Women's History Month: Meet Some of the Remarkable Women of TMC

on Thursday, March 28, 2024 in Company News

Trucking has long had a reputation as a male-dominated industry. At TMC, we’re determined to change that perception. Throughout every area of our company, women who work at our company play a vital role in our success and help us on our journey to Destination: Excellence.

We have so many outstanding women at TMC that it would be impossible to feature all of them. But here are just a few of the many women we're proud to have on the TMC team.

What is your favorite part about working at TMC? The people and our standards. I have the opportunity to travel a bit, and colleagues in the industry always have very positive things to say about the company. Its very rewarding to know you are part of a successful, well-respected company. Also, the ESOP has been a game changer for my future.

What is the most important thing you have learned during your time at TMC? For starters, without our drivers we don’t have jobs! But in addition, TMC is always working to improve in all aspects of the organization. TMC does not rest on our laurels but constantly is working towards doing better than we did the week, month, or year before.

What has made you successful at TMC? Initially, listening, learning the industry, and understanding our culture. Other than that, I strongly believe in empowering people to be the best and as successful as possible. I try to motivate and educate employees in the department to work at identifying process improvements, understanding each other’s strengths and weaknesses, and working as a team to reach department goals. I try to listen to what things are keeping them from growing and becoming more successful and make adjustments as needed to processes or bring in technology to assist when appropriate. I also am competitive, myself, and have a constant drive to succeed.

Name a woman you admire and explain why. There are so many women in our history who paved the way for the rest of us. I admire strong, independent-minded women who, in the face of negativity, don’t let someone else tell them they can’t or won’t succeed. The more someone tells us we can’t, the harder we should work.

What is your favorite part about working at TMC? There are many things I like about working at TMC. However, one of my favorite things is our company culture and that excellence and integrity are at its core. I appreciate that our company fosters growth by valuing our employees, while at the same time ensuring that performance and revenue goals are being met.

What is the most important thing you have learned during your time at TMC? How valuable connections with other people are – whether it is a professional colleague, customer, family member, or friend.

What has made you successful at TMC? During my time at TMC, I have inevitably experienced challenges and made mistakes. Not every decision I have made has been successful, yet with each failure I have had the chance to grow personally and professionally with the support of a great leadership team.

Name a woman you admire and explain why. All my fellow working moms. Being a mother is undoubtedly a rewarding experience, but being a working mom adds an extra layer of complexity and fulfillment to the journey. We always are wondering if we are doing enough at work, at home, and for our kids. It is a delicate balance EVERY SINGLE DAY trying to create a fulfilling career and raising amazing children. It is not easy, but worth the effort!

What do you enjoy about driving? I like my big picture window out here on the road. I also like the autonomy, being my own boss, making my own choices.

What is the most important thing you have learned during your time at TMC? Patience. I used to be the boss, managing employees and customers—if something needed to be changed, I would make the changes. I don’t have control out here. I have to be patient with traffic, with shippers, with everything.

What has made you successful at TMC? I would say it’s my strong work ethic and my knowledge of the business—my parents have 50 years of truck driving experience between them.

Why did you choose to join TMC? I had family members who worked at TMC, and they had nothing but good things to say. I knew the values of the company would align with my personal values and goals.

What has made you successful at TMC? A big part of my success has been being a part of a team of hardworking engineers that continue to hold me to a higher standard, and willingly share the knowledge that they have.

Name a woman you admire and explain why. I admire my grandma Joanne. She laughed often and didn’t let bumps in the road get in the way of happiness. She lived her life loudly, and she was always unapologetically herself.

What is your favorite part about working at TMC? We are encouraged to do our best with an environment where our integrity defines and leads us.

What is the most important thing you have learned during your time at TMC? Learn how to change the situation, not the person. Trust the power of failure—not everything you do will be successful, don’t stress about failure. With no mistakes, there would be no opportunity to grow/learn.

What has made you successful at TMC? I always do my best and work to achieve my goals. I evaluate success based not only on my work but also on the work of my team.

How did you join TMC? TMC purchased a company I worked for in the early 2000s. In November of 2009 I left to work for another company, and I knew the minute I walked in the door for orientation it was a mistake; however, my pride prevented me from turning on my heel. I stuck it out until June of 2013 when I gleefully and thankfully returned to TMC!

Why did you choose to join TMC? I was so impressed with the team TMC sent out to train us, how genuine and real they were. I felt like it was going to be a good fit for me personally and career wise.

What is the most important thing you have learned during your time at TMC? As rare as it seems now, there are still companies in existence that care about their employees, and we work for the best one!

Name a woman you admire and explain why. All of the women at TMC, with a special shout out to the retired and 20-plus-year tenured because they came to work in an industry that was historically male dominated. They earned leadership positions, mentored new employees, fostered recruitment growth for women, and participate daily in the continued success of TMC.

Why did you choose to join TMC? I was teaching before I started driving, and I wanted to do something different. I liked that TMC was very no-nonsense and emphasized hard work. My dad was in the navy, so I’m used to discipline. I thought I could succeed in that environment.

What advice do you have for other women who want to be truck drivers? Do it. People second-guess themselves, but that’s the first part of losing the battle. Don’t worry about how slow you are at first with throwing chains or anything else. Do it every day, practice, and get better.

What has made you successful at TMC? Listening. Everything my trainer and experienced drivers have told me, I’ve listened to and done. They say to do it this way, I do it.

Why did you choose to join TMC? After 17 years of driving a truck, I desired to teach. I want to help others achieve the freedom driving gave me. And TMC aligns with my personal goals of safety and excellence!

What is the most important thing you have learned during your time at TMC? Most important lesson I've learned here is patience, kindness, and grace. Our students desire all three with firm clear instructions.

Name a woman you admire and explain why. I admire a former TMC instructor, Marcy Fischer. She was one of my instructors in 1999 when I got my license from DMACC.

Why did you choose to join TMC? I was lucky enough to have the “inside scoop” from Joan Archie, who of course told me what a wonderful team and family environment the office had. She assured me TMC was a family-forward company which was incredibly important to me, being a mother of four young children.

What is the most important thing you have learned during your time at TMC? I’ve learned so much, but one thing that sticks out in my mind is perseverance—to keep going and keep planting those seeds because eventually when you keep watering them they will sprout.

Name a woman you admire and explain why. Thankfully, I have so many women in my life to look up to, but my aunt Mona holds a special place in my heart. She, my uncle, and four young cousins immigrated here in the early 80s from Lebanon. She built a beautiful life here filled with family, laughter, and love. After being diagnosed with stage 4 pancreatic cancer she fought for nearly 10 years, and for all of those years she was not the picture of health, but she was the picture of perseverance. My aunt Mona lost her battle in 2019 and we lost a beautiful human, but her legacy of perseverance, grace, and love continues to inspire me. 

What is your favorite part about working at TMC? We’re not joking when we say we are actually a family. My favorite part of working at TMC is my TMC family. I feel fortunate to have made some lifelong friendships with several colleagues.

What has made you successful at TMC? Perseverance. I strive to show up every day ready to work with a deep desire to make myself proud of my own work and the work of the team TMC trusts me to manage. I also attribute my success to mentoring and grace from my management team.

Name a woman you admire and explain why. Heather Fitzgerald is one of the hardest-working women I’ve ever known. She is a wealth of knowledge about transportation in general and TMC specifically. She’s also a super nice human being that would do anything to help anyone she could. I hope that some of her qualities have rubbed off on me.