CONTENT SPONSORED BY NFI INDUSTRIES
Women in the trucking industry have long sought out each other for both support and advice. With that unique experience in mind, NFI Industries, in collaboration with the Women In Trucking Association (WIT), established the SheDrives community to highlight NFI’s women drivers.
The group provides a safe space for women in the industry to rely on each other while encouraging others to seek jobs in trucking.
“The women drivers wanted a community where they could talk to one another, offer advice and just in general, have a community among themselves,” said Marie Jucknik, regional transport manager for NFI. “That’s how we started the SheDrives community.”
Beginning in the South Jersey area, the SheDrives community has spread across the country and is now a robust organization for women. In addition to the SheDrives YouTube video series, the group offers a private Facebook group, workshops and meetings — all with the goal of discussing ideas to bring more women into the industry and being a support tool to guide one another.
“It’s a fantastic program,” Jucknik said. “It started out with a video trying to encourage women to drive trucks.”
After that initial video, Jucknik says, she and several of NFI’s female drivers attended a WIT event.
“On the way back from that event, they were so excited about having a community of women drivers,” she shared. “We started talking about what women wanted to see and share.”
One of the most important aspects of the community addresses the safety concerns that are unique to women in the industry.
“Women wanted to be able to tell each other, ‘Hey, that truck stop in that location is a very bad place to go. Don’t go there. Or, this customer will not allow you to use the bathroom, so be careful if you have to go there,’’ Jucknik said. “Talking about things from a woman’s point of view.”
According to Jucknik, most people in the industry do not understand or stop to think about some of the issues that are unique to women, such as safety concerns or dealing with menstruation on the road. With that in mind, some of the topics the women share also include self-defense techniques, how to handle family issues while on the road, and how to help those experiencing challenges such as breast cancer and domestic violence.
“Beyond those topics, women also like to share the fun side of being in the community,” Jucnik said. “They will share pictures of their new haircut or their nails they just got done. Largely, it’s just supporting each other.”
For more information, check out NFI’s SheDrives community on YouTube.
Dana Guthrie is an award-winning journalist who has been featured in multiple newspapers, books and magazines across the globe. She is currently based in the Atlanta, Georgia, area.
AWSOME IDEA FOR WOMEN DRIVERS