Margaret Mead once said, “Never doubt that a small group of thoughtful, committed citizens can change the world; indeed, it’s the only thing that ever has.”
Women In Trucking Association (WIT) started with a small group of thoughtful, committed citizens who were focused on increasing the percentage of women employed in the trucking industry. In the eight years since its inception, the organization is successfully moving its mission forward.
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Recently a young (23-year-old) professional driver maneuvered her loaded tractor-trailer onto a 19th 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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If you’re goal is to drop a few pounds in the coming year, you’re not alone. The top New Year’s resolution last December was to lose weight. The second most common resolution was to “get organized,” followed by spending less or saving more. The fourth top New Year’s resolution was to “enjoy life to the fullest,” and the fifth most common goal was to stay fit and healthy.
More than half of us make a promise to change something as the calendar turns from one year to the next. How many of us actually succeed? The odds are good that you keep your promise through the first week in January, but less than half of us keep our resolutions for six months, and according to StatisticBrain.com only eight percent of us achieve success in maintaining that New Year’s objective. Continue reading
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
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
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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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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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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The Women In Trucking Association represents all women employed in the trucking industry. We represent the women who design the trucks, build the trucks, buy the trucks, fix the trucks and drive the trucks. If you are one of the five percent of female drivers or one of the fourteen percent of female managers in the trucking industry, we are here for you.
The overall purpose of the organization is to increase the percentage of women working in the trucking industry to utilize unrealized potential. As former US DOT Secretary ray LaHood said, “After all – regardless of gender – everyone uses our transportation systems, and those systems will serve us more effectively when they are planned, designed, engineered and built by the professionals who represent all of us. Continue reading
When we recently announced the 2015 Women In Trucking Influential Woman of the Year; there were many comments on social media about the absence of professional drivers from the list.
First, it must be noted that Stephanie Klang, a driver for Con-way Truckload and a former America’s Road Team Captain, was a finalist for the 2014 Influential Woman in Trucking award. Stephanie is a role model and has attained national respect for her skills and professionalism. I would suspect that she could find a position inside the walls of the terminal if she wished, but she prefers to remain behind the wheel. Continue reading