Operations

Five tips to engage your female drivers

Sept. 3, 2014

Following are ways some carriers that have joined Women In Trucking Association as corporate members are engaging their female drivers:

1. Find a way to bring them together. Host an event or give them all t-shirts that identify them as drivers for your company.

2. Sign them up as members of Women In Trucking so they can enjoy the benefits, as well. They’ll receive invitations to networking events, opportunities for mentoring, a weekly e-newsletter, a lapel pin and membership card and more, for only $10 under the corporate membership.

3. Send them to the “Salute to Women Behind the Wheel” held each March at the Mid-America Trucking Show in Louisville, Kentucky. They’ll receive a red t-shirt and a bag filled with goodies from the sponsors while they enjoy the chocolate fountains and entertainment. Visit salute2women.com for information about the event.

4. Direct them to the Women In Trucking Association Facebook page where over 6,000 drivers share tips, trials and successes with one another. The site is monitored by drivers for drivers and the information is current and relevant.

5. Encourage your current drivers to mentor a newcomer. You can direct them to the Women In Trucking website, or just ask your own drivers to offer support and encouragement to those new to the company.

Encourage your company to engage your female drivers with these opportunities and share your success stories here.

About the Author

Ellen Voie | President/CEO

Ellen Voie founded the Women In Trucking Association in 2007 and serves as the nonprofit’s President/CEO. Women In Trucking was formed to promote the employment of women in the trucking industry, remove obstacles that might keep them from succeeding, and to celebrate the successes of its members. Ellen was the Manager of Retention and Recruiting Programs at Schneider National, Inc.,

Ellen earned a diploma in Traffic and Transportation Management while employed as Traffic Manager for a steel fabricating plant in 1979. She is a Certified Association Executive (CAE) with an MA in Communication from UW-Stevens Point, where she completed her research on the complex identities of women married to professional drivers. She holds a Class A CDL. In 2012 Ellen was honored by the White House as a Transportation Innovator Champion of Change