Looking back on 2011, WIT president and CEO, Ellen Voie, says the association made huge strides in promoting women's position in trucking.


Among the year's accomplishments was a meeting with U.S. Transportation Secretary Ray LaHood. Ms. Voie was invited to meet with LaHood in Washington to discuss issues concerning women in the transportation industry. WIT representatives also visited the White House in June to meet with agents from the Department of Justice, the Vice President's office and the White House Council on Women and Girls to address violence against women in the trucking industry.

WIT's second annual "Salute to the Women Behind the Wheel" celebration took place at the Mid-America Trucking Show in Louisville, Kentucky. Over 200 professional female drivers were honored by National Transportation Safety Board Chairman, Deborah Hersman, who traveled from her office in Washington, DC to Louisville in trucks driven by WIT members.

This year, WIT presented its first annual "Influential Woman of the Year" award to Rochelle (Gorman) Bartholomew, CEO of Cal-Ark Trucking. WIT will soon begin accepting nominations for the 2012 award.

Voie also participated in a Drug Testing Advisory Board hearing in July to share concerns related to the use of urine testing procedures, and to support the use of hair follicle analysis for pre-employment testing as an alternative.

In addition to representing female drivers during various safety and regulatory meetings, the Women In Trucking Foundation was formed to provide scholarships to members seeking careers in a technical area, leadership training, professional driving, and safety.

Women In Trucking reached a new level of membership with 1,800 corporate and individual members in the US, Canada, Australia, and England.

"We continue to grow and we are truly excited about the challenges we have addressed in the past year and are looking forward to a better environment for everyone in the trucking industry as we move into the new year," Voie says.

The coming year will bring many new opportunities to create positive change for women in the trucking industry, including presenting at the National Research Board conference in January to discuss challenges in equipment design for women transportation workers, and creating a toll-free crisis line for all professional drivers the to use for issues affecting safety, harassment, and equipment.

WIT will also be launching the "Best Recruiting Ad" contest to recognize companies for positive recruiting efforts that reflect the diversity of the work force.

The association's board of directors will be meeting in Chicago in January for a strategic planning session.

More info: womenintrucking.org