Salute to Women Behind the Wheel Held in March at MATS

Each year, the Women In Trucking Association (WIT) hosts the “Salute to Women Behind the Wheel” at the Mid-America Trucking Show (MATS) at the Kentucky Exposition Center in Louisville, Ky. This event is to honor and recognize female commercial drivers for their efforts and successes as women in a male-populated industry.

The 11th Salute to Women Behind the Wheel was held March 25. The event was free for the professional drivers, their families and friends.

“This year’s Salute to Women Behind the Wheel allowed us to honor 135 female commercial drivers with lots of fun giveaways, food, music, and our annual group photo in their red shirts,” says WIT President and CEO Ellen Voie. “The excitement continues to grow each year and our goal is to encourage even more women to join the industry and celebrate with their peers as we move forward.” The event included an inspirational speech from WIT Driver Ambassador Kellylynn McLaughlin, and a presentation on the mentoring program, LeaderHERtrucking, from Shirley Gray. Trucking legend, Candy Bass, 77, received special recognition for having the longest driving career in the room at 49 years. She amused the crowd saying, “this is my favorite part of the Salute to Women Behind the Wheel because every once in a while, I get to stand by myself.” Yellow professional driver, Peggy Arnold, was named the 2022 Women In Trucking Driver of the Year. Landstar took home the most attendees award. In addition, the Women In Trucking Foundation hosted “Door Prizes for Donations” with proceeds going to scholarships, and the annual female driver group photo was taken in their WIT red t-shirts.

Sponsors of the event included: Landstar, Brenny Transportation, USPS, Howes Lubricator, Walmart, Arrow Truck Sales, Trucker Buddy International, Channel21 Ministries, Truckers Against Trafficking, Safety4her, TFC Global, PetroChoice Lubrication Solutions, Sherwin-Williams, Waste Management, J.B. Hunt, Trinity Logistics, Penske Logistics, Red Roof, TA/ Petro, Total Transportation of Mississippi. n