Women In Trucking Association, Inc

Women In Trucking Association, Inc. (WIT) is an American non-profit organization[1] which focuses on the employment of women in the trucking industry,[2][3] addresses obstacles that might keep women from entering or succeeding in the trucking industry, and celebrates the success of its members. It was founded by Ellen Voie[4] in 2007, who currently serves as the President and CEO.[5][6] The organization focuses mainly on women who are already a part of the industry or have an interest in it and works as a support network with over 4,500 individuals and corporate members, both men and women.[7][8][9][2] Worldwide members include carriers, suppliers, industry professionals, drivers, and students. WIT headquarters are located in Plover, Wisconsin, United States.[10][11]

History

Ellen Voie founded the Women In Trucking Association in 2007.[12] She is the holder of a Class-A commercial driver's license and has been advocating for the empowerment of women in the trucking industry since 1980.[13] Voie felt the need for such an organization while working as the Manager of Recruiting and Retention Programs at Schneider National. As manager of recruiting and retention programs, she was targeting women but realized that the industry could do a lot more to attract women into the transportation business. To better address the issues that women face, she founded Women In Trucking.[14]

Activities

Since its founding in 2007, the organization has worked to raise awareness and encourage women to become truck drivers. In 2008, WIT held its first reception at the Mid-America Trucking Show in Louisville, Kentucky. Ellen Voie, as founder, later became the President and CEO of the organization and Leigh Foxall was named chairwoman.[7][15] In 2010, WIT held its first annual “Salute to Women Behind the Wheel”[16] and that same year gained a monthly feature on SiriusXM's Freewheelin’ show.[17]

Mark Rousseau joined the board as the first male director in 2010. The board of directors is composed of industry leaders from major corporations such as Walmart, Daimler, Bendix, C. H. Robinson, Arrow Truck Sales, Peterbilt, Ryder System, Michelin, J.B. Hunt, FedEx and more. In the same year, Women In Trucking founded a scholarship program to strengthen education in the commercial transportation industry.[15][9]

In 2012, WIT was recognized by the White House as a “Transportation Innovator Champion of Change!”[18][19] In 2014, WIT designed a curriculum and created a transportation patch for the Girl Scouts.[20] They also created a Girl Scout Patch and distributed it to the troops and held the first Girl Scout event, in Chicago, to educate young women about potential careers in the transportation industry.[6][21] In 2014, the Women In Trucking Association also started a monthly segment on the Dave Nemo Show.

In 2012, Redefining the Road, became the association's official member publication.[22] Its total readership is approximately 15,000.

In 2015, Women In Trucking then established the “Distinguished Woman in Logistics” award sponsored by TMW Systems and also created the WIT Index.[22] It also held the first Accelerate! conference and expo in Dallas, Texas.[23] Mary Aufdemberg also became the new chairwoman of the non-profit in March 2015 after Phyllis Cochran and Foxall.[9][24]

In 2016, The Women In Trucking Association partnered with the National Transportation Institute for their WIT Index, which quantifies the number of women drivers and management at organizations nationwide. WIT's goal is to increase the percentage of women employed in the trucking industry for which they developed the WIT Index to monitor the percentage of female drivers and leaders within the industry.[25][22]

In 2016, WIT partnered with University of Wisconsin – Stout to release a recruiting guide for corporate members, “How to attract female drivers.”[18][26]

In 2018, SiriusXM Road Dog announced that it would be launching a new radio show called, Women In Trucking, hosted by Ellen Voie to promote women employment in the trucking industry.[27][28] The organization also introduced a 13-inch tall truck driver doll, Clare, which is sold at TA/Petro truck stops, HABAUSA and on Amazon.[29][30][31] They recently also announced a collaboration with Expediter Services to create 150 women-owned businesses in transportation.[32]

WIT publishes a weekly e-newsletter and blog.

Women In Trucking also has a Facebook group for women truck drivers to share their experiences and concerns.[33]

The WIT Image Teams (US and Canada) provide media interviews, product reviews and ride-alongs for regulators and legislators.

In 2019, Laura Roan Hays became chairwoman. The same year, they also announced that "The Women in Trucking Association and the American Trucking Associations are spearheading a Congressional bill to address the challenges and discrimination women face in the trucking industry."[34]

Partners

The members and generous partners of WIT include Bendix Commercial Vehicle Systems, Daimler Trucks North America, BMO Transportation Finance, Expediter Services, Great Dane, J.B. Hunt Transport, FedEx Freight, Michelin, Peterbilt, and Ryder Systems, Inc., and Walmart.[35][36][37][38]

In 2010, Frito-Lay became Women In Trucking's first Gold Level Partner.[38]

References
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  2. "Why millennials should start considering truck driving". NBC News. Retrieved 2019-06-28.
  3. "ATRI: Recruiting Female Drivers Could Make Trucking Safer". Trucks.com. 2019-03-14. Retrieved 2019-06-28.
  4. "How a day in a UPS big rig opened my mind to trucking". NBC News. Retrieved 2019-10-22.
  5. "Oh, the Places WIT Goes! – Women in Toys". Retrieved 2019-06-28.
  6. Stern, Morgan Brennan,Karen (2015-12-16). "The next big thing in US trucking: Female drivers". CNBC. Retrieved 2019-06-28.
  7. "Women in Trucking Association, Inc. WIT". Truck Market News. Retrieved 2019-06-28.
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  9. McGinnis, Paul. "HT Alum Ellen Voie's Second Half Calling to Empower Women in Trucking Industry". The Halftime Institute. Retrieved 2019-06-28.
  10. "Meet the truck driver steering women toward their dreams". TODAY.com. Retrieved 2019-06-28.
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  13. Team, Convoy (2018-07-24). "Empowering Women In Trucking with Ellen Voie". Convoy. Retrieved 2019-06-28.
  14. "Women in Trucking". Donlen. Retrieved 2019-06-28.
  15. News, Truckers. "Aufdemberg becomes third chairwoman of Women In Trucking". www.truckersnews.com. Retrieved 2019-06-28.
  16. "Salute to Women Landing Page". www.womenintrucking.org. Retrieved 2019-06-28.
  17. Staff. "Women In Trucking to Host Reception at MATS, Appear on Sirius XM Show". www.truckinginfo.com. Retrieved 2019-06-28.
  18. Success, Insights (2017-04-19). "Ellen Voie: Leading Women Empowerment in the Trucking Industry". Online Business Magazines | Business Magazine. Retrieved 2019-06-28.
  19. "Voie Chosen as One of '30 Most Inspirational Leaders in Business'". Truckstop.com. 2017-06-01. Retrieved 2019-06-28.
  20. Connley, Courtney (2018-06-18). "Just 6 percent of America's truck drivers are women—here's what it's like". CNBC. Retrieved 2019-06-28.
  21. News, WINK (2017-06-12). "Some heavy industries make push to hire more women". WINK NEWS. Retrieved 2019-06-28.
  22. "Women on the rise in trucking and the supply chain". FreightWaves. 2018-06-04. Retrieved 2019-06-28.
  23. "UHS will be an exhibitor at the Accelerate! 2015 Conference & Expo, sponsored by Women In Trucking Association". Unify Health Services. 2015-09-18. Retrieved 2019-06-28.
  24. www.bizjournals.com https://www.bizjournals.com/charlotte/blog/outside_the_loop/2015/04/local-truck-manufacturing-exec-named-new.html. Retrieved 2019-06-28. Missing or empty |title= (help)
  25. ntiAdmin. "Women In Trucking Association partners with The National Transportation Institute to gather and distribute its WIT Index | National Transportation Institute". Retrieved 2019-06-28.
  26. "Women In Trucking Association Selects MindShare Strategies To Support Organization's Growth". www.ajot.com. Retrieved 2019-06-28.
  27. "SiriusXM Road Dog Adds 'Women In Trucking'". All Access. Retrieved 2019-06-28.
  28. "Trucking Industry Seeks to Recruit More Women". Reno Personal Injury Lawyer. Retrieved 2019-06-28.
  29. "Women in Trucking Clare Doll". HABA USA. Retrieved 2019-06-28.
  30. "Her message: You can do it". Big Rigs. Retrieved 2019-06-28.
  31. BY JON O'CONNELL, STAFF WRITER. "Data shows women are all around better truck drivers, so why do so few do it?". www.citizensvoice.com. Retrieved 2019-06-28.
  32. "150 women-owned business challenge reaches mile marker 50 with new trucking start-ups". Fleet Owner. 2018-09-19. Retrieved 2019-06-28.
  33. Shattell, Anne Balay, Mona (2016-03-22). "When Long-Haul Trucking Leads to Mental-Health Problems". The Atlantic. Retrieved 2019-06-28.
  34. "Senator, associations draft bill to address discrimination against women in trucking". Supply Chain Dive. Retrieved 2019-09-13.
  35. "Trucking Association Launches Partnership to Get More Women In the Driver's Seat". Associations Now. 2017-11-21. Retrieved 2019-06-28.
  36. "Waste Management joins Women In Trucking Association to promote industry diversity". Waste Dive. Retrieved 2019-06-28.
  37. "The Women in Trucking Association announces new silver level partner". Recycling Today. Retrieved 2019-06-28.
  38. "Frito-Lay, Walmart re-up with Women in Trucking (September 01, 2010)". Truck News. Retrieved 2019-06-28.
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