Sanchez’s journey in truck driving officially began in 2011. The Army National Guard offered her the ability to drive a truck for them, according to a news release. Her journey unofficially began when she was a child and watched her father, Jim Sanchez, be a member of the truck driving community. He was employed as a driver for UPS for over 38 years.

Sanchez drove for the military for a total of eight years. She moved on to work in other positions outside of the truck driving industry, but she was never fully contented with the work she was doing. So, she went back to trucks.

In August 2019, Sanchez started her position as a UPS driver. She started in an entry-level position, employed part-time, loading delivery trucks with packages that needed to be shipped and delivered.

She proved her skillset in a short amount of time and was promoted to the position of delivery driver. In February 2022, she started operating a UPS semi-truck.

Sanchez and her father, who originally inspired her career in truck driving, still bond over the career. Recently, they put their name in history books for being the inaugural father-daughter long-haul in the West Coast.

“As someone who is just starting their career, I feel blessed to have my dad by my side as a mentor,” Sanchez said. “In 1997, my dad was on the first experimental UPS sleeper team when I was just seven years old. Who would have thought I would be his partner all these years later?”

In order to have a career in trucking that lasts as long as her father’s, Sanchez realized the need to have a healthy lifestyle behind the wheel. Truck drivers spend a substantial amount of time sitting behind the wheel and possibly picking up unhealthy food options at gas stations and fast-food restaurants. She knows that eating healthy foods and moving is imperative to staying focused in the driver’s seat.

“Staying healthy allows me to keep moving packages from one destination to the next and I know I am doing my part to move the world forward by delivering what matters,” she said.

Sanchez wants to inspire other women to enter the truck driving field, just as her father inspired her.

“More than 70% of goods and services are delivered by trucks and being able to deliver loads on time gives you a sense of self-importance and value and I feel proud of the work I do after completing my last stop of the day,” she said.

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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.”

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Women comprise 3.7% of diesel techs, according to data collected by the Women in Trucking Foundation.

And with such a low percentage in modernity, it may be hard to imagine that the past saw any number of women in the diesel tech field. But, Jim Mathis, who was enrolled in a technical college during the 70s, attests that he knew female diesel techs. Now, as the president of the technical college Wyotech based in Laramie, Wyoming, Mathis has seen a clear increase of female diesel techs.

“I think there are several reasons. One is good pay. The other reason, I think, is the technology of all this equipment,” he said. “It isn’t like you have to be extra strong. We have amazing computer systems and everything else, and women are definitely smarter and more articulate and can figure out these things better than most guys can. So, I think that has had a huge impact on exposing women to this wonderful field.”

Wyotech itself is experiencing the highest percentage of female student body members its ever seen, with an increase of 5 to 7% of female students this year. Mathis said that there is somewhere between 30 and 35 women enrolled across its automotive, collision refinishing and diesel programs. He anticipates at least 15 to 20 women to be apart of the 320 students enrolled in Wyotech’s next diesel program.

There is a high demand for diesel techs, however, this is combined with a shortage of diesel techs, especially those from younger generations. Mathis feels that to push back against this shortage, technical schools are breaking the habit of overlooking female diesel techs and instead expending time and energy into recruiting them. He anticipates a noticeable shift in the next four to five years as more women enter the field and encourage others to do so as well.

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BY Women In Trucking Association

A Unique Event With A Critical Mission

Register for the 2022 Accelerate! Conference & Expo, sponsored by the Women In Trucking Association, to experience: CLICK HERE

Experience 60+ educational sessions featuring 100+ thought leaders and subject matter experts on transportation, supply chain, and gender issues.

Five Educational Areas of Focus to ensure you receive relevant information that can be invaluable to your career: Leadership, Professional Development, HR/ Talent Management, Operations, and Sales & Marketing.

Find Solutions and Build Business through sponsors of the virtual conference featuring valuable products and services.

Anyone who believes the gender balance should be changed in the industry should attend and participate in the Accelerate! Conference & Expo. Attendees are transportation decision-makers in the roles of Managers, Directors, VPs, and Presidents of company’s ranging from motor carriers and 3PLs to manufacturers, retailers, truck driving schools, financial and insurance providers, and health & fitness services.

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