Melissa Allen says she got her CDL because truck drivers will always be needed.
Melissa Allen was recently named Women In Trucking’s April Member of the Month.
She has been serving her country as an over-the-road truck driver for the past four years — but driving isn’t the only thing she does.
Melissa was raised in “Smoketown” or the West End slum of Louisville, Kentucky. She moved away as soon as she could and began to have a positive impact on the world around her.
After spending several years in the Army Reserve, Melissa went into active duty and spent a short time overseas where she improved the way information was communicated about casualties.
Upon returning stateside, she continued her education and started her own Web design company. Melissa built websites for companies all over the United States for seven years before she got her CDL. Why the drastic career change?
She says, “The economy forced me to find a recession-proof career.”
Melissa has been serving her country as an over-the-road truck driver for the past four years, she currently is a professional driver for Schneider. However, driving isn’t the only thing she does. She has recently invented a product to solve a problem in the trucking industry.
Melissa repeatedly became frustrated when the fuel nozzle kept falling out of the tanks during fueling. She asked around and realized other drivers had the same problem. So, she came up with a solution. Melissa invented a fueling brace that holds the nozzle secure in the tank during fueling. She has already made prototypes and began the patent process for a brace that fits the Freightliner Cascadia Evolution. More information about the fueling brace can be found at www.FuelingBrace.com
Melissa urges women to not only live their lives to the fullest, but also make a positive impact on the world around them.
Dorothy Cox is former assistant editor – now retired – of The Trucker, and a 20-plus-year trucking journalism veteran. She holds a bachelor’s degree in fine arts and a master’s degree in divinity. Cox has been in journalism since 1972. She has won awards for her writing in both mainstream and trucking journalism.
