Women In Trucking to Advance 150 Women-Owned Transportation Businesses

Women In Trucking President & CEO Ellen Voie, in her annual presentation during the organization’s Accelerate! Conference & Expo,  announced a new program that will serve as a platform to assist in establishing 150 new women-owned small businesses within in the transportation sector over the next 12 months.

The program – developed as part of a strategic partnership with Expediter Services, one of the industry’s leading providers of capacity – will offer accessible financing as well as operational and business support for women interested in entering the trucking industry.

The goal of the new program from Women In Trucking (WIT), offers a proven platform for women who are interested in learning about and growing within the trucking industry. The women in the program will be on a path to establishing their own small businesses as owner-operators and fleet owners in a market that now has a driver shortage approaching 50,000, according to the latest industry estimates.

WIT’s new program also offers a strong solution in a challenging driver market for carriers seeking capacity growth to meet the increasing shipping needs of customers. As part of her presentation at Accelerate!, Voie issued a challenge to the carriers attending the annual WIT conference and to carriers across the industry. In considering the number of small businesses and owner-operators WIT’s new program seeks to develop over the next year, Voie challenged carriers to help create opportunities for these women entrepreneurs by utilizing their services as a way to address capacity needs.

Expediter Services President Jason Williams, a WIT Board of Directors Member and a participant in a panel discussion following Voie’s presentation, announced on Tuesday that Panther Premium Logistics and Forward Air had become the first carriers to pledge their support in welcoming the capacity that will be generated by the small businesses produced through WIT’s new program.

“One of the goals of Women In Trucking Association is to address obstacles a woman might face in her career. For drivers, this is often about obtaining funding, which our partnership with Expediter Services will eliminate. Not only will she receive financial support, she will learn how to become a small business owner in the process. We are so excited to be able to provide this service to our members,” said Voie.

Category: General Update, News