Overdrive Magazine | Trucking Business News & Owner Operator Info
Issue link: https://read.dmtmag.com/i/675322
42 | Overdrive | May 2016 Overdrive's MOst Beautiful Keeli Kennedy Hometown: Wasilla, Alaska Occupation: Owner, Northern Alaska Arctic Transport Years trucking: 5 Hauls: Reefer freight "People tell me all the time that I don't look like a trucker. But I take care to have my hair and makeup done and my appearance profes- sional since I represent my own company." Kennedy drives team with her husband on the Alaska Highway, so she's used to chaining tires in brutal subzero conditions. In the summers, they operate in the lower 48 and Mexico. She says it's rare to see a female driver in Alaska, but she's glad that women are branching into that part of the industry. Kristen Kudlic Hometown: Feeding Hills, Massachusetts Occupation: Owner-operator, K Kudlic Trucking Inc. Years trucking: 5 Hauls: Construction materials and dirt "With my family and friends, my support group, I was able to really believe in myself through tougher times, because God doesn't give you anything you can't handle in life." A motocross accident in 2009 left Kudlic with a broken back and paralysis from the waist down. Within a month of her accident, she was walking with crutches, and she was walking without assistance by 2011.Kudlic got her CDL soon after, and she now owns a 2011 Kenworth T800. Brita Nowak Hometown: Jupiter, Florida Occupation: Owner, Brat Cat Express Years trucking: 14 Hauls: Reefer freight "I always put on my lipstick before putting my hands on the steering wheel. This is a tough job, and I think of myself as strong and capa- ble. That's really my definition of beauty, and if I can change one girl's perspective of what a trucker looks like, then that is great." Nowak owns Brat Cat Express, a one-truck company, and says she loves the trucking life. Before starting her trucking career, she worked as a model and actress in Hollywood. Born in Berlin, Germany, Nowak is multilingual and has an economics degree that she says helps her operate her business profitably. Jeanie Ozment Hometown: Little Rock, Arkansas Occupation: Owner, Jeanie Ozment Hauling Years trucking: About 4 Hauls: Reefer freight "I think it's very important for women to feel feminine, especially in professions that are historically men's. It's a balancing act between being strong enough to do the job and retaining our feminine identity." Though Ozment became a full-time driver in 2012, she has about 20 years of experience in the industry, both on the management and driving sides. She and her first husband, who died in 1993, owned Baseline Transport, operating 27 trucks and 40 trailers. She kept a couple of the trucks and launched Jeanie Ozment Hauling. April Roberge Hometown: Salt Lake City Occupation: Company driver, Pride Transport Years trucking: 3 Hauls: General freight "I like to dress nicely and take pride in my appearance. I think beauty is about your attitude as well as how you look on the outside, and I try to be supportive and kind to everyone, especially other women truckers." Roberge drives team with her husband and their dog. She loves to cook organically and works hard to try to prepare healthy meals on the road. She loves the financial freedom they've found in trucking and says the job helped her fund her dream wedding. Na'Keisha Rushing Hometown: Hampton, Georgia Occupation: Company driver, Bruenger Transportation Years trucking: 4 Hauls: Reefer freight "I'm still a girly girl. I wear makeup every single day, and I take time to pamper myself by get- ting massages and pedicures, and I meditate. But I'm pretty tough. It's a balance of being a strong person but still being feminine." Rushing had a steady job as a medical assistant when she realized she needed a new challenge. "I just really wanted to become an entrepreneur, and I felt trucking was the quick- est way to do it," she says. Four years ago, she got her CDL, following in the footsteps of many male relatives who were truckers.