Women In Trucking Association’s (WIT) mission to encourage the employment of women working in the trucking industry is reaching beyond North America into other countries.

Recently, WIT President/CEO, Ellen Voie, was asked to give the keynote speech at the Motoring Matters Magazine Group’s (MMMG) 2014 Awards Event in Melbourne, Australia. The event, now in its tenth year, brought major CEOs and executives of various commercial vehicle manufacturers, including women employed in the transport industry at the executive and driver level.

At the event Voie highlighted the importance of showing the benefits of the transport industry to women employees. “The trucking industry is open to attract women in all areas, from driving to management, but there needs to be attitudinal change,” said Chris Mullett, Managing Editor of PowerTorque, a MMMG publication. “The senior management attending the awards event took Ellen’s suggestions and experiences back to their own companies in what is an excellent start to promoting the opportunities available to women in both Australia and America,” he added. 

The Australian media was interested in WIT’s mission. Voie, along with Scania driver trainer, Alana Mountfield, were interviewed by ABC News Breakfast national television hosts Virginia Trioli and Michael Browning as well as ABC Radio’s Cameron Wilson on the Bush Telegraph. Voie was also interviewed by ABC radio channel 774’s Richard Stubbs. 

After speaking at the MMMG event in Melbourne, Voie flew to Hamilton Island to attend the Australian Trucking Association’s (ATA) annual conference, where she shared best practices with trucking executives. “I found the Australian transport industry to be very interested in increasing the presence of women at both the leadership level as well as their driver population,” Voie said. “Australian women are less prevalent in the trucking industry, but they are eager to create a more positive environment and change that situation,” Voie added. 

Noelene Watson, Managing Director of Don Watson Transport, was named the new chairperson of the ATA and is the first woman to hold that position. Her goal is to improve the image of professional drivers and to promote better health and wellbeing of the driver population. 

“I was especially pleased to be present when Australia’s first female ATA chair took her position as an industry leader,” said Voie. “Women are becoming more visible and more influential in the trucking industry around the world and Women In Trucking Association is helping create this much needed change,” she added.

Voie’s trip was sponsored by the Motoring Matters Magazine Group, publishers of PowerTorque Magazine and Delivery Magazine, the leading Australian publications in their respective fields of truck and trailer technology and light commercial vehicles.