If you not at the table, you’re on the menu.
During a recent strategic planning session, the Women In
Trucking Association board of directors directed Ellen Voie, President and CEO,
to work toward the goal of being THE industry resource for carriers, suppliers
and professional drivers. This desired
outcome can only be realized by building relationships and developing a level of
trust with legislators, regulators and carrier executives.
Developing relationships involves trust. According to Inc.
Magazine, “relationships are the fuel that feeds the success of your
business.” Building relationships takes
time, and the partnership must benefit all parties involved. The goal is to focus on what you can provide
to your network, not what you will receive from the exchange.
Women In Trucking Association has had the privilege of
building relationships with influential men and women in the trucking
industry. We have developed a level of
trust with regulators who see our association as a resource. We are often contacted for our opinion or to
provide insight into an industry issue, which gives us the opportunity to direct
the department or legislator to the right resource.
As a resource, we are contacted first for our insight. If we want to promote our cause we have the
opportunity, but in many cases we do not adopt a stance or promote a cause.
For example, during a meeting with the Department of Justice
and the Vice President’s office regarding harassment against women, the issue of
human trafficking was raised. We
directed them to Truckers Against Trafficking, which is now working with Vice
President Biden’s office to stop human trafficking. We will continue to work on our relationship
to advance our issues regarding harassment against women in the trucking
industry.
Whether you agree with the regulations that affect you as a
driver or carrier is not the issue. The
value is in being asked for input when these decisions are being made. Remember, if you’re not at the table, you’re
on the menu. Having a voice in the process is the goal. The outcome might not always reflect your
ideal, but perhaps it could have resulted in more burdensome regulation.
Since Women In Trucking Association represents both drivers
and carriers, we abstain from issues that divide our members. We will not take a stand on EOBRs or hours of
service issues, as these are better left to the organizations that represent
specific populations such as OOIDA (for
drivers) and the American Trucking Associations, Inc. (for carriers) and the National Association for
Small Trucking Companies (NASTC) for smaller
carriers.
Our goal is to be a resource and to have a seat at the table
(and stay off the menu) when discussions about the trucking industry occur, and
especially when the issues affect women.
The Women In Trucking Association has been invited to the US
Department of Transportation’s office numerous times to help Secretary of
Transportation Ray LaHood and his staff better understand the issues that
concern our members.
We have talked about the value of a toll free crisis line for
all drivers who might need assistance on the road. We have asked for the department’s help in
working toward a certification process for driver trainers and we are working on
how we can recognize professional driving as a skilled trade. We discuss ways to ensure the safety of women
who deliver freight and how their work environment can be less threatening.
These are all issues that we can agree on. These are not political and do not divide our
members. We have made progress and as a
young organization (five years old!), we are still working on the momentum we
need to move these initiatives forward.
In order to keep our seat at the table, we must continue to
provide input and develop a level of trust with the Department of
Transportation, the National Transportation Safety Board and our elected
officials who oversee the transportation industry.
We can’t do this alone.
We need your help. The more
members we represent, the louder our voice will be at the table. The greater our numbers, the more power we
bring to Washington, DC. Your support is
valuable and by becoming a member of Women In Trucking Association, you can have
a small part in moving our message forward.
We are often asked for input from our members, so we reach
out to you for your opinion and to understand your needs. We represent our members and the greater our
numbers, the louder our voice.
Remember the famous (anonymous) quote, “If you aren’t at the
table, you’re on the menu.” Women In
Trucking Association seeks a seat at the table.
We hope you’ll join us.
Ellen Voie CAE, President/CEO
P O Box 400 Plover, WI 54467-0400
888-464-9482
920-312-1350 Direct
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