If You Can Drive a Truck, You Can Own the Truck
Women Continue To Find the ES Community as a Home for Opportunity
Over 38 Percent of ES Program Participants Are Women
The inaugural Success In Trucking Expo (SITE) held earlier this month served as the perfect platform to highlight this stunning fact about the ES Community: While the national average of women working as professional drivers within the trucking industry currently stands at 7.9 percent, the number of the fleet owners, owner-operators or independent contractors involved in the programs offered by ES now exceeds 38 percent.
With a participation rate that is nearly five times greater than the industry average, the ES Community has become a beacon of opportunity for women seeking to achieve success in trucking, and the small business owners who were featured during the SITE served as living proof that the programs offered by ES have the proven power to deliver.
Among the many highlights from the SITE, which was held at the Indianapolis Motor Speedway Complex on June 7-8, was the industry panel discussion. The group, which included ES President Jason Williams as the moderator, was evenly split between men and women. Women In Trucking CEO and President Ellen Voie and National Transportation Institute Chief Operating Officer Leah Shaver served as two of the industry experts on the panel, while long-time fleet owner Donna Sleasman and first-year owner-operator Jackie Rocha provided their valued insights on the success they have found through their experiences as participants in programs offered through ES.
“It was great to be able to share the experience we’ve had with ES during industry panel and the other discussions we had at the SITE,” said Jackie. “It was a real honor to be on the panel and have Donna there, too. She was one of my mentors as I began to go through the ownership program at ES. Being a part of the SITE was a terrific experience. The SITE showed the strength of the ES Community and the commitment that ES has for creating owner opportunities in trucking.”
Both Jackie and Donna are participants in the 150 Business Challenge, a collaborative initiative between the Women In Trucking Association and ES to create 150 women-owned businesses in transportation. The program, which utilizes the infrastructure and expertise that ES has developed in more than a decade of providing ownership opportunities within the trucking industry. During the program’s first year, the 150 Business Challenge was able to reach the halfway mark in achieving its goal.
The 150 Business Challenge follows the proven working model that ES utilizes in offering truck ownership opportunities and assisting the program participants in establishing profitable small businesses through a variety of support mechanisms found within the ES Community. Professional drivers interested in the ES truck ownership programs, like the 150 Business Challenge, go through a screening and qualification process, including an evaluation period that puts an emphasis on attitude, aptitude, work ethic and work history.
The success of the 150 Challenge is one of the most recent examples of why ES has become a leader in creating ownership opportunities for women in the trucking industry. Since the company’s inception in 2006, ES has been focused on opening doors within the trucking industry for people who previously had found barriers to ownership. In fact, the inaugural edition of the SITE highlighted those efforts and ripple effect of the impact that ES has made in the industry.
The power of creating opportunity for women can be seen in the makeup of the participating fleets in the ES Community. FedEx Custom Critical, Forward Air and Panther Premium Logistics, a Service of ArcBest served as the exclusive motor carriers at the SITE. All three of these industry-leading carriers are well above the national average of 7.9 percent for women behind the wheel and in management positions, and the non-asset capacity ES provides to their fleets has helped to contribute to those positive results.
The staying power of the people involved in the programs from ES might be even more impressive than the opportunities offered through the ES Community. According to the American Trucking Associations, the national average for driver turnover in 2018 rose to 89 percent. Meanwhile, the turnover rate on an annual basis of program participants in the ES Community currently stands at just 12 percent.
“One of the core principles of our company is to provide opportunities for people to create small businesses, and, in trucking, there is a lack of opportunity for women from a financial standpoint. We have done our best to work with Women In Trucking to help encourage more women to become business owners in this industry. It’s been very fulfilling for us as a company to see so many women enjoy success through our programs and in becoming part of the ES Community,” said ES President Jason Williams. “Women In Trucking has become a valued partner for ES. We were thrilled that Ellen could be a part of our first Success In Trucking Expo, and hearing the experiences of the women business owners in the ES Community was a definitely an important topic during the event.”
“The opportunity that ES provides for women to own their own business in this industry is truly amazing. The programs that ES offers go far beyond financing trucks. ES matches participants up with top carriers and ES provides business support as well network discounts on fuel, maintenance and insurance. ES sets up all their program participants for success,” said Voie, who hosted an on-location edition of her Women In Trucking Radio Show on SiriusXM’s Road Dog Trucking Radio Channel live from the SITE. “The SITE was a great event. We had a lot of fun bringing our radio show to the event, and the SITE was a good opportunity to share the message of Women In Trucking, to talk about what we do for our members. ES has become a great partner for Women In Trucking, and we are already looking forward to coming back and participating in the SITE next year.”
Looking Back at The Success In Trucking Expo
Jackie Rocha and Michael Barclay, owner-operators in the ES Community and the founders of Millennials In Trucking, share their thoughts after attending the Success In Trucking Expo. Jackie is a participant in the 150 Business Challenge offered through Women In Trucking and ES. Watch Our Video to learn more.
Listen Up: Women in Trucking Radio Show Broadcasts Live from the SITE
On June 8, Women In Trucking President & CEO Ellen Voie hosted a special edition of the Women In Trucking Radio Show On SiriusXM’s Road Dog Trucking Channel. During the second day of the Success In Trucking Expo (SITE), Ellen and the Road Dog Trucking Channel team broadcast the show live from the SITE, which was held at the Indianapolis Motor Speedway complex. This edition of the show featured interviews with a variety of attendees at the SITE. To listen, click on the SoundCloud icon.
Join ES at the Expedite Expo, July 19-20
ES will once again serve as the title sponsor for the Expedite Expo, the the only event focusing exclusively on the expedited trucking industry. This year’s Expedite Expo will be taking place at the Allen County War Memorial Coliseum in Fort Wayne, Ind. ES will be hosting our annual Expediter Group Gathering (EGG) at the Expo. To Register and learn more about what ES has planned for the Expedite Expo, Click Here.
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