Women in Trucking's Accelerate Conference is a unique event in the trucking industry. I attended the most recent one with two NACFE staffers—Rachel Ellenberger, industry engagement manager, and Kim Ehrenhaft, design director. You may recall last year, after WIT, I turned this blog over to NACFE’s communications director, Denise Rondini, and let her share her thoughts on the event.
I chatted with Rachel and Kim to get their impressions of the show this time—this was the second time both had attended the Accelerate Conference. Kim shared her experience saying, “After attending my second WIT Accelerate show, I've learned that attendees are eager to learn and are not shy about asking questions. This show creates an atmosphere where everyone feels comfortable—and is encouraged—to ask questions, whether visiting a booth, in a training session, or even waiting in line for one of the activities.”
One of the things that struck us was the fact that the event provided great opportunities to both learn and network with peers in the industry. This is really needed because, as Rachel put it: “There are unique challenges that women face in trucking—and in all male-dominated industries—and WIT is a great forum to build collective power, share experiences, and learn something new about other women in the industry.”
There also seemed to be enough time to network, sit in sessions, listen, and learn. The mix of topics covered at the event seemed right, with some focused on technology while others addressed barriers that women face in the industry and steps they can take to remove or bypass those barriers.
See also: Women in Transportation 2024
The exhibits were well attended, and attendees seemed genuinely interested in the products and services on display. NACFE had a booth at the show, and all of us noticed that there was a lot of curiosity around the push to zero-emission and alternative fuels and technologies. We had many conversations with show attendees, some of whom have been entrenched in the industry and others who are just starting to learn about these solutions. We were asked many great questions and had really engaging conversations.
NACFE also hosted two roundtable discussions on battery electric vehicles, and both Kim and Rachel found that after asking an initial question to get the conversation going, attendees kept it going throughout the entire hour and were eager to share ideas and learn from each other.
I, as well as Rachel and Kim, left the show energized and hopeful that the women who attended the conference and other women currently working in the trucking industry will help propel our industry forward for decades to come. More women joining our industry will help us meet the challenges we face now and the ones we will face in the future.
I encourage everyone to interact with women entering the trucking industry to help them navigate the nuances of trucking and to learn from them as well.
