You are currently viewing Ellen Voie: Redefining The Road of Women Empowerment

Ellen Voie: Redefining The Road of Women Empowerment

The trucking industry is experiencing a talent shortage. From the board room to the diesel shop to the cab of a tractor-trailer, there is a need for qualified professionals to fill these roles. In the past, trucking companies claimed they only want to hire the best person for the job, regardless of gender, age, or ethnicity. However, the Women In Trucking Association has proved that women are safer drivers on the road and add value in the board room. For this reason, companies have started to focus their recruiting and retention efforts on underrepresented demographics, such as women.

The increasing technology in the trucking industry is gradually opening better avenues for female employees. As the job becomes less physically demanding, it allows carriers to attract more women (and men) as professional drivers. It makes the job more attractive because they are paid to drive, not to load, tarp, strap, chain or “fingerprint” the cargo.

The technology that is overrated in the trucking industry is the idea of autonomous vehicles. “I cannot see a driver-less truck as a common sight on our nation’s highways,” says Ellen Voie – President-CEO, Women in Trucking Association (WIT). Snow, construction, and animals darting across the road require a skilled and professional driver. Even airplanes equipped with an autopilot still have two pilots at the controls. Her passion is to empower women considering or employed in transportation careers. “My goal is to increase the ranks of women as drivers, mechanics, safety directors, managers and as directors on corporate boards,” she adds.

The Women In Trucking Association is a non-profit organization whose mission is to encourage the employment of women in transportation careers, address obstacles that might keep women from entering the industry and to celebrate the success of its members. The organization has close to 5,000 members in ten countries, and more importantly, nineteen percent of the members are men who joined because they are in support of the mission. It also has a scholarship foundation that is a charitable organization as well.

An Insightful Journey

“The challenges I have faced personally, always had been about working hard to succeed in male-dominated environments,” tells Ellen. Right after high school, she attended radio broadcasting school where very few women were disc jockeys in the seventies. Later, she gained experience by working as a drafter before leaving for a career in transportation. “I earned my commercial driver’s license in 2008 after attending truck driver training,” she boasts proudly. Ellen’s enjoys riding her motorcycle, sky diving, and flying her single-engine Cessna Skyhawk airplane. “I work very hard to prove that I am capable, strong and able to do many of the things the guys do,” states Ellen.

“I was one of the lucky people whose mom told me I could do anything I wanted, and I believed her,” said Ellen.

Ellen’s mother encouraged her when she took up shop class to be more independent when it came to cars, woodworking, drafting, and even welding. After high school, Ellen found a job as a drafter at a steel fabricating plant in central Wisconsin. There she designed material handling equipment, such as steel pallets, bins, and racking.

“From there, I was offered a position in the traffic (shipping) department. They sent me to school to earn a diploma in Traffic and Transportation Management, and that’s how my career in the trucking industry began,” she reminisces.

“My mother was my strongest ally in empowering me to try new things. She encouraged me to ‘get out and see the world’ before I settled down, and this was in the seventies!” she exclaims. She set an example by treating Ellen and her sister as capable peers to her three brothers. While raising her family, Ellen worked as a freelance consultant for eighteen years. “I licensed and permitted trucks for small carriers in central Wisconsin,” proclaims Ellen. In 2006, she was recruited by a large Midwest carrier where her role was to understand better, how to attract and retain non-traditional groups, which included women. She felt the industry could do a better job of attracting and retaining women. Hence, in 2007; Ellen formed the Women In Trucking Association, Inc.

Ellen’s motivation is her desire to empower women. “Women are under-represented in all transportation careers, but we are certainly capable and needed in all areas, from the boardroom to the cab of a truck,” she claims.

Her advice to budding entrepreneurs is to ask a lot of questions. Guiding them, she says, “Learn from other’s mistakes and successes. Don’t be afraid that you will look weak by asking for information, as most people are flattered to be asked for advice or insight.”

A Unique Event With A Critical Mission

Accelerate! Conference and Expo 2019 is the only trucking event that focuses on advancing women in the industry. Attendees include leaders in transportation, logistics, and supply chain as well as professional drivers. Anyone who believes the gender balance should be changed in the industry should attend and participate in the Accelerate! Conference & Expo. More than 1,000 individuals anticipated to register, ranging from trucking companies and 3PLs to manufacturers, retailers, truck driving schools, and financial, insurance, health & fitness services. Save the date: 30th September 2019 to 02nd October 2019.