Women In Trucking Names Mackenzie Melton December Member of the Month

Women In Trucking Association (WIT) has named Mackenzie Melton as its December Member of the Month.

Compared to many truck drivers, Melton is relatively new in the transportation industry. She began her professional driving career with Garner Trucking, Inc, in her home town of Findlay, Ohio, nearly three years ago.

Deciding to attend a truck driving school took more courage than anyone else could understand. When Melton was only eleven years old, she had been involved in a fatal car accident which took the lives of both of her step-brothers. Snow and icy conditions were a factor of that tragic event. The memory of the accident left her with a fear of riding in vehicles for several years after. Even as a professional driver, it adds another layer of focus when weather conditions become severe.

Being a single mother, she found herself working several dead-end jobs as she struggled to provide for herself and her young child. As she labored in a factory to barely made ends meet, Mackenzie described her situation as “dirt poor” and nowhere to go. While she was working at the presses day in and day out, it was a driver who unknowingly gave Mackenzie an inspiration. The driver made a daily delivery to the facility where Mackenzie worked. She noticed his professionalism, his pleasant demeanor, his confidence and pride in what he did for a living.

Melton had never spoken to that driver, but began to admire the job he did. “Why can’t I be a truck driver and happily come and go instead of standing at my press every day?” was what began going through her mind.

Family members were split over her career decision. The man in her life, who is now her husband, has been nothing but supportive since the very beginning. He helps make her home time quality family time with her two children. Another family member expressed her fear of dangers on the road that a woman could encounter. After nearly three years, none of those fears have proven to be valid and Melton stated that she is so glad she didn’t allow the fears of others to hinder her decision.

It was time for her to begin a new career that would provide a good life for her family. Driving truck promised to be financially stable and offer some adventure too. It would have taken a life-time to save enough for tuition for truck driving school; so, she sought assistance. She found an agency that would invest in someone who was willing to work hard, had a good employment history and could fit classes into her weekend schedule.

She took a little longer to graduate than some, but with her job and family, she could only be in class one day each week; however, Melton has no regrets of the choice she made!

Melton’s clean safety record, on-time deliveries and other criteria that calculates into the formula for company driver awards, certainly paid off for her. “In 2016, I was selected as Garner Driver of the Quarter,” says Mackenzie, “and that was a big surprise since I was not a long-time employee!”