Sheventures

When you think of a truck driver does that memorable scene from Thelma and Louise come to mind? Ellen Voie wants to change that stereotype and amplify gender diversity in the trucking industry; so she started Women in Trucking, a nonprofit, whose mission is to mentor women with the information, education, opportunity, community, and support they need to succeed in a male-dominated business. Established in 2007, the organization now boasts more than 4,000 members. Voie’s pivot happened after earning degrees in broadcast journalism and communications. She landed a job in a steel fabricating plant where she moved up the ranks to transportation management and thus her second pivot into the trucking industry. Voie speaks about her organization’s diversity and inclusion initiatives, the best practices for women drivers, and why “they should ask a lot of questions and make sure they know what they’re getting into before signing on the dotted line.” She also lends her opinions on how the pandemic affected the truckin