Ten years into the new millennium, Ellen Voie, Founder and CEO Women in Trucking, says there is still resistance to change in the male-dominated trucking profession when it comes to accepting women. That’s why she tells lady truckers to “lead from a position of strength” in her recent Transport Topics opinion piece.

“Our goal is to help them envision a future that includes more women behind the wheel, under the hood and in the executive office,” Voie says.

Although women have already started to crack the glass ceiling in the trucking industry in a major way. Last year, 11 state trucking associations were run by women, including Mary Lou Rajchel, President & CEO of the Florida Trucking Association, Karen Rasmussen, President & CEO of the Arizona Trucking Association, and Kathleen Fowers, President & CEO of the Idaho Trucking Association. We can also look to Anne S. Ferro, former president of the Maryland Motor Truck Association, who is now leads the Federal Motor Carrier Safety Administration.

“Even as we move further into the 21st century, we are still surprised when the person in coveralls who slides out from under the vehicle is a woman. Nor do we automatically assume that the woman greeting us at the dealership is qualified to sell a Class 8 tractor. When a woman is named CEO of a major fleet, it’s still newsworthy simply because she’s a woman,” Voie adds.

With a new decade starting, Voie knows there is still work to be done to help women break the glass ceiling in trucking, but there’s no denying the strides women have already made. And we expect to see more glass shattering in the future.