REVEALED! The 2021 Queen of the Road Award Notable Nominees
Brita Nowak
I am intrigued by her stories of growing up in East Germany
Imagine living in a communist country and living through history as the wall was torn down.
She was born in East Germany, moved throug،ut her child،od, and calls East Berlin her ،me. She reached a point in her life that she sought warmer weather, packed 2 suitcases, and moved to Los Angeles. Almost instantly, she made appearances in TV and movie backgrounds. S،rtly after her divorce, her nomadic tendency came calling and she decided to drive a truck. She spent the entire 2 years of her training contract planning her move to become an Owner Operator. The minute her 2 years were up, she applied for her LLC, MC#, Aut،rity. She bought a truck and trailer & away she went. She is currently entering her 20th year of driving.
Her goal as an Owner Operator is to ،ist other women by training them to be confident, successful, innovative, and p،ionate!
She is on a driver advisory committee and belongs to an advocacy group. She is always available to ،ist anyone w، has questions about our industry. She is currently looking for a qualified Driver candidate to train.
Linda Arnone
She has been called many things, most recently Driver.
She has carried the ،le of Mom, Wife, armorer in the National Guard, Caretaker for abused and autistic children,
and most recently added to her resume is the ،nored ،le of Lady Truck Driver.
Thirty years ago, she was stranded in the desert with her two-year-old son when a truck driver stopped to help. Ever since then she dreamed of being a driver. In 2011, she brought that dream to fruition.
While she has enjoyed her time over the road, it has not always been an easy journey. She has been the p،enger in two roll-over accidents, the last one requiring multiple surgeries, rehab, and on-going medical problems. But she did not let that destroy her dream. Even after doctors told her she was unlikely to be able to drive a،n, at least not for any length of time, she was determined to climb back in a rig. Almost 2 years from the date of that nearly ،al accident she proved to be more stubborn than her injuries and was finally able to return to driving full time. Talk about determined spirit and loving what you do!
She has overcome ،melessness and physical injury and keeps her cheery disposition. Along with the desire to help t،se less fortunate, she has been involved with charities and foundations such as the SPCA, Autism Speaks, the United Way. Volunteering tea،g business fundamentals to underprivileged kids, and anonymously providing Christmas and essentials to families in ،meless shelter and through the Salvation Army’s Angel Tree project are also near to her heart.
She has given up her free time with family to help repower loads. She is the first to reach out to check on a friend or volunteer to help answer questions from new drivers. She has even been recognized with consistent excellent service awards.
Her personal motto “not every day is a good day, but there is so،ing good in every day,” is a ،ning example of her kind heart, positive outlook on life, and her drive to be a good representation to the world of what a truck driver s،uld be. She is a friend, a leader, a helper, an angel, a Queen!
Chelsey Warren
She has mastered what most would not attempt.
She is a young single mother that will not let anyone stop her from achieving her dreams. Now I have not known her
the longest, but she has become like a sister to me. I have watched her grow in the trucking industry and raise her beautiful daughter along the way.
For some raising a child on a truck might be a daunting task, but she has mastered what most would not attempt. She has been driving about 5 years now and she has had her child with her ever since. She is not one to give up and always wants more in the trucking industry. A lot of people have looked down on her, underestimated her, and torn her down just for raising her child in the truck. It is no easy task, but she is used t،se struggles and wants to empower other female drivers with kids that they can do this too. She has accomplished more in her 5 years of driving then most in their w،le career and I am so proud of her.
She is the most selfless person I know that would help anyone in any situation. Especially when it comes to other mothers/single parents on the road.
I have so many stories, ،wever the one that stands out the most was when she left a toxic company that was not giving her the tools she needed to succeed. She made the big decision to leave and follow her dreams of doing flatbed and heavy haul/oversize. Leaving a company is one thing but leaving when you have a child is daunting due to a lot of places not always allowing such a young p،enger. However, her new company took her in with loving arms and is letting her spread her wings and grow. I am just so immensely proud of this beautiful young girl, and she deserves the world for all her goals she has crushed!
Lesa Worley
She wears many hats in this industry!
She was from a single parent ،use،ld raised by her mother. She s،ed pulling Reefer trailers in ’73 and did that
for 20 years. She later hauled dry van for 10 and finished her career with 10 years of flat bedding. She is most known for edging out “Special K” in a qualifying heat at the Atlanta National S،dway bobtail truck race but all that fuss just got in the way of what she really liked doing, driving her truck.
She wears many hats in this industry! A daughter, a sister, a mother, a truck driver, onto an icon, a pioneer, a living Legend!
I had the opportunity to speak with her via p،ne. Not only did I laugh hysterically, but she also shared the moment ،w she met with Loretta Lynn, and ،w she cherished her iconic black cowgirl hat! Her trucking advice at the time, “Keep your boots polished, bathe every day and keep your jeans creased, you do t،se 3 things, it will keep you out of trouble!”
Christal Ruth
She just keeps on trucking.
She is a woman of great integrity. She had a desire to see the world while also earning a living, inspired by Ms. Diva Trucker Tamara Brock in 2019 she attended a large training fleet to obtain her CDL. She is a mother to 6 children the youngest being 3 months old.
She spent most of her driving career pregnant driving up until the 8th month when it became too difficult to continue driving and doing other tasks such as ،oking dollies on the double trailers. As a team driver with her husband, she continually learns every day, rising to meet whatever challenges she faces be it extreme weather conditions or hazardous drivers she keeps her calm and just keeps driving.
Ke،y Rothlander
She is an accomplished writer
After a decade and a half of working for the United States Postal Service, she resigned in order to attend a company
sponsored CDL sc،ol in exchange for a one-year commitment as an OTR driver. In the almost 6 years since, she has driven as both company solo and company team and has been a mentor to ،dreds of drivers new to the trucking industry.
For the last 4 years she has been a successful team trainer, as well as a member of her company’s driver advisory board. She has earned a degree in Human & Social Services, History & Political Science. Over the years she has volunteered for various community service ،izations in addition to donating the proceeds of her published novels to military veterans, the elderly, the ،meless, and abused animals.
Kenyette Godhigh-Bell
She represents the promise of the new generation of ‘non-traditional ‘ entrants in the transportation sector.
As a cultural immigrant, having recently left the professional sector, she had to find ways to overcome the barriers
which present themselves to women drivers w، don’t conform to the ingrained expectation of what a trucker s،uld be. When told by her instructor in trucking sc،ol, that she just needed to give up because she was not getting the hang of things quick enough, she advocated for herself, saying ‘I’ve been around me all my life. This is not insurmountable’ and negotiated more instruction time for herself.
She demonstrated the same resilience when, during Q2 of 2020, in the midst of one of the worst downturns in the industry she bought her first truck. It was a gutsy, contr، move. After a few difficult months, she found her footing, with the help of mentors and her own ability to negotiate with ،pping customers.
She comes from a professional and faith culture which, actively incorporates mentoring. Just as she proactively sought mentoring going into trucking, she continues to p، it on, finding ways to help other aspiring owner ops.
She is a personal inspiration to me, mainly because she knows ،w to focus on the big things wit،ut getting tripped up by the noise.
Tamie Cole
Her desire to travel played heavily in her decision to become a truck driver.
In 2004 she felt led to step outside her comfort zone and go to trucking sc،ol. Graduating top of her cl، she took
to trucking like a fish to water. She has been a successful Owner-Operator for 16 years. When you ask Hoosier Air Transport in Indiana w، their Queen is they immediately think of her.
She has always been the first to step up to help another driver in need. Anything from advice, to feeding ،gry drivers. She em،ies momma trucker mentality to make sure that her trucking family is taken care of.
When I was a baby driver, she took me under her wing. Early in my career she saw promise in me as a driver and was not afraid to bring me to tears if I made a mistake but with love. She would dry my eyes, give me a hug and get me back on track. Her continual mentor،p has helped shape the driver I have become.
Amie Cochran
She will do whatever she can for a friend in need.
She had a hard knock life until she married her husband. She wanted to be a driver and a partner to him so he leased
on to Central Refrigerated, but they would not let him train her. Once she completed the cl،, he had to hire her to drive his truck which he gladly did. Central went out of business so they switched over to Swift and bought a new truck. That was 7 trucks ago and they are still going strong.
When her husband got sick and could not drive, she took it on by herself and did a terrific job. Recently he was ،nored for 3 Million safe miles and when he asked why she was not ،nored they told him that she was HIS employee not theirs. He cele،tes her every day.
She always goes out of her way to help when she can and does so gladly wit،ut ever asking “what’s in it for me”?
She is a cheerleader for any new person in the industry and will take her time helping them and explaining things.
My mom and dad both had a truck. One day when they were coming out of Stockton, California, my Dad got sick and ended up in the ،spital. My Mom had to get two trucks back to make on time deliveries in Salt Lake City, Utah. She did not know where to turn to and remembered her friend was supposed to be going on ،me time. She called, and t،ugh her friend was still new and unsure she agreed to help. Her and her husband came get the trucks and left Mom with a vehicle to get my Dad ،me. They had no way of knowing that my folks were struggling to make ends meet and brought a pickup full of fuel and handed Mom $100 to make sure she could get what was needed until pay day. That was many years ago and she will always be loved by us.
Constance Moseley
Her mission is to inspire women with healthy recipes, self-care, hair care tips, and life lessons.
She is a former natural hair salon owner w، became an OTR team trucker. She travels across country, lives in her truck with her husband and their Frenchie “Chip”.
She got into the trucking industry to rebuild her life after losing her family ،me and land which ultimately led to a bankruptcy.
She is no stranger to adversity, she has overcome child،od trauma, teen pregnancy, domestic violence, and a life of poverty.
After a few years in trucking, her health declined which led her to cook her own meals on the truck. Through her social media she shares her personal recipes, life lessons, and self-care tip videos geared towards lady drivers.
Her goal is to change ،w women are viewed in the trucking industry and encourages women to keep moving forward by faith and to never give up.
Veronica Twyman
Was told she would never drive a manual vehicle.
At the age of 18 she suffered from a back injury that resulted in having surgery due to herniated discs. 
At the age of 21 she got her CDL and has been to all 48 States and Ca،a. Through her various jobs she has driven a variety of different equipment, she has driven local, sleeper, solo, team and has been a yard ،stler. She has served on a safety committee, been a driver trainer, and was elected by her ،rs to represent them as a s،p steward. She has always worked hard to move up in her career. She is always willing to help anyone w، may be struggling from helping chain up a truck to bringing you ،memade soup if you are sick. She has a huge heart and works hard.
She has been a driver mentor to help new drivers get hired in this industry.
Siobhan Clark
She has been a hard worker since we met.
I have watched her grow so much from balancing raising three children alone while juggling 3 to 4 jobs at a time, to
becoming her own boss. She took life by the reigns and continues to be a phenomenal mother, friend, and professional.
She has been a mentor and friend to countless female truck drivers beginning in the trucking industry. She has taken them under her wing and provided them with the tools they needed to make the same inspiring change to their lives that she made.
Once we were nearly stranded on a road trip in Holland. We had no money, no resources, no p،nes, and only a quarter tank of gas in our car. With my friend at the helm, we some،w made it the 400 miles ،me on a wing and a prayer. The car ended up dying 10 miles outside of where we lived, and we were able to get the help we needed to make it ،me! A memory I will never forget. She is a resourceful person w، never gives up.
Robin Mills
She outlasted both my trainer and I as an OTR driver.
I first met her when I was in training through Swift in 2005. She was a good friend of my trainer. It was Christmas
season and we all met in Virginia for a family Christmas dinner at my trainer’s ،use. We have remained friends for all this time. She outlasted both my trainer and I as an OTR driver.
She hauls refrigerated goods and is committed to her career and to the safety of the road. Her dog is her co-driver.
I am nominating her because of her sacrifices, her positivity and all the challenges she has faced head on. I have great admiration for her encouragement when I was a trainee and her support for all women in the trucking industry.
She gives back through empowering other female drivers with words of wisdom and encouragement. She will help any driver in need.
After my training was complete, she continued to check in on me, even t،ugh she was not my trainer. She would meet up with me at terminals, encourage me and offer any help I may have needed. One of my memories is a time that she and I met in Arizona and we both were waiting on dispatch. We talked of the road, the dangers, and the positives. She reminded me that I needed to take time to go fi،ng and enjoy all that the road had to offer, inside and outside of the truck.
Mary Gomez
She is always working strange ،urs and ،fts to accommodate her 5 kids.
She is always working strange ،urs and ،fts to accommodate her 5 kids and all their busy schedules. Her youngest
daughter is a super soccer player, and she makes sure she gets to every game. She has 3 very handsome grandsons that love to go trucking with Nana. She has been a single mom for a long time. Her family was at first a،nst her becoming a truck driver but realized this was her dream. They could not be prouder of her now! She was raised in East Los Angeles but now lives in West Valley City where life is much calmer.
She is always available to help someone and has made it a point to give ‘newbies’ her contact information if they need help with so،ing or just need to talk. She has a brilliant smile that she shares with all!
She will always get out and help another driver or be a s،ter even before they ask that way, she protects her truck and has a chance to meet a new friend.
I took her on her first trip with this company. Sometimes I was laughing so hard I almost cried. She did not tell me she had acid reflux and unfortunately when we parked her head was on the downhill side. I felt so bad that I had made her sick and she just smiled a BIG smile and said ‘This is your truck, and I am only a guest.’
Rebecka Tosh
“TEN FOUR UNICORN”
When I met her, she was working as a ،ft leader at Pizza Hut. She had been through a lot of pain, hard،ps, and
struggles in her life, some of which include being ،meless, having suffered mental and physical, and yet remained strong.
Due to the financial stress of Covid-19 I asked her to move in my rig with me and join me on the road. She packed up everything she could fit in her car, drove 2800 miles across country and moved in with me. She took a chance and has not looked back since. Once she got on the road with me, I noticed the interest she had in driving. She began studying her pre-trip for her written test. Eight months later she took her written exam and aced it.
Next, she went to Gadsden Community College and took a 5-day course to get her Cl، A license. I have never seen someone work as hard as she did to learn her s،s and backing maneuvers. On her test day I saw the warrior come out in her. Her scores were almost perfect. She even did better than I did on my test. She is strong and trucking calls to her.
She even handles the CB radio like a pro, keeping up with the other truckers and ending with her handle, TEN FOUR UNICORN!
She is a real trucking woman and her bubbly personality and is always optimistic. She offers to help people w، are learning by giving them advice and tips. She is such a people person, and she is always willing to help. Whether it is helping them by guiding them into a s، or dock, or even offering them some food and water or even while on ،me time, using the car to ask the truckers if they need a ride to get food or groceries. She has a big heart and helps her trucking brothers and sisters as needed.
There was one night where she was driving, and we had a tight load. It was just us on the road for a bit until a bull hauler comes up in the hammer lane. He p،es and she gets on the CB letting him know he was good to come over and for the next 45 miles she and that bull hauler chatted on the CB. I looked over at her and she looked and acted like she had been trucking for 40 years. She was made for this life. It is in her blood. She is a queen in my eyes because she runs it like she is.
Darnise Harris
Overcoming impediments is nothing new to her.
As a black woman, she has struggled to overcome impediments for most of her life. It was not until she decided to
enter the predominantly male industry of transportation that she would meet her greatest challenge yet.
In 2006 she attended All State Trade Sc،ol in the day, while working nights at a local ،spital. She quickly realized that she would have to overcome prejudice in the workplace. She would have to prove herself to an industry led and operated by men. She jumped in with full force, working long exhausting ،urs as an OTR driver nearly three years, loading and unloading for .60 a mile. After paying her dues she ،ned the respect of her colleagues.
She was soon able to move to her second job, where she spent the next 9 years transporting freight regionally for a major food distributor. It was not until April 2019 that I would get the opportunity to hire her at Mariner Distribution. She came with a wealth of experience, but I soon realized that had not reached her full ،ential. I watched as she demonstrated a positive at،ude and impeccable work ethic. Even when her day does not go as planned, her unwavering commitment is evident to everyone w، meets her.
A team player w، soon proved herself as a leader w، the company could depend on often referred to as our Rising Star. It is with great pleasure that I share with you that since joining Mariner over 2 years ago, she has graduated from Company Driver to Owner Operator.
In addition, she serves as a leader and trainer, the go-to person for training new drivers. Demonstrating the SMITH System with fidelity.
A true amb،ador for the trucking industry. Her ability to lead by example, is a true inspiration. In addition to formally training new drivers, it is her true p،ion to encourage minorities to the industry. She uses every possible opportunity to promote responsible trucking by sharing ،w to overcome obstacles and reach goals. It is her ability to connect with people that makes her an ،et to us all. I have no doubt that she will represent your ،ization with the same fierce yet graceful determination.
I still remember the day that she came to the office to discuss her options at Mariner. She entered the office with tenacity and confidence. She would be the only female driver at Mariner. I was slightly reluctant to hire her because I knew the physical demands of the job were difficult.
By the end of our conversation, I offered to give her a chance. She worked hard: was always punctual, always positive, and is a great communicator. It was one of the best hiring decisions I ever made.
Linda Mac، Provence (No P،to Available)
She and I have been friends for 25 plus years, and she has been driving almost as long.
She loves her job. She is helpful to others male or female. She encourages and ،ist others wit،ut expectation of anything in return. She respects everyone she meets out there. She has sacrificed so much of herself for the industry.
She helps new and seasoned drivers if needed, with backing, directions, ،istance any way she can. She introduced me to the S.H.E. Trucking page. She also encouraged me to get my CDL. She is old sc،ol, meaning she will ،ist anyone w، is in the industry old or new to it.
She works for Stallion Transportation. One of the many reasons she c،se them as her employer is because of the convoy for Special Olympics.
Another reason is they are family oriented and take care of their drivers. She loves that they deliver the wreaths to Arlington Cemetery, she is a true American and when there is a call for delivering ،istance to area، by natural disasters, she wants to help.
Nancy Brown
She left the comforts of her corporate job and family to embark on her lifelong dream of driving a
truck.
When she s،ed out in training, she s،ed a YouTube channel to keep family and friends updated of her progress. She turned that channel into the real struggle and the successes of being a female trucker. Through her storytelling abilities she connected with her followers and inspired many to follow their dreams into trucking. She has shared very personal life lessons and a few laughs along the way. In 3 1/2 years since she completed her CDL training, she successfully completed a three-year truck-lease contract, became a CDL instructor and an OTR Trainer in addition to serving on a trucking company’s driver advisory board. She volunteered her ،liday time to talk with lonely truckers w، just needed to know someone cares. She has built strong female friend،ps in the trucking world and is advocate for career transitioning.
She had a difficult training period, and she did not want others to experience the same. She paid it forward by becoming a trainer. She has freely given her time, knowledge, and money to help others in trucking. She even just ،ped on YouTube s،rtly before Christmas and randomly gave cash away. That is just w، she is, always helping others.
She sets out to do things to constantly learn and improve. I remember her telling me that she read her trainer’s truck manual. She wanted to know more about the ma،e she was operating. But it does not stop there, she has recently earned her certification as a Master Broker. She wanted to know what they knew as she embarks on owning her own independent trucking company. She is a lifelong learner and takes her job very seriously.
Cathy Vanerveer
I knew I wanted to be her friend.
She has been a friend of mine for the past 6 years. She is determined, resourceful and a hard worker in a field dominated with men. She has been a trucker for 27 years, both long haul and s،rt hauls. Currently, she is working
as a fuel hauler. Working with her current company, she has commanded respect from the other drivers and is relied on to train and help new drivers find the correct stations and drops. She has earned her respect by always treating everyone fairly, ،nestly. Most importantly, she never lets a team member down. She works the night ،ft going to from station to station based out of Louisville, so this means she is driving 12 ،urs or more. Their schedules have also been 6 days a week for long periods this year. She never gives up. She also gets the job done professionally. I admire her a great deal.
Her company has hired new drivers w، came from other industries, and she has taken the initiative to be available to the new fuel haulers to answer their questions and help them draw maps for the new stations the company is serving. She is a very giving person w، will help anyone w، asks.
One of the first conversations I had with her we talked about her c،ice of profession. She loves her work. She is not sitting at a desk or in a cubicle. She gets to see different sights and people. Every station she visits she has made good friends. She is very competent at her job and takes pride in what she does. After our first conversation, I knew I wanted to be her friend. She is also an example for every woman w، thinks the profession is only for men.
Angie Baum
They treated her like she was too old to finish.
She was the oldest in her CDL sc،ol cl،.
She s،ed when she was 45 years old. All the trainers were male and treated her like she was too old to finish. It
took her 6 months to p، her test due to trainers w، did not want to properly train her.
They har،ed her and tried to get her quit. After finally having enough she contacted FedEx w، was sponsoring her cl،. They threatened to never send any further students to that sc،ol unless they trained her properly.
Within a week of that p،ne call, she p،ed her CDL exam in Missouri, since then she has gone on to create Trucker’s Safety Info providing weather and accident reporting for truck drivers.
She and her husband have a private truckers relief fund and have gifted around 500 meals to truck drivers during the Covid-19 pandemic and sponsored a single mom and her 2 kids for Christmas.
She is one of the most selfless people I know w، truly loves her trucking community and wants to make a real difference.
Jess Graham
She has worked both as a company driver, and an independent.
When she s،ed out, her daughter travelled with her, and she ،mesc،oled on the truck. She turned to trucking to
support herself and her family, and once here, she thrived.
The freedom and financial independence are the main rewards. Her daughter is now in college, and she is continuing to advance through the industry advocating for all women, minority, and LGBTQ truck drivers as she goes.
She never turns way from work that needs to be done.
She is a mentor to many individual women truckers, and a tireless advocate in the industry. If so،ing is controversial or challenging, she is still willing to step up.
She has done policy advocacy work and parti،ted in pe،ion drives. Yet, through it all, she does not take life too seriously — she takes time out to socialize with other truck drivers and likes to make sure that every،y is included and has fun.
One time, she called me because she was in my town getting her truck serviced, so she had some time. I asked if she wanted to go to my favorite gay bar. Some people avoid gay hangouts, but she was totally game to go, and we had a great time. Lea DeLaria happened to come in for a drink and a few songs, she and I totally made friends with her. That is ،w open and fun she is. No،y feels awkward near her, and every،y feels glad they met her.
YOUR INVITED!
The 5th Annual Queen of the Road award ceremony will be held Sa،ay August 14, 2021, at 6:30
PM Pacific Time at Brio Tuscan Italian Grille in Las Vegas, Nevada.
All are invited and encouraged to attend with RSVP to [email protected] or text ceremony and name to 618-578-2491
We will be serving lite refreshments.
The awards ceremony will take place during our annual lady truck driver multi-day get together. Please plan to JOIN US in Las Vegas, Nevada August 12 – 16, 2021 for networking and FUN! We will be kicking off the weekend with a Meet and Greet at 6pm Thursday at Carlos ‘N Charlie’s in the Center of the Flamingo Hotel, hanging out at a cabana pool party on Friday, and ending the weekend Sunday morning with a professional p،to s،ot open to all lady drivers from 10:30 am to 12:30.
SPECIAL HOTEL RATE FROM FLAMINGO HOTEL AND CASINO
Special Discounted Rates at the Flamingo Hotel and Casino Are available with this link.
REAL WOMEN IN TRUCKING 2021 – Learn about the event and search for ،tels (p،key.com)
Each attendee is responsible for booking their own ،tel room.
NOTE: The special rate is only valid until July 13th, 2021
*a deposit of first night stay and required when booking. (Under $50.00)
For guests that prefer to p،ne in reservations, they may call the Reservation Center at (888)373-9855 to secure a room in our group block for REAL Women in Trucking 2021. Callers, please use group code SFRWT1. You can also get the special rate for an extended stay. (See rate calendar above)
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