From the Driver’s Seat to the C-Suite: Jennifer Hedrick on Building Community in Trucking

What does it look like to serve 8,000 members — from long-haul truck drivers to C-suite executives at Walmart, Penske, and J.B. Hunt — with a staff of four?

Jennifer Hedrick, President & CEO of Women in Trucking Association, joins host Rich Vallaster on Bring on Better™ to answer exactly that. Jennifer shares how Women in Trucking champions women across every level of the trucking profession, why the organization deliberately stays out of lobbying despite its policy-relevant membership, and how they keep drivers engaged when those members are, literally, on the road.

You’ll hear about the image team — a group of volunteer truck drivers who have rung the bell on Wall Street and appeared on national television to represent the industry. About Accelerate, Women in Trucking’s annual conference drawing 1,500+ attendees. And about Whitney, a mobile career exploration trailer complete with a driving simulator that visits high schools and Girl Scout troops across the country.

Jennifer and Rich also talk honestly about where AI adoption actually stands for small-staff associations, and where Women in Trucking is focusing its membership growth — including a targeted push to bring more women drivers into an industry that research shows they outperform in safety and efficiency.

If you lead an association or nonprofit and you’re thinking about member engagement, community building across a distributed audience, or AI for lean teams, this episode is worth your time.