Women truckers to take to the high seas with first conference

Nonprofit association Real Women in Trucking is hosting a conference aboard the Carnival Conquest cruise ship to unite and honor women among truckers. The “Queen of the Road on the High Seas” conference, taking place Sunday, March 26, to Saturday, April 1, 2017, will include educational sessions on a broad range of topics, including personal safety, discrimination, sexual harassment, and driver health. The agenda also includes a driver advocacy forum, a lady truck driver roundtable and an awards ceremony recognizing women who have overcome obstacles in the trucking industry.

“This conference is important to our efforts of ‘breaking the silence’ about the treatment of women in the trucking industry,” said Desiree Wood, one of RWIT’s founders. “At the conference, we hope to provide the tools women need to be more successful in their chosen field. Along with information sessions, participants will have the opportunity to network with fellow drivers. Learning from one another and unifying on important issues is one of our primary goals.”

Nominations for outstanding female truck drivers for the “Queen of the Road” awards will go to three women who have demonstrated dedication and tenacity in their efforts to become professional operators. Nominees must either be past or present commercial drivers that fit the organization’s “R.E.A.L.” criteria — Reaching out, Encouraging others, Achieving personal success, and Leadership. Nominations are being accepted via this page beginning Thursday, Sept. 1, with a deadline of Monday, Nov. 7.

The six-night cruise will depart from Ft. Lauderdale for the Eastern Caribbean with stops at Grand Turk, the Dominican Republic and Nassau.

The sessions will also include information on improving technical skills for drivers, promoting advocacy through social media, transitioning company drivers to owner-operators, and much more.

Notable speakers:

**Truth About Trucking’s Allen Smith, host of the the “Ask the Trucker Live” online radio show
**Anne Balay, published author of Steel Closets: Voices of Gay, Lesbian, and Transgender Steelworkers, a former truck driver, and writer of a recent “Long-Haul Sweatshops” op-ed published in the New York Times arguing for better Department of Labor oversight of driver wage and working conditions
**Christine Gray, Becca Kennedy and Shannon Morris, truck drivers and advocates for the safety and success of women truck drivers

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The conference schedule is available via this link.