Presentation by Key U.S. Highway Safety Official Expected to Draw Industry’s Largest Gathering of Women Drivers at Mid-America Truck Show in Louisville, April 2, 2011.
Deborah A.P. Hersman, Chairman of the National Transportation Safety Board (NTSB), will honor America’s professional women truck drivers at Women in Trucking’s annual “Salute to Women Behind the Wheel” at the Mid-America Truck Show (MATS) in Louisville, Kentucky.
Ms. Hersman is the first woman with a current Commercial Drivers License (CDL) to head the NTSB, an independent federal agency that investigates transportation accidents and makes safety recommendations across all modes of transportation in the United States.
She is attending the annual MATS conference to meet with industry officials and will be a featured speaker at this special event saluting professional women drivers for their career choice and success in a male-dominated environment. The “Salute” is sponsored by Women in Trucking (WIT), a professional association which encourages the employment of and promotes professional accomplishments for women throughout the transportation industry.
“It’s a thrill to participate in this distinctive event, and to recognize the contributions of professional women driving across the country every day,” said Chairman Hersman. “I am proud of the work our agency does to advocate for safer trucks, roadways and working conditions, and I am honored to join with WIT in this call for commercial drivers to put safety first as they deliver the goods that fuel our economy.”
Those interested in attending the “Salute to Women Behind the Wheel” can register and obtain more information at this web site: www.Salute2Women.com
Nominated in 2009 by President Obama to become Chairman of the NTSB, Ms. Hersman is no stranger to trucking and highway safety. She has been a Member of the NTSB since 2004, and currently holds a CDL and has a motorcycle endorsement. She also served on the staff of the U.S. Senate Committee on Commerce, Science and Transportation from 1999 to 2004.
Last year at the MATS conference, the WIT Salute attracted nearly 300 female professional drivers, more than 100 of whom had reached the professional benchmark of one million miles or more of safe driving. This year’s event is expected to draw twice that number, more than enough to break the Guinness Book of World Record’s current entry for the largest gathering of female professional drivers (415 set in the Netherlands in 2004).
The second annual “Salute to Women Behind the Wheel” celebration will begin at 1:00 PM EST on April 2 at the Kentucky Exposition Center in Louisville. All female professional drivers and their families are invited to attend and need not be a member of Women In Trucking, but are encouraged to join the organization. Gold level sponsors of the Salute to Women Behind the Wheel are Frito-Lay NA, Freightliner and Walmart.
Women In Trucking (www.womenintrucking.org) was established to encourage the employment of women in the trucking industry, promote their accomplishments and minimize obstacles faced by women working in the trucking industry. Women In Trucking Association, Inc. is supported by its members and the generous support of Gold Level Partners, Frito-Lay North America and Walmart.
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