Historically, the misconception has always been that men are better drivers than women. Not only is there absolutely no proof of this, there’s no reason women can’t do an equal or better job than a man in any scenario.
In Canada, as of this year, women are still heavily underrepresented in the truck driver occupation. They account for only 3.5% of truck drivers in Canada, compared to 16% in trucking and logistics and 48% across all related industries. This shows that there’s lots of room for improvement and growth.
Musket Transport in striving to eliminate the stereotypes that have been a part of the trucking industry for too long were recognized this year by UN Women (view here) as a company that fosters and encourages inclusivity: “Musket Transport is a Canadian trucking and transportation services company that sees marketing as a key channel to recruit more women while striving to eliminate gender stereotypes in its advertising.”
At Musket Transport, all drivers are valued regardless of gender, belief, or orientation. Representation matters and it’s a goal of Musket as a company to be the driving force of empowering female drivers to get behind the wheel. They believe in representation so much that they back it with the power of visual reinforcement. For example, they included an image of a female truck driver in the children’s book they created. Download the book here.
An important step to accomplishing this representation goal is by encouraging the female drivers that work for Musket to step up and share their stories—something they’re more than happy to do because they’re not only proud of their position and vocation, but also of the company and industry they represent. Here are just a few of their stories:
“More than 9 years ago, I started my career as a commercial truck driver. Before that, I was in the health care industry working as a personal support worker, PSW, in a facility and home care for the elderly for more than 22 years. I knew I needed to change my career. When I met Ian at the job fair in 2011 that is when I decided to go driving a rig. My journey at Musket was very challenging at the beginning, but once I learned what was needed it became a routine. The pay is good, better than any job I’ve done before.” – Nelia Maestrado
“My name is Keashia Williams and I am the only one in my family to ever drive a truck (tractor-trailer). I have been driving for Musket Transport for five and a half years now and counting. I am the second female B-train driver (super B-train) at the company. I am so happy and proud to represent Musket Transport on the road. Musket is a very good place to work and grow.” – Keashia Williams
“My name is Ninette E. Quintanilla and I’m from Nicaragua. I’m a mother of 2 and have worked various jobs. I went back to school because I wanted to challenge myself to look for a different career path. I then saw an advertisement for women in trucking. I always found driving fun, so to discover I could make a career out of it, I couldn’t be more thrilled! Fast forward to the present, and I’ve worked over 8 years as a truck driver in Musket Transport within the container division. I’ve traveled over 160,000 miles delivering to ports such as New Jersey, Philadelphia, New York, and Montreal. I’ve never felt more freedom, independence, and confidence in myself since joining the trucking industry and Musket. For me, it’s a pleasure and privilege to do the best possible job within Musket. I hope to continue working in the industry as a driver with a clean record, promoting safety and awareness.” – Ninette E. Quintanilla
“I didn’t start out thinking I want to be a trucker! Straight out of England, I grew up in Canada! Rain DeCaries is in da house! Growing up in urban Toronto, my experiences motivated me to want to help people. In my 20’s, I received my Child and Youth Care Worker Diploma and had the opportunity to be a supervisor, in my 15th-year career in social services. One day while in my office, I came across a flyer for Women in Transportation. One of the women in the flyer was so little! I thought, if she can do it, I can do it too! So, I registered for the course. Now I drive a big rig, doing hauls to the USA. I like the independence and enjoy the camaraderie I have with other Musket drivers. I am a freestyle rhymer and my travels inspire my lyrics. I am currently working on some important content with Musket Media to entice women into the trucking industry.” – Rain DeCaries
“I was born on June 30, 1983, in Villavicencio, Colombia. I moved to Canada in March 2005 at the age of 21 and I lived in Winkler, Manitoba for 11 years. In April 2016, I moved to Etobicoke, Ontario. I am a single mother of two beautiful kids. I studied English as a second language at Red River College Manitoba and graduated as an AZ truck driver at CHET. I started to work for Musket Transport back in 2017 for a period of six months doing Montreal runs. I decided that I wanted to know more about the trucking industry by doing long runs everywhere in USA and Canada so I left Musket and worked for a couple of other companies. I have been back at Musket since March of this year and I have to say that I am very happy to be back.” – Maris Andrea Parrado
Look for more stories, testimonials, and information from our female drivers in the near future including a rap song from our very own Rain DeCaries!
If you’re a female and you’re considering a new vocation and are interested in long-haul trucking, we’re happy to provide you with more information on how you can get started. Reach out to us at media@musket.ca for more information.