How to foster women’s growth in the industry

As Tawni Marrs, Trimble’s lead data scientist, pointed out to FleetOwner last year: Studies show that diversity and inclusion are linked to workplace innovation; therefore, having women and other diverse perspectives in the industry “drives that innovative front.”

Not only should the industry foster women’s growth, it should also focus on attracting the next generation of leaders. And while the industry has a long way to go in fully supporting women and ensuring their growth, it is ripe for capable women leaders to rise up. Here are some tips to help foster women’s growth in transportation.

Work where women are valued

Women looking to enter the industry can start by applying for jobs at companies with women-focused goals or initiatives, whether those are internal women-focused groups or whether that company employs men and women who are supporters of external women-focused organizations.

“A core priority at J.B. Poindexter & Co. is development of women and all team members across our nine business units,” Suzanne Frawley, director of talent management at the manufacturer, told FleetOwner. One of the company’s business units, Morgan Olson, dedicates a whole webpage to its diversity initiatives, with a promise to foster equal growth and advancement among its entire staff and even employee testimonials.

The company also seeks to actively support its workforce through skill development.

“We foster a mindset of improving by providing individuals with parameters for their position and supporting them to develop the skills, attributes, and training to achieve the next level,” Frawley said.

Abby Griffith, senior product manager at Trimble, said choosing to work at an organization whose leadership celebrates and represents women, is also important.

"Seeing other women being celebrated, mentored, and trusted with more challenging work gives the next generation of women the confidence to know that they can strive for more and reach higher than they may have previously thought they should or could," Griffith explained.

It’s worth noting that, considering there are many more small businesses in the industry than publicly traded ones, not every organization will have a public initiative celebrating women. But that doesn’t mean it doesn’t value women’s contributions or won’t consider them for leadership positions.

The same could be said for the former: Simply posting a webpage or social media post dedicated to supporting employees isn’t a sure sign of fostering success among women. The best way to understand if a company truly appreciates and supports its women is to speak with its employees. Or perhaps, you might learn this intel from a mentor in the industry.

Find a mentor

Just as in any industry or life, mentorship in the transportation industry is valuable. Amy Hudson, one of FleetOwner’s featured Women in Transportation, spoke on this as one of her top tips for women seeking to grow in transportation.

While Hudson didn’t outright say she mentored others, she shared examples of how she guides and encourages them. For the women—and men—on her team, she stresses the importance of being prepared for meetings and listening. “I do push them for continuous learning,” Hudson said.

Suzanne Frawley echoed her sentiment, explaining that mentorship is encouraged at JBPCO and its business units as well, though on an informal level.

Frawley shared the valuable lessons she’s learned from mentorship:

“The most important thing I learned from my mentor was to focus on learning along the way. Don’t get so focused on achieving the next position that you miss the learning aspect. Focus on developing skills that will help you improve. It’s okay to move laterally if there is learning to be had."

Trimble's Griffith said that finding a good mentor is also a way that women can build their own confidence.

"Find a role model, female or male, within your company and watch how they talk, interact with others, and present themselves," Griffith told FleetOwner. "Find ways to emulate them in a way that feels authentic to you. Obviously, the goal isn’t to be a carbon copy of someone else, but it can help to have a blueprint of what communicating effectively and having your voice be heard looks like within your company or industry."

See also: E-book: Women in Transportation 2024

Get involved

One way to ensure women succeed in the industry is to get involved in company-led initiatives that amplify women’s voices and foster their growth. One such example is JBPCO’s Women’s Initiative Network.

“The Women’s Initiative Network [is] a resource group dedicated to developing and supporting female team members and their allies,” Frawley explained. “The program was developed at Morgan Truck Body and has been embraced across our JBPCO business units. The goal of the network is to celebrate women’s strengths and provide an outlet for supporting women in their professional goals.”

For those working at companies without internal women-focused groups, and for men and women looking to bring broad-scale change to the industry, joining an external women-focused organization could prove beneficial. Organizations such as Women In Motion and Women In Trucking are great examples.

“The American Trucking Associations is committed to empowering women at every career level and within every segment of our industry. That was our motivation behind the creation of Women In Motion, a council launched to support women, amplify their successes, and foster a strong network of mentorship and collaboration,” ATA’s Rajtik, a Women In Motion board member, said. “We are also on a mission to recruit more women to join the industry.”

Advice to the industry's women

In addition to prioritizing working for businesses that value women, finding a mentor, and getting involved, there are other steps women can take to ensure success in the transportation industry.

“I recommend developing a valued presence by speaking the language of the business, being collaborative and curious,” Frawley encouraged. “Be willing to learn from and use the input and information you gather so you can adapt to the situation you are in. Take time to learn the business and talk to colleagues to learn what they do and how their role affects the business and customers. Use your voice to convey your ideas laterally as well as upward by bringing solutions to the table that help the overall team achieve goals.”

Christina Hartzler, national client partnership manager at Mike Albert Fleet Solutions, noticed her coworkers gained more respect for her by her simply asking questions and being honest and transparent with her leadership. She also said that relationships are key to success, and they can be built when you “put in the work, act with integrity, and demonstrate commitment.”

Another leader at Mike Albert, Casey Morris, dealer purchasing manager, said that sometimes, building those relationships and gaining respect from male cohorts requires women to speak more bluntly.

“Being in a male-dominated industry naturally comes with a culture of ‘bravado and bluntness’—an approach many women don’t take,” she said. “Sometimes you have to professionally meet that person where they’re at and with the same approach. If you do it correctly, it often ends up with mutual respect, and you can move forward professionally.”

Griffith also believes that the delivery is just as important as the message.

"Be intentional," Griffith said. "Don’t apologize for having an opinion or for being an expert on topics. Stop ending your points with 'Does that make sense?' or something similar. This was hard for me early on in my career, and if I’m being honest, it’s something that I’m still working on today. Starting small by practicing in lower-stakes situations, like one-on-one meetings with my boss and/or smaller meetings with my peers, helped make the transition easier when I needed to communicate clearly with executives on a larger scale."

Advice to the industry's leadership

Although women should strive to succeed and be valuable assets to their company on their merit, women need allies in the transportation industry. Frawley, Hartzler, Griffith, and Morris share their words of wisdom with the industry’s men as well.

“Lead with empathy, trust, and transparency,” Frawley said. “Throughout my career, there have been instances when I had to take time off to care for my family. Those situations turned out best when I was working with leaders who believed in me, had my back, and weren’t afraid to publicly reinforce their support. When your boss has that level of confidence, you work even harder to deliver results for the team, and I did!”

What makes a good leader to Hartzler is one that actively supports and uplifts their employees no matter their gender.

“Male leaders should take an active role in mentoring and sharing their knowledge, fostering the passion and dedication of their female employees rather than assuming success in this field is determined by gender,” Hartzler said. “Success in this industry isn’t about gender; it’s about expertise, dedication, and the willingness to learn. Equally important is having leaders who are willing to stand behind and support their employees as they grow.”

Good leaders also ensure their best employees have a seat at the table.

"Be the advocate that gets [women] into the room," Griffith said. "And once she’s in the room and at the table, be intentional about including her in the conversation. It can be very intimidating to look around the room and realize that you’re one of the only females there, so help make space for her voice."

Good leaders also strive for equality, according to Morris.

“Recognize and appropriately combat unequal treatment, expectations, pay, etc.,” Morris advised. “The only way we will ever get to a point of equality is through action—and it will take the highest level recognizing it and cascading those expectations down.”

Griffith agrees: "Once you’ve identified those strong females with leadership potential, be a mentor for her and invest in her growth. This might mean that some bosses need to step out of their own comfort zones, but it’s so important to offer the same resources and opportunities for growth that our male counterparts have access to today."

The transportation industry is known for rapidly changing—especially in this decade. More women are finding homes in the industry, and that momentum should continue. It’s up to those of us already here to make these great opportunities known for women and to help make it an industry that little girls dream about one day becoming a part of.