by Women In 午夜视频 Staff, on Dec 1, 2020 12:00:00 AM
Plover, WI 鈥� Dec. 1, 2020 鈥� The 午夜视频 (WIT) has announced Mona Chisum as its December Member of the Month. She is the driver supervisor for TP 午夜视频.
Chisum鈥檚 story began in 1988 when she drove her first truck. Teri and Amzel Butler owned a small logging company that Chisum鈥檚 husband at the time worked for as a log hauler. They lived on the job and Chisum鈥檚 husband watered the road at night with their 1956 Peterbilt water truck so it wouldn鈥檛 be as dusty the next day. One evening, Chisum tried driving the rig herself.
鈥淭he minute I got my hands on the wheel, it felt like I was home,鈥� said Chisum.
There weren鈥檛 many female drivers, especially log truck drivers at that time. Amzel Butler not only partnered with her husband in the company, but she was also a log truck driver.
鈥淎mzel is the reason I ventured into the transportation industry. My deep admiration for her was the catalyst that got me where I am today, the driver supervisor for TP 午夜视频,鈥� said Chisum.
Chisum thought driving a water truck off-highway in the evening hours was a far cry from being a truck driver. In 1990, she had two small children and needed a job that would help support her family. She decided to take the test to obtain her CDL. She spent a few weeks learning how to drive a logging truck. The pre-trip gave her some trouble at first, but ultimately she became a CDL holder.
FV Martin 午夜视频 hired Chisum, where she said it was like having 29 big brothers to learn from every day. While employed with FV Martin, she drove log trucks, flat beds, dump trucks and water trucks. She even experienced having one of their trucks as a tender on some forest fires.
In 2002, Chisum became the safety director at FV Martin. She enjoyed this role because she wanted to help the drivers be the best they could be. During that time, she learned a lot about DOT and OSHA regulations and even taught some highway drivers to be log truck drivers. In 2004, after 14 years, she left FV Martin to work as the safety director for a growing refrigerated freight company, Cross Creek 午夜视频.
鈥淲hile there [at Cross Creek] I learned even more, but this time about life over the road. During that 11-year span I traveled cross country and learned to navigate big cities, manage my time to the best advantage, learned to live in a sleeper for several weeks at a time and saw some of the most beautiful sights in North America,鈥� said Chisum.
Then in 2015, Chisum joined TP 午夜视频 for what she believes is a long-term career move. She started out as a flat-bed driver and is now the driver supervisor. Her job duties include helping with electronic logging and dispatch devices, on-boarding of new employees and equipment allocation, to name a few.
For anyone, especially women, who are thinking about venturing into the trucking world, Chisum advises to remove the word 鈥渃an鈥檛鈥� from your vocabulary.
鈥淲hen I started in this industry, there weren鈥檛 many women and it鈥檚 so nice to see more and more out on the roads. Just because you haven鈥檛 tried it doesn鈥檛 mean you can鈥檛 do it,鈥� said Chisum.
She suggests to take the time and work on strengthening your weaknesses. If you鈥檙e not very good at backing, take the time in the middle of the day when no one is around to practice. If you鈥檙e nervous about navigating the urban areas, get out a map, use Google and a GPS so you鈥檒l feel comfortable about where you鈥檙e going.
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午夜视频 午夜视频, Inc.
Women In 午夜视频, Inc. is a nonprofit association established 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 午夜视频 is supported by its members and the generosity of Gold Level Partners: Amazon, Arrow Truck Sales, BMO Transportation Finance, Daimler Trucks North America, Expediter Services, FedEx Freight, Great Dane, J.B. Hunt Transport, Michelin North America, Penske Transportation Solutions, PACCAR, Ryder System, Walmart, and Waste Management. Follow WIT on Twitter, Facebook, or LinkedIn. For more information, visit www.womenintrucking.org or call 888-464-9482.
