Fleet Management News & Business Info | Commercial Carrier Journal
Issue link: http://read.dmtmag.com/i/592176
Voie was a manager of recruiting and retention at the corporate level for Snyder National, focusing on military, seniors, Hispanics and women. She also belonged to an organization called Women in Aviation. "I thought, 'Why Women in Aviation? Why not Women In Trucking?'" Voie said. And the cornerstone was laid. Voie did the groundwork, sought help concerning legal matters and found impartial women who were interested in promoting the mission of getting more women involved in the trucking industry. at year, Women In Trucking scheduled a meeting at the Truckload Carriers Association conference in Las Vegas. A total of 12 women attended that rst meeting, but the seed was planted. Women, men and organizations began signing up as members of Women In Trucking and Voie made a vow. "I said I would get the (Women In Trucking) logo tattooed on my shoulder if we hit 1,000 members that rst year," Voie said. Today, Women In Trucking boasts more than 4,000 members. Don't think it is just for the female gender, though. About 16 percent of Women In Trucking's membership is male. And members (both female and male) aren't just in the United States. Voie says membership includes those involved in the trucking industry in Japan, South Africa, New Zealand, Sweden, Canada and more. "e response has been overwhelming," Voie said. "When I look around on our board of directors, I am truly honored that they all believe in the mission to serve on the board and invest their time and money in this organization." e response, she said, has been mostly positive toward Women In Trucking. "e women are like, 'Where have you been,'" she said. "And the men are like, 'Good for you.'" Even though the organization has taken o and touts a strong membership and board of directors, Voie said there is still much that needs to be done. "Right now, we are just under 6 percent of the driver population that is female," she said. "Less than 15 percent of the management in trucking is female. We have a long way to go to bring more women into the industry." When asked what percentage of the male-dominated industry should be female, Voie responded with a laugh, "I'd like 50 percent," she said. Voie's eorts have not gone unnoticed. In 2012, Voie was recognized by the White House Champions of Change for her time and eort in developing Women In Trucking and innovative ways to help grow and expand the transportation industry. "I was honored to be recognized as a Transportation Innovator Champion of Change," Voie said. "I admire the women who work in the trucking industry and have not received the appreciation they deserve." Voie said WIT has a mission that is three fold: Employ women in the trucking industry, promote the accomplishments of women within the industry and minimize the obstacles within the industry to make it easier and more pleasant for women to work in the industry. at mission has been the same since day one, Voie said. Today, the organization continues to push for membership and expanded opportunities for women within the trucking industry. One way of doing that, Voie said, is the expansion of a Women In Trucking index to continually see if the number of women working within the industry is increasing. "We are polling the top publicly traded companies each year to see if we are moving the needle," she said. Another way to move that needle came in September, when Women In Trucking held its rst-ever conference in Dallas. e event, aptly named Accelerate!, drew more than 350 attendees — a statistic that thrilled Voie. "It was amazing," she said. "We were hoping for 200 attendees, but we had 350. It exceeded our expectations. Everyone kept telling me the energy level was so high they could feel the passion. We had an entire event geared at getting more women in the trucking industry. I think all the women just felt the camaraderie." Based on the response Voie has received, she said she is expecting a much larger event next year and will put more emphasis on driver issues while featuring speakers that continue to promote women in career opportunities in trucking. is year's event featured Jennifer Jo Cobb, NASCAR's only female owner-driver, the "dating doctor" David Coleman, Survive Institute's Debbie Gardner and Deputy FMCSA Administrator Daphne Jeerson provided closing remarks. "It was just amazing," Voie said. "I didn't hear a negative response from anyone. You could really feel the energy and the range of speakers was unbelievable." Still, Voie says, there is much to be done to continue bringing women into the trucking industry. e best way of making change, she said, is belonging to the organization and staying abreast of items going on within the industry. Membership is easy. Visit the Women In Trucking Website at womenintrucking.org and click on the membership tab. Memberships are available for individual driver, non-driver and corporate. "VOIE'S EFFORTS HAVE NOT GONE UNNOTICED. IN 2012, VOIE WAS RECOGNIZED BY THE WHITE HOUSE CHAMPIONS OF CHANGE FOR HER TIME AND EFFORT IN DEVELOPING WOMEN IN TRUCKING..." "THE BEST WAY OF MAKING CHANGE, SHE SAID, IS BELONGING TO THE ORGANIZATION AND STAYING ABREAST OF ITEMS GOING ON WITHIN THE INDUSTRY." "" "" "TODAY WOMEN IN TRUCKING BOASTS MORE THAN 4,000 MEMBERS." Vo l . 9 , N o . 6 TRUCKSTOP.COM 11