Ellen Voie

Every nonprofit organization was formed from idea by someone who saw a need. Currently, there are over 1.8 million nonprofit organizations in the United States, and they represent nearly six percent of the US economy. There are different types of nonprofits, and the largest category includes churches, schools, and foundations (40%) which are supported by charitable donations.

Another type of nonprofit is a trade or professional association, which comprise about fifteen percent of nonprofit organizations in the US. The Women In Trucking Association falls into this category but is a hybrid trade (representing organizations) and professional (representing individuals.)

I founded the Women In Trucking (WIT) Association because I recognized the need for an entity to represent women employed in the trucking industry. Our mission includes encouraging the employment of women in the industry, addressing obstacles that might keep women from succeeding, and celebrating the success of its members. Our membership includes both men and women who support the mission. We currently have over 8,000 members in ten countries.

Starting a nonprofit is a challenge, as fifty percent of all nonprofit organizations will fail. WIT was formed in 2007, which was right at the beginning of the recession. However, we reached our goal of 500 members our first year. The challenge was in obtaining the support for our mission, which has never wavered.

Many of our members joined us in our first year, but every one of them waited to see if we would execute our mission before they renewed. They needed to be confident in our ability to create positive change by increasing the ranks of women in all career levels, from the cab to the S-suite.

Sixteen years ago, gender diversity in the trucking industry was not a priority. In fact, the typical response from carriers was that they just hired the best employee. Once we pointed out the fact that there wasn't a level playing field for women, we started to convince them to change.

The trucks were designed for men, who are usually taller and have longer arms and legs. The truck stops were designed for men as well, as the lounges were only for men and the showers were locker room style with no privacy. Even the uniforms were men’s sizes and styles, and women had to adapt the shirts and pants to their smaller frames.

Additionally, there wasn’t much data available about women in the trucking industry. Companies didn’t even track the percentages of women as drivers, managers, CEOs, or directors. Beyond the demographic data, there was rarely information regarding safety or inspection by gender.

We had to create a movement by building a business case for gender diversity. Originally, we used any data relevant to female drivers or women as leaders. However, as we pushed for a more level playing field, we started seeing positive trends in attracting and retaining women.

This allowed us to start to measure diversity numbers and to identify best practices from the companies with higher female leaders, managers, and drivers. The data began to follow, and we were thrilled to learn than women are safer commercial drivers than men. We also found that women were typically easier on the equipment, better with paperwork and more engaging with customers.

Although women were not prevalent in the higher levels of companies, the ones who did promote and empower women into more powerful roles were finding their net profits were increasing. Women’s voices reflect different decisionmaking processes which creates a broader range of perception and understanding.

Instead of sons automatically assuming the trucking company lead role, many daughters were chosen to step into the top position. More and more companies are being started by women and run by women in the transportation industry.

The Women In Trucking Association has become the recognized resource in providing information, education, best practices and more for carriers to continue to advance the women in their organizations. Additionally, we are tracking the numbers and watching more women find successful careers as drivers, diesel technicians, safety directors, managers, and directors.

We will continue to monitor the progress of the industry and share best practices so more women can find a home in transportation. We are proud of our history of being the best resource and for starting a cultural change in all trucking related roles and we will continue these efforts until the gender imbalance is no longer an issue.

Heather Anne Hubbell Heather Anne Hubbell

In the lead-up to International Women's Day, I've been thinking about how things have changed since I started my working life. This year's theme is "Choose to Challenge," encouraging individuals to challenge gender bias and inequality in all aspects of their lives. That includes women's contributions to our families, communities, and societies.

When I was a young girl, people asked me if I wanted to be a teacher like my mother. No one ever asked me if I wanted to be an electrical engineer like my father. What I wanted was to be a fighter pilot like my father. Women weren't allowed in the air force then, so that wasn't an option for me, much to my disappointment.

In high school, girls learned cooking and sewing; boys took woodworking and metalwork. I knew how to cook and sew, so I wanted to try woodworking and metalwork. I negotiated with the teacher. I could if I found a boy who would swap with me. No problem. What's not to like about a class full of girls for a teenage boy?

During the first few years of my first career, I got turned down for promotion several times for not having the "right" experience, and then I had to train the man who did get the job. I then trained as a lawyer, only to have a managing partner tell me that women couldn't be litigators and have a family. Never mind that I didn't want to do litigation and already had my family! I politely wrote back and told the firm I wasn't interested in working for a law firm that felt that way. In those days, women weren't even allowed to wear trousers in the courtroom. How times have changed in some respects.

I was a working mother from the earliest days of my working life, juggling children and law school, working as a lawyer and then in banking. Multi-tasking wasn't an option – it was the only way to keep everything on track and on time. Thankfully my husband was pretty hands-on with the children, especially once they got interested in sports.

I watched my male colleagues with frustration as their wives managed their family life and they got on with work. Then I realized that my children enriched my working life, and they could see first-hand that women could do any job they wanted. Although, when people asked my children if they wanted to be a lawyer like their mother, they both said, "no, that's way too much work!”

Having felt the inequality first-hand, I resolved to be very aware of my female colleagues and friends to see how I could proactively support them. I suggested they apply for jobs I thought they would be suitable for (even when they said, "I'm not sure I have the right skills"). I helped them craft their CVs and do interview practice. I also hired women for my teams, even if they would need extra training to do the job, because I knew it would be great for their longer-term careers. I especially looked for mothers as I knew exactly what they had to do to get to work in the morning and juggle work and home life. What better experience than that for being able to manage complicated jobs at work?

For most of the past 15 years, I've run my own businesses. That meant I could make decisions that worked for me and allowed me to work against discrimination and open new opportunities for women. There is nothing more soul destroying that not getting recognition or a promotion for your work and contribution, and I've tried hard to counter that with whatever support I could.

I have a challenge for you as we celebrate International Women's Day. Think about how you can make a difference in recognizing women's contributions or encourage others to do so. Start with one person at a time. You may never know how much that means to that person.