Tag Archives: Ellen Voie

Increasing Safety through Driver Training

Recently a young (23-year-old) professional driver maneuvered her loaded tractor-trailer onto a 19^th century bridge in Paoli, Indiana. The driver held a commercial driver’s license (CDL), but apparently the definition of a ton was not part of the curriculum. The bridge was posted with a six ton weight limit while the tractor-trailer weighed closer to 30 tons, or 60,000 pounds.

She admitted that she did not understand the definition of a ton, which she should have learned in a grade school math class as “a unit of weight equivalent to 2,000 pounds.” The driver had taken a wrong turn and was using the bridge to get back on track and demolished the bridge, the truck and her career in the process.
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Mentoring as a valuable retention approach

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Remember back to your first day on the job? You had so many questions, but you weren’t always sure who to ask. Whether it was learning where to store your lunch or coat, or finding your way around the office, you needed someone to steer you in the right direction.

Finding someone who will guide you around the office or in the industry will provide you with a resource when questions arise. A mentor is a person who will lead you and support you as you become familiar with the organization and your new role. Continue reading →

The first Women In Trucking Accelerate! Conference and Expo was a huge success.

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Question: What does a Mars engineer, a dating doctor, a satellite radio host, a NASCAR driver and a safety administrator have in common?

They were all speakers at the recent Women In Trucking Association’s Accelerate! Conference and Expo.

The 350 attendees learned about self defense and self esteem, how success depends on relationship building, being a female racer in a male dominated environment and much more. Although the topics were diverse, they were all focused on creating a positive environment for women employed in the transportation industry.
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New Zealand Trucking Industry Shares Global Challenges in Recruiting Drivers

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The headline reads, “Transport firms hit by driver shortage.” This article could be from almost any country, since drivers are currently in demand around the globe. However, this particular column was from a New Zealand magazine, which quoted one carrier executive as saying, “It’s just really hard to get quality drivers … we can’t even get any non-quality drivers.”
There are numerous differences between the United States and New Zealand other than the size of the countries. They drive on the opposite side of the road, live in the southern hemisphere, and celebrate Christmas in the summer. One thing is similar for both countries, we are all looking for drivers from non-traditional groups, such as women.
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WIT August Member of the Month – Shelly Hoffman

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Plover, WI (August 3)—Women In Trucking Association has announced Shelly Hoffman, professional truck driver, as its August Member of the Month.

Shelly cannot imagine doing anything else. When she originally proposed the idea of teaming to her husband, she had just been playfully kidding! But there had been no laughter once the laptop was open and they had begun to look into it. At that point, their professional careers ultimately had led them to disappointment, and now, three years later, their CDLs have been more rewarding than their academic degrees combined. Continue reading →

How you can find success before breakfast!

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Author Laura Vanderkam has written numerous books about the traits of successful people. She claims the “key to making myself happy is NOT to be a perfectionist.” In fact, she has researched the traits of successful women and how much time they devote to their careers.

The author was surprised to discover that women who work an average of 35 hours per week earn about $37,000 per year. However, the women in her study who earned in excess of six figures annually averaged 44 hours per week. That’s only a nine-hour per week difference for an almost threefold increase in salary.
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Silvia Chavez • WIT July Member of the Month

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Silvia Chavez • WIT July Member of the Month

Plover, WI (July 1)—Women In Trucking Association has announced Silvia Chavez as its July Member of the Month. Silvia is described as being a powerhouse of a woman. She is an Army National Guard veteran, having served six years as a medic. When her husband on active-duty had to relocate for work, the two picked up and moved from Fort Leonard Wood, MO to Fort Knox, KY.

“I’d constantly run across advertisements for CDL drivers,” said Silvia. “So I figured, why not? I got my license and training, and before I knew it, I was an over-the-road driver.” Continue reading →

Let’s look at aviation for innovations

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Although I have spent my entire career in the trucking industry, I have a passion for aviation as well. In 2008 I earned my private pilot’s certificate only a few weeks before graduating from a driver-training academy with my commercial driver’s license.

There are so many similarities between aviation and trucking. Both industries have a need for operators (pilots or drivers), mechanics, dispatchers and both groups are anticipating a severe shortage of personnel due to an aging demographic and regulatory changes.
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Is perfectionism holding women back in transportation leadership roles?

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Author Ann Wilson Schaef calls perfectionism “self-abuse of the highest order.” It could be a factor in why there are so few women in leadership roles in transportation.

Although it has become more common for companies to promote women into management areas, there is still work to be done to increase the percentage in transportation. For most industries, women comprise over half of senior leaders, but in the trucking industry, we’re at about fourteen percent today.
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Women In Trucking Announces June Member of the Month, Tina Evans

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Plover, WI (June 1, 2015 )- Women In Trucking Association (WIT) announces Tina Evans as its June Member of the Month. Tina is an owner/operator that has been driving an expedite truck for 14 years with her husband Tom.

They chose expediting because it was common for a husband to be able to train his wife. With Tom’s background, this was the best choice for them. Once they purchased a truck, Tom went out on the road to gain more experience.
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