The Influential Women in Trucking award was originated in 2010 and its intentions were twofold: recognize and celebrate women already in leadership positions in the trucking industry and draw more women to the industry, as reported by Truckers News. The award showcases the successes of women in the field and those who are creating new ways of operation. This year marks the 12th time the award has been distributed.
On Oct. 25, the Women in Trucking Association announced 2022’s four finalists: Trina Norman, Jill Quinn, Mari Roberts, and Lindsey Trent.
While the award can only go to one of these women, each have acted as role models in the trucking industry and deserve recognition.
Trina Norman has been a transportation operation manager at UPS for 32 years. Her focus is on recruiting women to UPS to empower and encourage them under her mentorship. She is a leader who understands the world beyond herself and aims to help it.
Jill Quinn is the president of Centerline Drivers; she is also an executive leader at PeopleReady Skilled Trades. For both of these TrueBlue companies she is focused on business growth and creating partnerships between customers of Centerline and PeopleReady. Quinn utilizes her 25 years of leadership experience to make sure that customers receive either the drivers or tradespeople needed to keep their businesses on a path of growth.
Mari Roberts is the vice president of transportation at Frito-Lay. In her position she provides leadership for nearly 3,000 employees. These employees are in both the field and headquarters, making her responsible for the safety, service performance, and cost of the 28 U.S. traffic centers and third-party carrier operations.
Lindsey Trent is the president and co-founder of the Next Generation in Trucking Association. This organization is a non-profit trade association, and their mission is to share the positivity of trucking as a career option. They also create trucking programs specifically for young people with the focus of training them and connecting them to employment opportunities in the industry.
Ellen Voie, WIT president and CEO, spoke to the high degrees of achievement the 2022 finalists have achieved.
“We’re impressed by the high caliber of finalists for this year’s award. All four demonstrate exemplary leadership and are making significant and positive contributions to their networks, workplaces, communities, and the transportation industry as a whole,” she said. “We applaud their passion and commitment to change the landscape in which women serve.”
