DALLAS—I’ve covered trucking for nearly eight years, but nothing I’ve experienced so far could have prepared me for what I've seen as a first-year attendee at Women In Trucking’s Accelerate! Conference. That’s because most of the seats at trucking industry events are filled with men. I’ve grown accustomed to being the only woman in the room. Now that I’m attending a conference with only a handful of men in attendance, how weird is it that I, a woman working in the trucking industry, feel out of my element?
Men dominate this industry. Big fleet leaders? Men. CEOs of leading technology providers? Men. Directors of sales and marketing? Men. It’s the men who are often given the spotlight, praised, and celebrated in this industry.
While I never want to discount an individual’s achievements—leaders in this industry don’t become such without hard work and skill—I will say that attending this conference has been a breath of fresh air.
Here, women are sharing their secrets, offering tips, saving each other’s numbers, and cheering each other on. Never have I been to a conference where a panelist asked for an audience member’s input, and the audience member walked to the stage as the crowd gave them a round of enthusiastic applause.
Truly, the atmosphere here is electric.
Whether the tendency to show this much love and appreciation for each other is simply in our nature or born out of working in a field where we’re the minority, is yet to be known, but it’s a movement that I want to be part of. I believe every company in this industry should strive to be part of the movement, too.
Since the 2024 presidential election, DEI (diversity, equity, and inclusion) has become a curse word in the workplace. Though some companies have stuck by their efforts to continue hiring women, I did once fear that without a federal mandate to hire a diverse and female workforce, the growth of women in trucking would plateau. Fortunately, after hearing the stories and meeting the faces of the women who ensure our industry runs day after day, that worry is far behind me.
Before attending this show, I’d never seen a group more passionate about trucking. I’d never seen a group more intentional about reaching out a hand and pulling others alongside them. Rest assured, the women in this industry will help other women come into the industry behind them. And now, it’s time we ask the same from our male allies in the industry.
Men, we need your support. We need you to speak up for us, bring us to conferences that women on your team haven’t previously been to, and join us here at next year’s Accelerate! Conference and other women-led initiatives within the industry.
Your support will help us continue breaking barriers and making the industry better. After all, studies show that gender-diverse organizations are more successful than those that aren’t. And as the saying goes, when one of us wins, we all win. So, boys, take action. Show up. Speak up. Be a catalyst for change.
