Ellen Voie (Voy-a) is an internationally recognized speaker and authority on gender diversity and inclusion for women working in non-traditional careers in transportation. She has been invited to speak to audiences in Sweden, Australia, New Zealand, Vietnam, France, Mexico, and Canada, in addition to being a popular speaker at conferences throughout the United States. Voie founded the Women In Trucking Association in 2007, and currently serves as the nonprofit organization’s President & CEO. The Women In Trucking Association was formed to promote the employment of women in the trucking industry, to remove obstacles that might keep them from succeeding, and to celebrate the successes of its members. Voie also currently serves on the Motor Carrier Safety Advisory Committee (MCSAC) to provide recommendations and advice to the FMCSA on motor carrier safety programs and motor carrier safety regulations. Voie’s background in the trucking industry began as the assistant and later Traffic Manager for a steel fabricating plant in the upper Midwest. She then worked as a dispatcher for a grain hauling carrier before becoming co-owner of a small fleet. After starting a family, she used her background to become a freelance transportation consultant to carriers in Wisconsin, licensing and permitting trucks for more than 16 years. Voie also served as the Executive Director of Trucker Buddy International, Inc., a pen pal program between professional drivers and elementary students. Voie holds a Master’s in Communication degree from the University of Wisconsin, Stevens Point, where she completed her Thesis research on the complex identities of women married to professional drivers. She also hold a degree in Traffic and Transportation Management from LaSalle Extension University. Voie has earned the Certified Association Executive (CAE) credential from the American Society of Association Executives, the leading authority in association management.

Columnists,Ellen Voie |
November 1, 2019

Former U.S. Secretary of State Madeline Albright once said, “There is a special place in hell for women who don’t help other women.”

In this age of social media which allows anonymity and seems to breed contempt, there are too many people who hurl insults at one another without much thought to how it reflects on her (or him).

I read some of these nasty or offensive comments and it makes me wonder: What is the intent?  Is the poster trying to offend people or is she just a negative person all the time? Is everyone so angry they just react to everything with rage?

The legitimate mission of the Women In Trucking Association is fundamentally critical to help impact the lives of women and positively impact the industry at large: To encourage the employment of women in the trucking industry, promote their accomplishments and minimize obstacles faced by women working in the trucking industry. As the Women In Trucking Association continues to grow and become more influential in the industry, we have become a greater target for these attacks.They mostly are dramatically incorrect and misguided, but in today’s social media climate, a lot of drivers fall for the misinformation.

One group adopted our name and added the word REAL to their association. Do they honestly believe we aren’t a real group or real people with a legitimate desire to help each other and advance the industry? They hurl insults and accuse us of such unbelievable “crimes” we just have to shrug our shoulders in disbelief. Anyone who copies a name and then attacks the original group should remember, “imitation is the sincerest form of flattery.”

For us, success for our organization will simply advance our mission – and the entire industry clearly is behind our passion and mission. We’ve increased our membership year over year, hosted a conference that continues to break records, and added resources for our members that make their dues a worthwhile investment.

Another group started in Canada and claimed we didn’t represent them, despite our hundreds of Canadian members who have joined and remained active with the association.  We have a Canadian Image Team and attend numerous events north of the border.  In fact, we’ve spread to 10 countries so far, and Canada is our second largest group. We welcome them with open arms into our organization.

All of these groups, including numerous social media groups, claim to share our mission, which is simply to increase the percentage of women employed in the trucking industry.

So why attack one another?  Or, as Madeline Albright asks, why aren’t we helping one another?

Dr. Tracy Vaillaincourt, Ph.D. in an article in Red Shoe Movement, claims the most common profile of the female bully is someone who is very competitive AND is an envious woman who has some type of power in the workplace.  In fact, a study at the University of Michigan in the 1970s found that women who were successful in male dominated industries were more likely to oppose the success of other women in their field. The researchers claimed that the women defended their positions because they felt the opportunities were limited and they needed to slam the door on women following them for the few available positions at the top.

The study also found that women are less likely to confront a female bully than men would.  That makes women easier targets (literally and figuratively).

So, back to Madeline Albright and her admonishment to help one another. If each of the groups mentioned above really cared more about helping women entering the trucking industry instead of attacking the most influential organization, they would work WITH us, and not against us.  We’re here to stay.

Which leads me to believe the goal isn’t to help their female drivers, it’s to climb to the top while shoving others behind.  Remember, blowing out another’s candle doesn’t make yours shine any brighter.

The title of this blog is called, “What’s your intent?”   Is your intent to create a more diverse workforce in the trucking industry, or is your goal to kick at your sisters who share the same passion because you want power?

Think about it.

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Ellen Voie (Voy-a) is an internationally recognized speaker and authority on gender diversity and inclusion for women working in non-traditional careers in transportation. She has been invited to speak to audiences in Sweden, Australia, New Zealand, Vietnam, France, Mexico, and Canada, in addition to being a popular speaker at conferences throughout the United States. Voie founded the Women In Trucking Association in 2007, and currently serves as the nonprofit organization’s President & CEO. The Women In Trucking Association was formed to promote the employment of women in the trucking industry, to remove obstacles that might keep them from succeeding, and to celebrate the successes of its members. Voie also currently serves on the Motor Carrier Safety Advisory Committee (MCSAC) to provide recommendations and advice to the FMCSA on motor carrier safety programs and motor carrier safety regulations. Voie’s background in the trucking industry began as the assistant and later Traffic Manager for a steel fabricating plant in the upper Midwest. She then worked as a dispatcher for a grain hauling carrier before becoming co-owner of a small fleet. After starting a family, she used her background to become a freelance transportation consultant to carriers in Wisconsin, licensing and permitting trucks for more than 16 years. Voie also served as the Executive Director of Trucker Buddy International, Inc., a pen pal program between professional drivers and elementary students. Voie holds a Master’s in Communication degree from the University of Wisconsin, Stevens Point, where she completed her Thesis research on the complex identities of women married to professional drivers. She also hold a degree in Traffic and Transportation Management from LaSalle Extension University. Voie has earned the Certified Association Executive (CAE) credential from the American Society of Association Executives, the leading authority in association management.