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Excelling in a Male-Populated Industry Member-of-the-Month Profiles
Excelling in a Male-Populated Industry
As more women pursue careers in transportation and logistics, Redefining the Road magazine highlights some of the industry’s successful female professionals who were recently recognized as WIT Members of the Month.
Charlene Frelix Johnson:
Driving for Republic Services
Charlene Frelix Johnson is a professional driver for Republic Services and is one of the few women in her division. She hauls loads of trash and hazardous materials across her service area five days a week, provides exceptional service and stops at nothing to succeed within her role. She is a shining star on the team, highly respected and serves as the go-to for many operational challenges within the field.
Frelix Johnson is well known by her customers, and they look forward to her service on a weekly basis. For example, one day a child was admiring her truck as she drove down the street collecting the containers for service. After completing the street, she circled back to the location of the child, stopped, and allowed him to look at the inside of the “big blue truck.” He was amazed and thoroughly enjoyed his time looking at all the controls and buttons in the truck.
Frelix Johnson is a great teacher who jumps at the opportunity to lead and teach her fellow drivers. Her positive energy is contagious, and she has a soft touch in communicating with her colleagues. Her wittiness, strategic mindset and personable attitude brings her success within the workplace and is why she was featured this year as the May WIT Member of the Month.
Nona Larson:
Making an Impact the Customer Experience
Nona Larson is the Director of Customer Experience at PACCAR Parts, a division of PACCAR, Inc and was a 2022 Top Woman to Watch in Transportation. Larson is proud of her ability to identify talent in technical areas and help women establish themselves in their career of choice.
“I strongly believe in the power of team building and bringing people together with diverse backgrounds,” she says. “It’s important to avoid stereotypes when building a team so that you create opportunities for non-traditional workers, which contributes to better collaboration and results.” Larson has had an exciting career in engineering leadership roles and advocates for women entering the transportation industry, particularly in STEM (Science, Technology, Engineering and Math) and management roles. “I can relate to women beginning or growing their careers in the transportation industry,” she continues. “Helping women find a path to meet their ambitions is an area I care strongly about. There are so many opportunities for women in the trucking industry and it’s very gratifying to see so many women making their mark in this business.”
Because of Larson’s passion for leading women within the industry, she was featured this year as the July WIT Member of the Month. Helping women find a path to meet their ambitions is an area I care strongly about. Jumps at the opportunity to lead and teach her fellow drivers.
Elizabeth Perez:
Driving for DVL Express
Elizabeth Perez is a professional driver for DVL Express and was named one of their best drivers for September 2021. After migrating from Mexico to the United States, Perez tried many different career paths until one day she saw a woman driving a semitruck. Seeing how confident and strong this woman was, she decided that truck driving would be the perfect match for her personality. “Truck driving is a job that always keeps you in suspense,” she says, recalling a time she got caught in a snowstorm transporting a load from Illinois to Missouri. She has since visited all 50 states and says that Colorado and California are her favorite because they remind her of Mexico more than anywhere else.
While challenging, this career path is rewarding in many ways. “As of now, I am thankful for the helpful and caring people that surround me at DVL Express, and I am especially grateful for my dispatcher and the connection that we share.” Perez’s willingness to overcome any obstacle she faces is why she was featured this year as the June WIT Member of the Month. Truck driving is a job that always keeps you in suspense.
Maria Rodriguez:
Getting Noticed
Maria Rodriguez is a professional driver and trainee in the Biden administration’s Trucking Action Plan’s extended 90-Day Trucking Apprenticeship Challenge, which is focused on attracting and retaining talent within the transportation industry. As a restaurant worker who was laid off due to the COVID-19 pandemic, Rodriguez, a mother of a 4-year-old son, was seeking stable employment and soon after, found her home as a professional driver. “I think I’m unique because I’m a mother and I am still able to go to work as a truck driver. It’s very rewarding to have a stable income and be able to come home to my son.” Earlier this year, she was chosen to participate in a special White House event for the 90-Day Trucking Apprenticeship Challenge, allowing her to make a speech about her journey to truck driving and then introduce the President of the United States, Joe Biden.
As a first-generation immigrant from Venezuela, Rodriguez is a proud advocate and uses her voice to encourage other minorities, including other females and Latinas, to pursue a career in the transportation industry. Because of her advocacy for women in the industry, Rodriguez was featured as the August WIT Member of the Month. n
