Three years ago, we came up with the idea to spotlight women achievers working at trucking companies or within the trucking/transportation industries. While historically it’s been a fairly male-dominated industry, we didn’t have much trouble lining up a variety of female fleet owners, executives, drivers, and other positions throughout the ranks.
This week we'll be featuring one to two profiles on these Women in Trucking each day at FleetOwner.com.
It has become an annual section, one that is very well received by readers and advertisers. While it’s difficult to know exactly, women comprise about 20% of transportation, storage, and distribution managers, according to the Bureau of Labor Statistics. High-level positions are harder to estimate, but we have had no problems locating prominent women to feature.
A profile of any trucking executive is interesting, but women’s stories bring something extra. They have often been challenged with stereotype issues men have not, making their achievements that much more compelling. Indeed, almost all the women we have interviewed over the three years have made mention of what it’s like to do what they have done within a mostly male hierarchy.
They report that it has been important for them to make it clear, sometimes subtly and sometimes not so subtly, that they have earned their positions through hard work and want the same respect (and compensation) as their male counterparts.
We have a unique mix of titles this year, including chief sustainability officer, executive director, vice president of marketing, president, vice president of training development, director of environmental planning, diesel technician, group director, and chief financial officer.
The women are profiled in depth on the following nine pages. We congratulate each of this year’s women for what they have accomplished, and we very much look forward to continuing this feature next year and beyond.
Profiles
- Tamara Barker: From delivery driver to company VP
- Anna Rosas: From fixing army tanks to diesel engines
- Heather Tomley: Finding optimal clean air solutions
- Julie Furber: Meeting trucking challenges on two continents
- Karen Konecny: Using strong skills to deliver results
- Kendra Phillips: Working her way to the top
- Stella Li: Knowing what it takes to succeed
- Renee Krug: Helping lead a company with vision
- Laura McMillan: A passion for teaching others
