DOING IT FOR HERSELF: AUSTRALIAN WOMEN IN TRUCKING

Australia’s transport industry has historically had a low rate of female participation, but that may be changing, with a national campaign underway to boost the number of women in transport jobs.   According to National Women in Transport initiative, launched in March this year:   

• The gender pay gap in the transport sector is higher than the Australian average – 15.9 per cent compared with 13.9 per cent; and 
• Only 4.5 per cent of transport CEOs are women - well below the Australian average of 20 per cent.   

In the second part of a two-part series, we take a look at some of the wonderful women in trucking we’ve featured in the past on the Isuzu Content Hub.  

NAOMI COONEY, ARTIFICIAL INSEMINATION SPECIALIST 

Naomi Cooney is the owner of Cattle Breeding Services, which supplies embryos, semen and liquid nitrogen in southeast Queensland.   When we spoke to Naomi in January 2020, she was spending hours and hours each week behind the wheel of her Isuzu NPR 45-155 Tradepack to service around 300 farms.   

After completing a Bachelor of Applied Science in Rural Technology at university, Naomi bought a half-share in her parent’s black Brangus cattle stud. She really enjoyed the breeding and genetics side of the business, so decided to build a bovine artificial insemination business.   But being a woman in agriculture isn’t always easy.   

“You’ve just got to work harder, but it only makes you better. That’s my philosophy,” she said.   “I’m not going to be as strong as a typical bloke in certain areas; but I perform very well in other areas—I can multitask, I can be a more thoughtful working with the cows.”  

LEANNE PETERSON, PARTS WAREHOUSE MANAGER   

Leanne Peterson’s varied career includes studying art history, police officer, entrepreneur and insurance.    When we talked to her in May 2019, she was an 11-year veteran at Isuzu Australia Limited (IAL), fresh from overseeing the massive move to Isuzu’s new facility in Truganina, which involved 750,000 parts and more than 300 trucks, as well as several 40-foot containers.  

“When I started in the warehouse, I would say 100 per cent of the warehouse staff were men, and the only women were in administrative roles,” Leanne said.

“Now, we’ve got pickers and packers that are women, team leaders that are women. Within Isuzu we have women in senior management roles, and many women in the Parts team and other departments — which is a great thing about Isuzu. They value and support workplace diversity.”  

Leanne had the following advice for anyone considering a career in transport: “Regardless of gender, the transport and logistics industry provides exciting career opportunities, especially when you’re working for an organisation like Isuzu Trucks, who really look after their employees. In fact, women should not be dissuaded from pursuing careers in any sector simply because they may have been traditionally male dominated.”  

TALLIA HERBERTSON, APPRENTICE TECHNICIAN   

Tallia Herbertson switched from studying nursing to learning the intricacies of trucks.    “I thought that fixing people and fixing trucks could be similar, so I made the jump over to be a truck technician,” she said.   When we talked to Tallia in June 2021, she was a final year apprentice at Gilbert & Roach Newcastle, her second job in the trucking industry.   

“At first, it was pretty hard to fit in,” she said. “Management were supportive, but most of the guys in the workshop were thrown off by a woman working with them.”   “I’m not sure if they were intimidated by me, or the other way around, but after about six months they got used to it and it became easier.”   Tallia said the industry seemed to become more receptive to women in trucking in the years she’s been in the workforce.   

“I have seen more women at TAFE, as well as more women enter the workplace. I think the blokes are becoming more open to the idea of a woman being able to do a `man’s job’!”   There’s still time to buy tickets to win the Isuzu Gotcha4life truck raffle.