Sarah Hammons adores her position as membership coordinator for the Truckload Carriers Association (TCA).
Growing up in Yorktown, Virginia, she says she originally saw herself with a permanent career in health care — never dreaming she’d find a job she loved in the trucking industry.
After graduating from Longwood University with a bachelor’s degree in kinesiology, Hammons worked in health care for about a decade before transitioning to the trucking industry.
“I was looking into cardiac rehab. I did an internship down in Florida as a part of my bachelor’s program,” she said, adding that she also worked as a lifeguard during her high school and college years.
“I worked in a lot of hospitals as a behavioral health assistant in a psychiatric unit in a psychiatric unit in Richmond, then I worked at a substance abuse rehab center in Maryland,” she said.
When she decided to take a “time out” from health care, Hammons says, she began to broaden her horizons. She decided to dip her toes into other career paths, including massage therapy.
But then she came across a LinkedIn job posting for TCA. She had some experience in alumni relations, which she realized made her a perfect fit — and so she applied for the role of membership coordinator for the association.
The rest, as they say, is history.
As membership coordinator, Hammons serves as a liaison between TCA staff and the associate members.
“I help out in a bunch of different things because we’re such a small organization staff wise,” she said. “I help out wherever I am needed. I’ve helped with marketing, and I took over the booth sales for our annual safety convention.”
Becoming part of the TCA team has been an immense pleasure. She loves the family atmosphere and the fact that everyone pitches in to get the job done — and done well.
“There are only about 12 of us,” Sarah said. “When I walked into (my first) staff meeting, the president was sitting right across from me and asking me questions — and actually listening to what I had to say.
“I think that’s what made me stick around,” she explained. “I started working there six months before the 2024 annual convention. Meeting the members felt natural. Everyone in the community is very nice and welcoming, and sincere and real.”
Hammons believes she’s found a home at TCA.
“Having a small staff, you might have to do something that you weren’t expecting would be a part of your job role — but you’ll gain a lot of experience and just expand your horizons a little bit,” she said.
“You learn a lot about being a part of the team, especially at the convention, where it’s ‘all hands on deck,’” she continued. “Everyone has your back, and it’s a good experience to learn how to be a part of a team.”
She says working with TCA and its members has broadened her life and helped her to make plans for her future … and those plans include continuing her journey with TCA. In her spare time, she loves taking her beagle, Pluto, for long walks. She also enjoys camping and going to the gym.
She is busy setting and reaching for new goals, both personally and professionally.
“I’m a bit of an achiever,” she said.
“I’m taking classes right now for my MBA and I hope to find myself in a leadership position. With the MBA I’m getting experience with marketing, business, finances and data,” she said. “I work a lot with data anyway, with my job role. I am open to a lot of different avenues but I, I’m hoping to stick around with TCA and see where that leads.”
Although Hammons admits to being a bit of an introvert, she says her role at TCA has brought a host of new friends and colleagues into her life.
“It’s fun,” she said. “There’s a lot of different companies that are coming out with all kinds of different products and ways to help the industry. So, it’s cool, it’s educational. It’s cool meeting members that I haven’t met before.”
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.
