You might be surprised to see a Girl Scout in TA Truck Service gear, but this troop had the opportunity to meet some of the women in the trucking industry, learn about truck maintenance and even see how important trucking is to delivering their famous cookies, all while earning their transportation patch.
During this year’s Girl Scout Transportation Day, Ellen Voie, President and CEO of Women In Trucking, taught 21 young girls all about the transportation industry and the females behind the wheel of the rigs they see every day on the highway. This event was put on for the third year by the University of Wisconsin-Superior, who specializes in supply chain management. While this was a Girl Scout event, the event was open to all girls who wanted to learn and participate.
By participating in the event, Scouts were able to earn their Women In Trucking transportation patch, which was created to expose young girls to supply chain related careers, including truck driving. To earn their patch, the girls completed a curriculum created by The Women In Trucking Association, which consisted of learning about geography, truck driving and other modes of transportation. The organization’s mission for the patch is to encourage women to look into careers in the transportation and trucking industry, and to show young girls that women are strong and are just as capable of doing the job.
Each participant received a TA Truck Service hat and were able to meet Terri, a female truck driver, who showed the girls her truck and most importantly, let them pull the air horn. The girls learned about trucking technicians, the engine of a truck, as well as what a truck driving job entails.
And suddenly, truck drivers became a part of the troop
When the girls realized that no one would be able to enjoy their famous Girl Scout cookies without the help of some dedicated truck drivers, the drivers really became a part of the troop. Ellen spoke to the girls about how the grains used to make the cookies are transported to the bakery, which are then baked into cookies and driven to the packaging center. From there they hit the highway to the distribution center and finally to the Girl Scout office, where the girls pick them up to deliver. Now when a one of these Scouts sees a truck driver, she will see them not just as a truck driver, but also as a distributor of her cookies.
It was a proud moment to have these young ladies in TA Truck Service gear, and to support and encourage women to choose a career in the trucking industry.