Truckline celebrates International Womens Day

It’s no secret that the trucking industry is a predominantly male field, at least at first glance, but as time goes on, women are making quite a bit of headway. It’s unfortunate that in some instances women aren’t given the benefit of the doubt when it comes to being knowledgeable about trucks and parts, but some companies are trying to change that by putting a spotlight on women in the industry. Truckline is one example of a company doing just that in correlation with International Women’s Day coming up on 8 March this year.

Experience trumps all

Two employees that Truckline is shining an appreciative spotlight on this year are Kristel Lee and Yasmin Forster, both of which are branch managers for the company. Together, they have over 30 years of experience in the industry, which means they can let their expertise speak for itself and transcend archaic gender stereotypes. Lee’s father has worked in the industry for 50 years, so she was able to learn a lot about trucking from a young age. Still, even with that knowledge, she had to work hard to prove herself as she climbed the ranks from delivery driver up to branch manager. Forster had a similar story where she went from working on the floor of a factory to managing a Truckline branch.

Even though women have an uphill battle to fight in male-dominated industries, Lee and Forster seem to have a generally positive outlook on where the trucking industry is today and what it holds for the future. There is something of an old guard of truck drivers that are still wary of women working in the industry, but Lee and women like her have enough confidence in their experience to know that regardless of a customer’s potentially outdated outlook, they’re going to get the same level of service they’d get from any other trained professional. It’s a testament to the resiliency of these women that they can face adversity and stereotypes but ultimately keep moving forward because they’re working in an industry that they love.