Women in Trucking names 2022 driver of the year

Peggy Arnold has been named 2022 Driver of the Year by the Women in Trucking Association.

The announcement was part of the association’s March 25 Salute to Women Behind the Wheel event at the Mid-America Trucking Show in Louisville, Ky.

A driver with Yellow Corp. for nearly 30 years, Arnold called the honor “a win for women.” After the event, she reflected on the importance of the award and how she plans to support other female drivers.

“It’s important to me because when I first came in to trucking, it was hard,” Arnold said. “But I knew if I could make it that I could then pass it on to other women. And that’s exactly what I want to do. I want to pay it forward to other women. I want to help them and be a lifeline. Because to get me here today, I stood on the shoulders of other women before me. And I’m now going to be the shoulders.”

According to Ellen Voie, president and CEO of Women in Trucking, that drive to pay it forward and mentor other female drivers is what their organization is all about.

“This is a sisterhood. We want them to mentor each other,” Voie said. “We want them to come to this event, see each other like it’s a family reunion, and get together and support each other. Because they’re still a minority in this industry.”

As a member of Yellow’s leadership team, Arnold is in a unique position to impact new drivers by making their first experiences in trucking positive ones. That is a responsibility Arnold doesn’t take lightly.

“A positive experience for them is going to lead them down the road to be able to pay it forward also,” she said. “And that’s what I want for them.”

Supporting women in trucking

The event marked the 11th annual Salute to Women Behind the Wheel. According to the organization, they receive roughly 60-100 nominations for the award each year. Voie said the event – and the support it receives – continues to grow.

“You know what the best part of this whole thing is? Their husbands and boyfriends and family members who are here supporting them and saying, ‘This is my wife. This is my sister. This is my mom. This is my grandma.’ To me that’s the most rewarding,” Voie said. “They’re here to support their female drivers and they’re proud of them.”

It is widely reported that women make up roughly 10% of the trucking workforce. In an industry dominated by men, women often struggle to gain the same level of respect and legitimacy their male counterparts enjoy. Despite the status quo, Arnold said she remains positive about the future of the industry.

“We have a ways to go, but we’re gonna get there,” she said. “We have to be positive about it. We have to band together and take women – and men as well – to support us and get us along. And we’re gonna do that, one day at a time.” LL

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