Nominations for the Women In Trucking Driver of the Year award run through Feb. 1, 2023.
This marks the fourth consecutive year the Women In Trucking Association (WIT) will recognize a female driver who demonstrates an exceptional commitment to safety and advances a positive image of women CDL professionals.
“Each year we feature a female professional driver, so we can share her story to encourage other women to not only honor her but to consider the opportunity to enter the industry and find success,” WIT president and CEO Ellen Voie reportedly said. “
The non-profit women’s advocacy organization partners with Walmart as an annual sponsor. The world’s largest retailer operates a freight transportation network with more than 12,000 truck drivers, 10,000 semis, and 80,000 trailers. All told, Walmart drivers log upwards of 1.1 billion miles annually.
“At Walmart, we aim to foster inclusion through the intentional action of understanding, supporting, and championing individuals in all of their uniqueness, resulting in a culture where all associates feel welcome, comfortable, safe and empowered to reach their full potential every day,” Walmart senior vice of transportation President Fernando Cortes reportedly said.
To qualify for the Women In Trucking Driver of the Year award, nominees must meet the following criteria, according to WIT.
- Any female driver who has safely driven at least one million consecutive, accident-free miles.
- Female owner-operators and company drivers.
- The driver must be nominated by the motor carrier by which she is currently leased or employed and must have three years of experience with that company.
- A personal statement explaining in 250 words or less why they should be selected.
- At least three letters of recommendation explaining in 250 words or less why the driver should be selected.
Past award winners include 30-year Yellow Corporation driver Peggy Arnold. Earning the nod in 2022, Arnold logged 1.9 million accident-free miles. She also received Yellow’s Million Mile Safe Driving Award and served on Yellow’s Women’s Inclusion Network Employee Resource Group, among others.
In 2021, Nikki Weaver of FedEx Freight won the award. Weaver worked as an over-the-road driver for seven years before joining FedEx. Along with serving as an America’s Road Team Captain, she logged 2 million accident-free miles without a single moving violation.
Day and Ross trucker Susie De Ridder was awarded the first Female Driver of the Year award in 2020. At the time, she had logged 4 million accident-free miles during her 40-year career. The former board member of the Women in Trucking Federation of Canada was also named to WIT’s Image Team in 2018.
The finalists and overall winner will be recognized at the 2023 Salute to Women Behind the Wheel event at the Mid-America Trucking Show in Louisville, Kentucky, on Friday, March 31. To nominate a deserving female truck driver, visit WIT Driver of the Year.
Sources: womenintrucking.org, womenintrucking.org
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