Remember to show your appreciation to others

WITH so much going on in the transport industry, it is sometimes good to have time to reflect.

Travelling to and from Wodonga each week lately has given me that time, and I realised that it is so easy to get disheartened and forget what we have achieved and what we’re capable of achieving still.

I encourage everyone not only to have a bucket list of what you want to do but a reverse bucket list showing all you have so far. You will be surprised by how much you have already achieved.

Truck drivers are so often saying they are “just” a truck driver when there are so many other things besides, customer service, the amount of paperwork and such turns him/her into a clerk, they are fully up on compliance and road gulations and safety, and llivestock drivers must have knowledge of animal husbandry, so they definitely multi skilled professional workers.

Our administration, accounts and payroll staff often don’t realise the importance of their roles to the ongoing and long-term success and functions of the business.

We have found that so many people feel they are unworthy of the praise, rewards and thanks they are given.

If you make a call to the driver to say “good job” or “thanks for helping out” they just shrug it off but it is worthy of noting, in making that phone call or putting a note in their pay packet to acknowledge them, especially if they had gone above and beyond, maybe with helping out training a newcomer, or looking after a new customer really well. Sometimes we also forget to show our appreciation to office staff, so maybe mark National Secretary Day or International Women’s Day for both male and female office staff.

TWAL had two wonderful female role models acknowledged in the lead up to In- ternational Women’s Day on March 8 with Sally-ann Eather taking out the Woman of the Year and Caitlin Barlow taking out the Industry Newcomer Award at the Road Freight NSW Awards in Sydney earlier this month. We are so proud of what these two women have achieved and what they still have to achieve in the industry.

We have nominated Annastasia Denigan, a long-term road safety advocate for the ATA Woman of the Year and Kelly-ann Lynch for the ATA National Driver of the Year at the National Trucking Industry Awards on the Sunshine Coast on March 31.

We still have several functions to come and we’re looking forward to acknowledging our sponsors, our new Gold Partners and the wonderful speakers we have lined up for you in Wollongong, Sydney, Dubbo and Melbourne.

We will also have a speaker announcement for the Brisbane Truck Show breakfast very soon. Tickets are selling fast so book soon to secure your place.

For all Transport Women Australia Limited enquiries please contact chair@transportwomen.com.au or call 0417 422 319.