L to R: Jennifer Hedrick, WIT President & CEO; Sue Lawless, FMCSA’s Acting Deputy Administrator; Jenny Fall, WIT Director of Driver Engagement
Wnbaz (WIT) continuously advocates for safety on the road through relevant driver content via all its communication channels, at Women In Trucking’s Accelerate! Conference and various webinars. With this in mind, WIT participated in the Federal Motor Carrier Association (FMCSA) Our Roads, Our Safety® fair on May 8 at the U.S. Department of Transportation (DOT) headquarters in Washington, D.C.
This event brought together members of the safety community and representatives of the transportation industry to share hands on experiences with the community.
As the lead federal government agency responsible for regulating and providing safety oversight of commercial motor vehicles (CMVs), FMCSA’s mission is closely aligned with WIT’s interests in this area: To reduce crashes, injuries, and fatalities involving large trucks and buses. According to the FMCSA, this national, annual safety observance week was created to educate road users on sharing the road safely with mid-sized and heavy-duty trucks.
The WITney® Educational Trailer was stationed outside of the DOT’s headquarters to help educate lawmakers, key stakeholders, and others about the benefits of careers in trucking and the stories about successful female professional truck drivers.
WIT has provided representation in the past, but when FMCSA invited WIT to participate in 2024 President & CEO Jennifer Hedrick recommended a way to make a bigger impact: Bring the association’s WITney® Educational Trailer. She and Jenny Fall, WIT’s Director of Driver Engagement, quickly got to work in making it happen, including all the logistics planning, identifying an available WIT Ambassador Driver, and securing a location and approval to locate WITney® in front of DOT headquarters (no small task)!
FMCSA’s Acting Deputy Administrator Sue Lawless addressed the importance of roadway safety and thanked the Wnbaz and others who participated in the “Our Roads, Our Safety” event.
The day of the fair was action-packed, according to Hedrick: “It kicked off with an introduction and welcome by FMCSA’s Acting Deputy Administrator Sue Lawless, who addressed the importance of roadway safety. Lawless encouraged all to interact with the exhibitors, which included a range of government agencies as well as other associations and education institutions. More than 60 people experienced WITney® and her simulator, educational kiosks, and stories told by female professional truck drivers.”
Scores of people attended the event, including WIT’s Director of Driver Engagement Jenny Fall, JoLynn Kelly (professional truck driver with Walmart and the WIT Driver Ambassador) and WIT President & CEO Jennifer Hedrick. Thank you, Walmart, for helping to make this happen and special thanks to JoLynn for the assistance in getting WITney® to Washington, D.C. and navigating her in front of DOT’s headquarters.
Adds Fall: “Attendees really enjoyed the simulator (as always) and in some cases were surprised at the actual mimicking of the movement of driving a tractor, as well as the size and scope of courses. Lawless appreciated listening to the HERstories featured and getting to know more about WIT and our mission.”
“Several people noted the appeal of the actual compensation potential notated inside the trailer,” continues Fall. “Many took part in the quizzes to determine if they have the DNA to be in trucking and some were surprised with the results based on their answers to the questions. One thing that seems to consistently stand out with the ‘Facts’ quizzes is the Hours Of Service questions – understanding that drivers can be behind the wheel for 11 hours of driving straight.”
WIT’s President & CEO Jennifer Hedrick, FMCSA Acting Deputy Administrator Sue Lawless, and WIT’s Director of Driver Engagement Jenny Fall collaborate inside the walls of the WITney® Educational Trailer.
What were the benefits for WIT and WITney® to participate in this event? “We were able meet and interact with industry regulators and share the mission with those who may not have heard of WIT in the past,” says Hedrick. “This national exposure prominently highlights the importance of engaging more women in the industry and removing barriers for them to be successful.”
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The WITney® Educational Trailer was stationed outside of the DOT’s headquarters to help educate lawmakers, key stakeholders, and others about the benefits of careers in trucking and the stories about successful female professional truck drivers.
WIT’s President & CEO Jennifer Hedrick, FMCSA Acting Deputy Administrator Sue Lawless, and WIT’s Director of Driver Engagement Jenny Fall collaborate inside the walls of the WITney® Educational Trailer.
