Cassie Wood, CTP, born and raised in Boise, Idaho, has lived and worked there her entire life. Her mother was a second-grade teacher, and her father ran his own small business as a mechanic of heavy-duty equipment. She has one sibling, a brother, who is five years older than her. Wood has three children, ages 11, 12, and 16. Like her father, her husband is a mechanic and runs his own engine-rebuild business.
Wood has almost 20 years of transportation experience, including six years in management. Currently, she is the regional corrugated and white paper transportation manager at PCA/Boise/BCT. She earned a bachelor’s degree in business management in 2019 from Boise State University, an OSHA certification in 2019, and a Certified Transportation Professional designation in 2020.
Demonstrating exceptional skills in multitasking, Wood pursued all three credentials simultaneously for more than two years. Outside of work, she is a health/fitness lifestyle coach, personal trainer, and obstacle course racer.
After graduating from high school, Wood went to work for Boise-Cascade and did not start her college studies until 19 years later. “I hired on at Boise in 2005 as a temp converting physical driver records to online files,” Wood said.
“Management pulled me aside one day and asked me to stay on as a temp for another six months. Soon I was hired as a log manager and did that for two years before moving on to the logistics department, where I worked brokering freight for five years.”
Next, Wood dispatched heavy-haul trucks for two years. Then it was on to Waco, Texas, where she worked as a terminal manager for two years before returning to Boise to work as a freight pay analyst. After that, she worked briefly in the safety department.
“I was fortunate to get into transportation by accident and have had wonderful opportunities in so many different roles. In the last four years, I’ve received two promotions. It’s been a great career for me.”
In her current role as transportation manager, Wood oversees transportation of some 34 manufacturing plants and helps facilitate relationships between outside carriers and BCT Inc., a private fleet that is domiciled at several plants. “I leverage the private fleet performance to help negotiate rates with carriers and owner-operators.”
Boise White Paper (formerly Boise-Cascade) is a wholly owned subsidiary of the Packaging Corporation of America, which has over 90 box plants, 10 mills, and a white paper plant located throughout the country. BCT Inc. is the private fleet of the company with 300 trucks and 360 drivers, 75% of which are company drivers and 25% are owner-operators. BCT Inc. has 14 terminals around the country.
The company’s private fleet previously operated as a profit center and had 70% owner-operators and 30% employee drivers. “Under Packaging Corporation of America, we are a cost center, and a majority of drivers are employees. We feel we are better off with company drivers. We have more control with our own drivers, and turnover is very low. PCA loves our private fleet and feels it is an asset and competitive advantage.”
Over the past 20 years, several management team members of Boise’s private fleet have participated in NPTC. The company usually sends one person each year through the Private Fleet Management Institute (PFMI) and the Certified Transportation Professional program. Wood's involvement with NPTC began in 2020 when she enrolled in PFMI and later passed her CTP exam.
See also: NPTC creates 'incredible' CTP connections
“Going through the CTP program gave me a great understanding about all aspects of running a private fleet,” Wood said. “What an amazing experience. It is a very well-rounded program. The resource study materials and practice tests were very helpful in preparing for the CTP exam. I learned a great deal and met people who have been helpful in my career. I am still in touch with many from my class.”
Since completing her CTP, Wood has joined the PFMI faculty and serves as a member of the NPTC Benchmarking Steering Committee.
“I want to get more active in the Council and encourage women especially to choose a career in transportation as a first-choice vocation and eventually earn their CTP certification,” Wood said.
“Young girls don’t dream of becoming transportation managers when they grow up," Wood said. "It’s a career that often begins by chance. I started as a temp handling driver files knowing nothing about transportation. From there, management gave me support and encouragement to prove myself in various roles and earn promotions. I love the work and want to encourage women to make transportation a career of choice.”
Gary Petty is president and CEO of the National Private Truck Council and FleetOwner’s private fleet editor.
