upgrade, and remain viable and valuable
Learn More To Earn More: That’s the motto of www.WorkforceTrained.com
www.WorkforceTrained.com has been designed to engage worker’s that are underemployed and looking for advancement, unemployed needing training resources, handicapped workers that need access to training without barriers to travel and entrance to training, and everyone that chooses to learn from their computer, anywhere in the world, 24-7-365. Learning from the office, learning from home, learning that adjusts to fit your lifestyle, your family obligations, your transportation issues, your childcare considerations – Now all the excuses are gone!
www.WorkforceTrained.com is currently preparing over 400 course offerings, many are already available on the website and others are in development to be posted in the very near future.
www.WorkforceTrained.com intends to become a valuable web portal that serves to connect the worker or the would-be worker with the training and self-improvement resources needed to stay current, to be able to compete with the worker down the street and the workers around that world that are raising the bar and challenging the others for the jobs and the paychecks.
www.WorkforceTrained.com emphasizes lifelong learning, skill upgrades, and access to technical and vocational training options that do not require “4 years and Shakespeare” – Instead, these trainings can lead to recognized and transferable certificates and credentials that companies and human resource professionals recognize that attest to an individuals’ skill set and potential value to the organization. From computer programs to CDL Training, Basic Electricity to Robotics, the aim is to bring equal access to all, thus, allowing opportunities for employment no matter your current social-economic standing or geographic location.
www.WorkforceTrained.com online learning is really the techno-edge for the future. Witness the success of online colleges and universities, some of which host a half million online students in their programs, for example. This training is seeking to bring much of the training that does not require a Bachelor’s Degree for positive workforce advantages including computers, manufacturing, transportation and logistics, security, healthcare, and more. Check back often and watch the website grow… and be sure to tell your friends and family of this exciting and unique opportunity!
Ellen Voie
President/CEO
Member 10002-I
Women In Trucking, Inc.
www.WorkforceTrained.com brings online training right to your fingertips because our workforce needs to constantly update, upgrade, and remain viable and valuable
Learn More To Earn More: That’s the motto of www.WorkforceTrained.com
www.WorkforceTrained.com has been designed to engage worker’s that are underemployed and looking for advancement, unemployed needing training resources, handicapped workers that need access to training without barriers to travel and entrance to training, and everyone that chooses to learn from their computer, anywhere in the world, 24-7-365. Learning from the office, learning from home, learning that adjusts to fit your lifestyle, your family obligations, your transportation issues, your childcare considerations – Now all the excuses are gone!
www.WorkforceTrained.com is currently preparing over 400 course offerings, many are already available on the website and others are in development to be posted in the very near future.
www.WorkforceTrained.com intends to become a valuable web portal that serves to connect the worker or the would-be worker with the training and self-improvement resources needed to stay current, to be able to compete with the worker down the street and the workers around that world that are raising the bar and challenging the others for the jobs and the paychecks.
www.WorkforceTrained.com emphasizes lifelong learning, skill upgrades, and access to technical and vocational training options that do not require “4 years and Shakespeare” – Instead, these trainings can lead to recognized and transferable certificates and credentials that companies and human resource professionals recognize that attest to an individuals’ skill set and potential value to the organization. From computer programs to CDL Training, Basic Electricity to Robotics, the aim is to bring equal access to all, thus, allowing opportunities for employment no matter your current social-economic standing or geographic location.
www.WorkforceTrained.com online learning is really the techno-edge for the future. Witness the success of online colleges and universities, some of which host a half million online students in their programs, for example. This training is seeking to bring much of the training that does not require a Bachelor’s Degree for positive workforce advantages including computers, manufacturing, transportation and logistics, security, healthcare, and more. Check back often and watch the website grow… and be sure to tell your friends and family of this exciting and unique opportunity!
Ellen Voie
President/CEO
Member 10002-I
Women In Trucking, Inc.
http://www.dcvelocity.com/articles/20100603_women_shattering_logistics%5C_glass_ceiling/
Transportation June 3, 2010
special report
Women shattering logistics' glass ceiling
It's been a long slog, but women are finally making headway in assuming logistics leadership roles.
By Mark B. Solomon
The year was 1990, and Diane Gibson, co-founder of startup Craters & Freighters, was working at her Denver headquarters when a sales representative from American Airlines walked in the office.
Gibson recalls that the male sales rep asked, "Where are the bosses?"—a reference to Gibson's two male co-founders. "I bit my lip, held my tongue, and told him 'They'll be back shortly,'" she says with a laugh.
Fast-forward two decades. Gibson's original partners are long gone, one leaving in 1994 in a dispute over the company's direction and the other bought out by Gibson in 1995 after he refused to agree to expand beyond Denver.
Today, Craters & Freighters, which manages the movements of specialized commodities described by Gibson as "too large, too outsized, and too weird," does $45 million a year in sales, has 60 franchised offices covering 85 percent of the United States, and is looking to expand internationally. Gibson has steered the company solo for 15 years.
If it were any other field, Gibson's story would not be unique. Across many industries, it is commonplace for women to hold leadership positions. But the upper echelon of the supply chain ranks—whether it is transportation, logistics, or warehousing and distribution—has remained the near-exclusive domain of men.
In some ways, little has changed. A survey of "women in transportation and warehousing" released earlier this year by Catalyst, a New York-based organization that promotes women's advancement in business, found no female CEOs at the companies polled. Only 11 percent of the firms had women board members and 12.6 percent had what Catalyst termed female "executive officers." Women represented about 24 percent of the total labor force at the firms Catalyst surveyed.
The status quo is sometimes felt beyond the numbers. "In my career, it's not been uncommon to walk in the room and hear someone say, 'Oh, someone from marketing is here,'" says Kristin Muhlner, CEO of RollStream Inc., a McLean, Va.-based supply chain software developer. Muhlner, whose background is in engineering and not physical distribution, said she sees little pushback today from men at the corporate level, though she acknowledges it may be a different story "down in the weeds" in warehouses and distribution centers.
But in other ways, change has come, or is coming. In January, Judy McReynolds became CEO of trucking giant Arkansas Best Corp., parent of ABF Freight System. No one could recall a woman before her being put in charge of such a large transportation company that was not her own. Tellingly, the announcement hardly created a ripple, and Arkansas Best did little to highlight its significance.
This fall, Barbara Windsor, president of New Market, Md.-based Hahn Transportation, becomes the first chairwoman of the American Trucking Associations in the group's 77-year history. In addition, women today run 11 state trucking associations, the most ever at one time.
In the public sector, Anne Ferro, former president of the Maryland Motor Truck Association, heads the Department of Transportation's Federal Motor Carrier Safety Administration. Deborah Hersman serves as chairman of the National Transportation Safety Board—only the third woman to do so in that agency's 43-year history.
Long time coming
For women who've spent their careers in logistics, progress can't come too soon. Liz Lasater, founder and CEO of full-service provider Red Arrow Logistics, remembers during her 20-year career at big international transportation firms that "my male peers were more competitive with me than they were with other men."
Lasater, who held upper management roles at her employers, recalls being frequently "kept out of the loop" of need-to-know information filtering down from corporate headquarters. "At one company, this went on for two years," she says.
Lasater says the resistance from men came from within her own organizations, and not from vendors or customers. And it was more prevalent in the United States than abroad, she adds. "Throughout Asia and all the way down to India, it was always about business," she says.
The challenge for women can be compounded if the business is family-owned. Rachel Parker, who is in the management program at trucker Covenant Transportation, the company co-founded by her parents in 1986, says she sometimes has to invoke her lineage to build credibility and be taken seriously by customers and vendors.
Parker says her mother, Jacqueline, like so many so-called trucking wives, was actively involved in the business but in back-office functions traditionally reserved for women while the men were out driving rigs or drumming up sales. "My father makes a point of saying that 'My wife and I founded this company,'" she says.
The consensus is that Parker, 26, is being groomed to run Chattanooga, Tenn.-based Covenant when her father, David, eventually retires. She jokes, however, that David Parker, only 52, "will work until the very end."
Old habits die hard
For an industry facing a "brain drain" as the largely male old guard begins retiring, removing barriers to women's advancement could be considered more than a moral imperative. Fortunately for women seeking a foothold, there's been a proliferation of educational programs enabling professionals of both genders to obtain the specialized skills increasingly required in today's marketplace.
"Women have made tremendous strides, but those who have [done so] possess specific credentials, whether it be in engineering, healthcare, or other fields," says Lasater of Red Arrow. Lasater says that as she was coming up through the industry, "you didn't have advanced courses in supply chain management. You didn't have chief logistics officers. Today, women have the ability to get the credentials needed to advance and succeed."
But women's advocates say that change also needs to happen on a less-tangible front, namely in an awareness that women can be effective transport logistics leaders even though their leadership style may have been perceived as too "soft" for the often rough-and-tumble world of transportation and logistics.
"Many women in leadership roles are consensus-builders, and they encourage open, collegial relationships. That management style has traditionally not been viewed as representing 'leadership' in our business," says Ellen Voie, a former executive at Schneider National Inc. and founder of the Women In Trucking Association, a three-year old non-profit group based in Plover, Wis., that advocates for greater representation of women across all segments of trucking.
Voie admits that women "struggle with an image problem" stemming from the faulty perception that the industry feels they should be seen and not heard. "I don't think people realize that the trucking industry actually welcomes women," she says.
Voie chalks up the current resistance to women's advancement as less a form of deliberate discrimination than a reflection of industry's historic unwillingness to change. "Old habits die hard, so we need to call attention to things that companies are doing" to promote opportunities for women, she says.
Of course, there are some female logistics executives who believe that the old and entrenched ways are not necessarily a hindrance. Gibson of Craters & Freighters, for one, makes no apologies for using certain unique characteristics to her competitive advantage.
"Being a short, blonde, skinny woman has helped more than hurt," she says.
Ellen Voie
President/CEO
Member 10002-I
Women In Trucking, Inc.
http://www.amazon.com/Searching-C-McCall-Tom-Claffey/dp/0984302433/ref=sr_1_4?ie=UTF8&s=books&qid=1275574025&sr=8-4
Every industry, profession or trade has its icons, its legends. Right up there, near the top of trucking legends, is C.W. McCall. SEARCHING FOR C.W. McCALL reads like a trucker's canon: do what you love, stand by your friends, and honor the rules of the road.
Santiago Lopez and his faithful dog, Sloan, depart the family ranch in Pecos, New Mexico in an old F-150 pickup to search for Santiago's hero of more than thirty years, C.W. McCall. They soon find themselves welcomed by a convoy of 18-wheelers traversing the roads and highways of southern Colorado.
The characters in the story are people you would like to know. Some, most notably Sally Tremaine and Dixie O'Donnell, whose handle is "Hoot 'N' Holler," appeared in Tom Claffey's previous novel, HOOT 'N' HOLLER, which won the Truck Writers of North America 2009 Bronze Communication Award for book of fiction. Do Santiago and Sloan find C.W. McCall? Read the story of their journey and find out!
About the author: Tom Claffey interviewed numerous truckers and fans of C.W. McCall in writing SEARCHING FOR C.W. McCALL. He also met, on several occasions, with Bill Fries, the former advertising executive who created the character, C.W. McCall, and became his voice.
Bill Fries wrote the truckers' anthem, Convoy, and, in the song, introduced the famed Rubber Duck. Claffey, in addition to spending time in a rig, has visited truckstops across the United States, including the world-famous Iowa 80 Truckstop. He and his wife, Sylvia, live in Santa Fe.
Ellen Voie
President/CEO
Member 10002-I
Women In Trucking, Inc.
Earn a SuperCertificate® reward for recruiting new corporate members!
We were recently delighted when a new corporate member joined Women In Trucking because of a driver member referral that included a WIT brochure along with an enthusiastic sales pitch!
This prompted us to think about how we can tap into our current member network to sign up new corporate members. Regardless of our best efforts to get exposure for the association, word of mouth remains the best way to obtain a referral.
So, we are asking you, our members, to help us locate and enlist more corporate members. In addition to our heartfelt thanks for successful referrals, we will reward your efforts! Each referring member will receive a $50 SuperCertificate from GiftCertificates.com. The SuperCertificate is a 'universal gift certificate' that enables the award recipient the power of choice to redeem from a portfolio of over 200 merchant partners.
If you work for a company and they are not on this list http://www.womenintrucking.org/corporate-members.cfm, then you are encouraged to contact them and urge them to become a corporate member of Women In Trucking. If you have friends in the industry, ask them if they would be interested in learning more about the association. When they join, they must mention your name (and membership number if possible) as having referred them. We will send you a $50 SuperCertificate to spend on yourself or use as a gift!
This offer is open to any member in good standing. The referral SuperCertificate reward will apply to any new corporate member. Feel free to download the WIT membership brochure/application form (https://www.womenintrucking.org/join/Application-WIT.pdf) or call our office and we will mail applications to you.
Our goal is to grow and enhance Women In Trucking in the coming year. You can help us with your referral and earn a reward at the same time.
We look forward to sending you a $50 SuperCertificate for your efforts.
Ellen Voie
President/CEO
Women In Trucking, Inc.
PO Box 400 Plover, WI 54467-0400
www.WomenInTrucking.org
Ellen Voie
President/CEO
Member 10002-I
Women In Trucking, Inc.
Hello,
Here are links to the latest report and summary, 09KY081, “Team Semi Driver Dies After Being Ejected from Sleeper Berth”, as well as a link to the Kentucky Fatality Assessment and Control Evaluation Program (FACE) program:
Link to the report
http://www.kiprc.uky.edu/projects/face/data/Reports/09KY081.pdf
Link to the summary
http://www.kiprc.uky.edu/projects/face/narratives/09KY081%20Summary.pdf
Link to KOSHS/ FACE
http://www.kiprc.uky.edu/projects/KOSHS/
Please incorporate the recommendations on how this fatality could have been prevented into your safety program. Also, feel free to share this information with others you believe can benefit from it.
The KY FACE program studies occupational fatalities that occur in the Commonwealth of Kentucky. From this information, worker fatality trends are identified and recommendations for prevention are made. Prevention materials are then developed and disseminated to businesses in Kentucky.
If you have any questions concerning the FACE Program or any of our materials, or if you would like to be removed from the list to receive HazAlerts, please do not hesitate to contact me. Also, if you would like to add additional contacts to our distribution lists, please let us know that as well. My phone number is (859)-323-2981, or I can be reached at the above email address.
Thank you, and have a great day!
Medearis A. Robertson
Field Evaluator, KOSHS/ KY FACE
Kentucky Injury Prevention and Research Center
University of Kentucky
333 Waller Avenue, Ste. 206
Lexington, KY 40504
Office: 859-323-2981
Fax:: 859-257-3909
Ellen Voie
President/CEO
Member 10002-I
Women In Trucking, Inc.
This article includes the Salute, but also quotes Pat Sterling.
Here is the article which was written on behalf of WIT for the U.S. DOT’s Women and Girls site. http://www.dot.gov/wg/fmcsa20100406.htm
Thank you,
Angela N. Young
Program Analyst
Office of the Chief Information Officer
Office of the Secretary
Ellen Voie
President/CEO
Member 10002-I
Women In Trucking, Inc.
Edited by Ellen Voie on May 26, 2010 at 09:16 AM
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