Episode 32:  Women in the Trucking Industry, with Ellen Voie

Ellen Voie entered the trucking industry inadvertently. When she stumbled upon the trucking industry, she hadn’t planned on making a career in transportation. Prior to joining the trucking industry, Ellen had been working at a steel fabricating plant within the Drafting Department. Management asked Ellen if she wanted to move into traffic and she agreed. She was sent to school to become educated in traffic and transportation management.
 
Ellen believes that once an individual gets involved in the trucking industry, it gets in their blood and causes them to remain in the industry. After many years of working in the trucking industry, she has fallen in love with her career and area of work.
 
Women in Trucking Association is an organization that Ellen founded in March 2007. As the founder of this non-profit association, Ellen serves as the President and CEO. Ellen founded the Women in Trucking Association to encourage women to pursue careers in the trucking industry. The Women in Trucking Association has the objective of eliminating obstacles that might prevent women from achieving success in the trucking industry. This association also aims to celebrate the successes and triumphs experienced by its members.
 
Prior to founding the Women in Trucking Association, Ellen served as the Manager at Retention and Recruiting Programs in the largest truckload carrier in North America, Schneider, Inc. as the Manager at Retention and Recruiting Programs, Ellen was responsible for creating programs at the corporate level to encourage underrepresented groups to pursue careers in trucking. She also designed initiatives to reduce or eliminate common causes of driver dissatisfaction, which is the most common cause of high turnover rates. Ellen also managed the communication channels for drivers, such as the website, newsletter, and audio magazine.

“83% of women enter the trucking industry after being encouraged by a friend or family member. This friend or family member is usually already employed in the trucking industry.”

– Ellen Voie

What you’ll learn about in this episode:

  • The importance of celebrating female drivers
  • Why the strategies for retaining and attracting female drivers is different from male drivers
  • How women typically enter the trucking industry and what this means for trucking companies
  • What drives women away from the trucking industry
  • The impact of stereotypes and recruitment and retention of female drivers
  • The importance of targeted and non-generic advertisements for the recruitment of female drivers
  • How to create a solid recruitment message about safety to encourage female drivers to join the trucking industry
  • The vulnerability of women in the trucking industry and how to minimize this vulnerability

Ways to contact Ellen Voie:

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