Three women blazing a trail in trucking

The theme for International Women’s Day this year was ‘Breaking the Bias’ - in our communities, our workplaces and in our schools, colleges, and universities - for a world free of prejudice, stereotypes, and discrimination. As a society we are making small steps in the right direction but there is still much work to be done…

Take trucking. Trucking is an industry that is notoriously male dominated. However, despite this fact more women than ever are keen to get behind the wheel. We spoke to three exceptional individuals who are making their mark and leading the way for other women who want to do the same. Jodie Lawson, Victoria Bazavan and Victoria Boyle told us what the industry is like for them, why they love their jobs and why Mercedes-Benz trucks have a special place in their hearts.

Breaking the bias.

Together, these three female industry stalwarts are breaking the bias in an industry that is heavily dominated by men and blazing a trail for other women in the sector. Between them, the two Victorias and Jodie are demonstrating that women can play a critical part in this fast-changing industry, bringing unique skills and experience to their respective businesses.

Victoria Bazavan explains: “I think it is very difficult being a woman in this world. You have to work harder to be listened to, but it doesn’t put me off. I think women have certain skills that don’t come as instinctively to men. For example, as a woman, my maternal instinct is to look after people, plan everything thoroughly and pay a lot of attention to detail. This is imperative in my role as transport manager – it enables me to successfully optimise routes for our drivers and help the business save money on fuel.

“I’m also exploring the possibility of gaining an HGV driving licence. I want to prove that women can drive trucks too – and it will really help me understand others in the team, how they work and how they feel.”

Victoria’s daughter also has a foot in the trucking world, joining her at briefings to satisfy her natural interest in the industry – no doubt stemming from observing her mother’s success – and gaining her HGV licence may be on the cards in the near future.

Jodie Lawson already has her HGV licence and sits proudly behind the wheel of her Mercedes-Benz Actros. She says: “I’m lucky in my workplace, that I’ve never had to feel that I must work harder to prove myself compared to my male counterparts. However, my close friends who are also part of the trucking industry, have relayed their unfortunate stories of workplace discrimination. It’s still the case today that some men think women can’t do certain jobs.

“When I first passed my class 1 HGV driving test, I didn’t know any women in the industry. I’ve found lifelong friends and an amazing support system by attending multiple truck events around the country and through the organiser of a calendar I recently took part in. She invited me to join her group, where I’ve met other female truckers. It’s great, as we chat every day, and I can go to them for anything.”

Victoria Boyle agrees with these sentiments. She says: “Although times are changing, trucking is still not a job in which you’ll find many women. But I’ve always worked in male-dominated environments – I’ve sold cars and was also a shift manager at DPD, for example – and it suits my character. I knew I could make a go of it.”

The Actros is also truck of the choice for Victoria Bazavan’s husband, who chose this over a rival model for its fuel efficiency and comfort. Victoria explains: “My husband has been a truck driver for 24 years and he loves the Actros. It has a lower fuel consumption than any other brand of truck he has driven and is very reliable – we’ve had no breakdowns in the first year – which is impressive considering the number of miles he travels. We have two Actros trucks and are in the market for our third.”

Victoria Boyle’s role at Legion Scaffolding involves being a transport manager for just one brand of vehicle, Mercedes-Benz Trucks. Boyle says “We’re pleased to have just taken delivery from local Dealer Motus Truck & Van, of three new Mercedes-Benz Actros 18-tonners. They represent something of a milestone in being our first brand new trucks. Legion Scaffolding had previously acquired used vehicles. The new arrivals are Actros 1824 variants with ClassicSpace S-cabs and 320mm engine tunnels.”

A place for women.

These three stories illustrate the important role of women to the trucking industry and whatever we can do together to encourage more females into the sector will only be to our benefit. Victoria Bazavan has a few ideas on where we can start.

She explains: “We need to look at the infrastructure. We have some of the best trucks in the UK compared to Europe, but some of the worst infrastructure.

“Service stations should be more female friendly, parking for HGVs should be made easier and more should be done to allow female truckers to feel safer. I have travelled in Germany and France and they have everything you need at services for men and women. I feel comfortable showering at service stations in these countries but in the UK, we have some facilities I would not dare enter – sometimes I have not used the toilet because they are so dirty. We need to invest here if we want more women involved in truck driving.

“In addition, it costs a lot to park up a container at UK services for a long duration and it is not uncommon for these to fall victim to fuel or cargo theft. We need to make these places safer for all truck drivers. In the UK, we’ve made huge strides with women in trucking but there is still work to be done.”

It was a pleasure catching up with three impressive and influential individuals who are simultaneously breaking the bias in the trucking industry and paving the way for others like them.

Are you a Mercedes-Benz truck driver? Does your company have an incredible story? Tell your story in the comments and below and you could be the star of our next RoadStars article!