In the office at Grand Island Express, it’s an ongoing joke that recruiter Kyle Wiesen is a renaissance woman, having worked in many different jobs throughout her career. Wiesen recently celebrated five years at the company, a refrigerated carrier based in Grand Island, Nebraska, but before that, she worked in the funeral home industry, human resources, hospice, insurance, and more. The fact that she wound up in the trucking industry was purely by accident.
“Prior to being in the Grand Island area, I was in Omaha, Nebraska, where I worked in higher education, and I was in recruitment in the admissions office for people pursuing their master's degrees and doctoral degrees,” Wiesen said. “I went from that to recruiting truck drivers, so that was kind of an interesting transition for me. I had to completely change my language and how I approach conversations.”
Wiesen initially planned to join Grand Island Express as a trainer. However, after meeting her, Deen Albert, Grand Island's VP of operations, knew she'd be better suited for a recruiter position due to her personable nature and prior experience.
See also: Women in Transportation 2024
Wiesen's path lead to trucking
Although Wiesen never saw herself working in the trucking industry, she believes this industry is an often hidden opportunity that can provide many, especially women, with significant career, personal, and financial growth. For her, trucking wasn't something she ever considered.
"I would see trucks on the interstate, but never in a million years would I have imagined that this is an industry that I would pursue," Wiesen said. "So I think women especially need to keep their options open and look at things like the trucking industry that maybe they would have never considered in the past."
Wiesen claims that her winding career path prepared her for the trucking industry and working with drivers more than one might think. Working in different industries and positions helped her learn how to communicate with people from all walks of life, which aids in interacting with current and potential truck drivers.
“The key to the position I'm in right now is being able to communicate with people and interact with people, changing the way that I approach conversations and understanding my audience,” Wiesen said. "I think because I've been so many places and worked in so many different areas, it's helped me to navigate that and know how to adjust to the situations or the people that I'm working with.”
The common thread in Wiesen’s career is working with people, and that’s her favorite part of being a recruiter in the industry now. Wiesen told FleetOwner that her biggest joy in recruitment for the trucking industry is working with drivers who have had negative work experiences and showing them that there are still good people and companies in trucking.
“Many drivers say to us, ‘I just can't believe that everything you told me on the phone was true.’ And if I can get even one person each week and orientation to say that, that's my victory,” Wiesen said.
See also: Same-gender training in the trucking industry
For women, trucking is a viable career path
As a recruiter, Wiesen’s goal is to help men and women see the trucking industry as a viable career path. With women in particular, Wiesen strives to listen and be transparent.
“Especially for our female drivers, it’s important to make sure that we understand what their needs and their concerns are,” Wiesen said. “In my conversations with a female driver, I know that they want specifics on what their home time is going to look like, what their truck amenities are, so I will probably provide even more information because I know that they want all of those details to make their decision.”
Wiesen also knows the importance of community, especially for women. She ensures that new women drivers meet Grand Island Express’s other women drivers. Additionally, Wiesen enrolls new drivers in the company mentorship program. She told FleetOwner that women drivers appreciate this program and the guidance it provides from more experienced women drivers.
For those considering joining the trucking industry, especially women, Wiesen has the following recruiter advice:
“I think that to be a part of this industry, you have to be ready for every day to be a different day,” Wiesen said. “Every day brings about a new challenge, and you can either embrace the challenge, learn from it, and become stronger in your career and more knowledgeable, or you can let it defeat you. And there are days, unfortunately, when you get knocked down a little bit, but as long as you can get yourself back up and keep pushing, there is so much potential in this industry for women.”
