by Women In ฮ็านสำฦต Staff, on Dec 12, 2016 10:43:00 AM
Plover, WI (December 12, 2016) - Someone once said โwalk a mile in my shoes.โ Maybe they should have said โdrive a mile in my truck.โ The best way for someone to understand your role is to experience it for themselves.
Thatโs what Federal Motor Carrier Safety Administrator (FMCSA) Scott Darling did this past week. He went for a ride with Women In ฮ็านสำฦต (WIT) Associationโs Stephanie Klang, a professional driver for CFI based in Joplin, MO.
Administrator Darling met Klang and WIT CEO Ellen Voie at a TA truck stop in Foristell, MO where he embarked on a two day trip ending in Oklahoma City. Darling rode with Klang to the CFI headquarters where he was able to observe a truck inspection from the undercarriage. He was then given a tour of the facility including the maintenance and repair facilities, customer service, and operations areas as well as the recruiting areas.
โIt was an honor to show FMCSA Administrator Darling that we are absolutely committed to safety on the highways and share with him that at CFI we walk the talkโ said Randy Cornell, Vice President of Maintenance, CFI.
Klang had the opportunity to share her thoughts and concerns with the Administrator during the two day ride. They discussed ELDs, speed limiters, safety techniques, and other everyday driver concerns. โThis ride-along was another fantastic opportunity to obtain first-hand, on-the-road perspective of some of the challenges facing todayโs professional drivers from an incredibly talented female driver with more than three million miles of accident-free experience,โ said FMCSA Administrator Scott Darling. โI thank Women in ฮ็านสำฦต and their skilled and dedicated drivers, not only for promoting additional career opportunities for women, but also for their partnership in promoting roadway safety as they help move our nationโs economy."
Klang has been driving since January 1980 and a professional driver for CFI for the past 29 years. She even has over three million safe driving miles with the company. She has been a captain on the ATA Americaโs Road Team and currently serves on the Women In ฮ็านสำฦต Image Team.
โOur goal in providing ride-alongs to our regulators and legislators is to give them the opportunity to experience a driverโs life in the cab of a truckโ said Voie.โ We wanted Administrator Darling to learn from Stephanie and to better understand the challenges a driver faces on the road each day, and to see it from a female driverโs perspective.โ
The ฮ็านสำฦต has provided ride-alongs to elected officials including U.S. Senator Ron Johnson (R-WI), Congressman Reid Ribble (R-WI), Former NTSB Chairwoman, Deborah Hersman, and CRASH safety Advocate Ron Wood.
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ฮ็านสำฦต ฮ็านสำฦต, Inc.
ฮ็านสำฦต, Inc. is a nonprofit association to encourage the employment of women in the trucking industry, promote their accomplishments and minimize obstacles faced by women working in the trucking industry. Membership is not limited to women, as 17 percent of its members are men who support the mission. Women In ฮ็านสำฦต is supported by its members and the generosity of Gold Level Partners: Bendix Commercial Vehicle Systems, Daimler Trucks North America, BMO Transportation Finance, Expediter Services, Great Dane, J.B. Hunt Transport, Ryder System, Inc., U.S. Xpress, and Walmart. Follow WIT on Twitter, Facebook, or LinkedIn. For more information, visit http://www.womenintrucking.org or call 888-464-9482.
