FEATURE STORY: Members of the Month
Transportation Provides Many Career Choices for Women Trucking contributes more than $732 billion in gross freight revenue, representing 80 percent of the nation’s freight bill in 2020, according to the American Trucking Associations. In fact, trucking drives the nation’s considerable economy and there is a diverse range of career options, including equipment design, manufacturing, warehousing and fleet operations, sales and marketing, mechanic, and professional driver. While trucking is a male-populated industry, there are many opportunities for women as well. Redefining the Road magazine highlights some of the industry’s successful female professionals who are doing amazing things in transportation and logistics.
Aldijana Miljkovic From Corporate to Entrepreneur
“I’m proud I got my WOSB certificate and am now running my own company, under my own authority.”
Aldijana Miljkovic is the owner of Lina Express, a Women-Owned Small Business (WOSB) certified trucking company. She started her career working as a receptionist with no experience or knowledge in the trucking industry. Moving quickly up the corporate ladder, she held many different roles. Through this process, she realized her passion for the industry. To further explore this passion, Miljkovic purchased her first truck as a side job and became an owner-operator. She hired her
Roberta McKenna Hauling Hazardous Shipments
“Make the day what you want of it and never give up. We are all in this together and together will be stronger.”
Roberta McKenna is a professional driver for Clean Harbors National Transportation. She is one of the few women in the company who hauls loads of hazardous material across the country for this leading provider of environmental, energy and industrial services. It’s no easy feat, but she says being behind the wheel is her “happy place.” Much like the roads she traverses daily, her journey to a successful career as a female driver certainly was not without bumps, but now that she’s found her way to Clean Harbors, she happy to say it feels like home. Growing up in Malaga, Ohio, McKenna spent much of her childhood on her family’s
first team drivers as she continued working as an operations manager. After five years, her side business grew to eight trucks and a team of drivers. “I’m proud I got my WOSB certificate and am now running my own company, under my own authority,” she says. “We specialize in power only LTL 48 states.” Today, Miljkovic has been in the industry for nearly a decade and is a successful entrepreneur. Her goal is to empower other women and make sure they know that they can do anything, regardless of what others say. Because of her inspirational story, Miljkovic was featured this year as the January WIT Member of the Month.
beef farm, operating tractors, bulldozers, and trucks to assist with the daily rigors of maintaining a beef farm. It was then that she fell in love with driving. With more than 36 years in the transportation industry (eight of which have been at Clean Harbors), McKenna feels that most of her experiences have made her who she is today – strong, powerful, and determined. “Be yourself, love yourself and the skin you are in,” she advises other female drivers. “Make the day what you want of it and never give up. We are all in this together and together will be stronger.” Because of her grit and determination, McKenna was named this year’s February WIT Member of the Month. continued on page 26
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