The annual award recognizes those in the transportation industry who provide leadership, create change, and inspire.
Women are propelling the transportation industry forward every day through innovative thinking, leadership, and collaboration. This prestigious award was developed in 2010 to honor these women who are making or influencing key decisions in corporate, manufacturing, supplier, owner-operator, driver, sales, or dealership settings, have a proven record of responsibility, mentorship, and serve as a role model to other women in the industry.
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Lisa Gonnerman is a seasoned professional with more than 32 years of experience in trucking, leading safety and operations and playing an instrumental role in shaping safety practices and policies nationwide.
The culture Sheri Aaberg has created while leading at companies in the trucking industry throughout the last 24 years is one of excellence in performance, customer service and team development.
Tracy Rushing began her career nearly 30 years ago and has advanced through various roles learning safety management, FMCSA Regulations and driver relations. Now, she's Executive Director of Safety.
Vice President of Enterprise Services
TA Dedicated
Lisa Gonnerman is a seasoned professional with more than 32 years of experience in trucking, leading safety and operations and playing an instrumental role in shaping safety practices and policies nationwide. Currently serving as Vice President of Enterprise Services with TA Dedicated, Gonnerman excels in safety leadership and mentorship.
Throughout her career, she has held influential positions including serving as the National Chair of the American Trucking Association (ATA) Safety Management Council from 2019 to 2021 and being named ATA National Safety Director of the Year in 2016.
Beyond ATA, Gonnerman is the current chair of the Minnesota Safety Council leadership team and past safety conference chair. Her participation in key industry bodies, like the Commercial Vehicle Safety Alliance (CVSA) and the FMCSA's CSA subcommittee, further emphasizes her leadership.
Gonnerman advocates for a culture of safety and is passionate about mentoring future leaders, especially women in trucking. An active member of Women in Trucking, she continues to inspire others while making a positive impact on her community through her involvement with organizations like Make-A-Wish.
Chief Operating Officer
Transport Enterprise Leasing
Sheri Aaberg excels in creating organizations where people matter, where they are challenged and where they have the opportunity to grow. The culture Aaberg has created while leading at companies in the trucking industry throughout the last 24 years is one of excellence in performance, customer service and team development.
As the Chief Operating Officer of Transport Enterprise Leasing, LLC, (“TEL”), Aaberg and her vision have been instrumental in the company’s growth and operating excellence since she joined TEL in 2014. She has overseen the development of process and organizational structure that has been key to the firm’s success. Under her guidance, TEL’s lease portfolio has grown from 1,200 truck and trailer assets on lease to more than 9,300 vehicles. Employee headcount has grown exponentially, and TEL has been able to expand from its Chattanooga headquarters to a second location, an equipment reconditioning and remarketing facility in Indianapolis, Indiana.
Aaberg has served on the board of the Used Truck Association and is a member of the Heavy Truck Blue Book Advisory Committee. Her speaking presentations have included engagements with the Truckload Carriers Association, Used Truck Association Conventions, TruckPaper forums and Blue Book seminars. Through her leadership and executive sponsorship, Transport Enterprise Leasing has joined and become active in both national and state-level trucking associations.
Executive Director of Safety
RE Garrison Trucking, Inc.
Tracy Rushing began her career nearly 30 years ago in Forest, Mississippi, weighing trucks and calculating driver timesheets. Since then, she has advanced through various roles in the transportation industry, learning safety management, FMCSA Regulations and driver relations. In 2022, she joined RE Garrison Trucking as the Executive Director of Safety, overseeing the safety, recruiting and orientation teams.
Rushing is an active member of the Society of Human Resources Management (SHRM), Truckload Carriers Associations (TCA) and the Safety & Maintenance Management Council of the Alabama Trucking Association (SMMC). She serves on the Risk Management Advisory Committee of the ATA Comp Fund (RMAC), the Women in Trucking Membership Committee (WIT) and as the chair of the Truckload Carriers Association’s (TCA) Safety, Recruiting and Retention Committee.
Rushing has earned certifications from the North American Transportation Management Institute (NATMI) as a Certified Director of Safety (CDS) and as a NATMI Instructor. In 2023, she was honored as the Alabama Safety Director of the Year Runner-Up.
Faith and family have been her source of strength and motivation throughout her career. She is enthusiastic about mentoring and supporting women in trucking, believing strongly in their contributions to this vital industry.
“The Influential Woman in Trucking award highlights the incredible contributions of women in our industry and aligns with our commitment to creating a more inclusive and diverse workforce. We have seen the representation of women in the truck industry grow at all levels, from the driver’s seat to the C-suite, and we believe that by celebrating the accomplishments of women in trucking, we can continue to drive positive change and innovation in our industry.”
Angela Lentz
Chief People Officer
Daimler Truck North America
The 2024 Influential Woman in Trucking winner will be announced at the upcoming Accelerate! Conference & Expo Nov. 10-13 in Dallas, TX. Each finalist will serve as a panelist for a coffee chat discussion on Nov. 12 followed by the winner announcement.
Nominations can be made by any individual or by an organization familiar with the nominee and her work.
High-performing women in a corporate, manufacturing, supplier, owner-operator, driver, sales or dealership setting within the transportation industry in North America. Nominees must have a proven record of responsibility, mentorship, and serve as a role model to other women in the industry.
A complete award nomination form consists of the following:
You can start the nomination process here.
If the individual is not named winner, they can be renominated.
Nominations will be accepted through Wednesday, September 11, 2024.
After the awards nomination deadline, nominations are submitted to the award selection committee established for review that year. After finalist candidates have been selected by the committee, final approval for the winning candidate will be voted on by the awards committee and Women In Trucking executives. The finalist candidates will be notified by WIT and publicized to industry and trade media. The winning candidate will be announced at the award presentation during the annual Accelerate! Conference & Expo.
Nov. 12, 2024. Each finalist will serve as a panelist for a panel discussion on Nov. 12 during the 2024 Accelerate! Conference & Expo hosted by the Women In Trucking Association in Dallas, TX. The winner announcement will directly follow the session.
The winner will also receive a two-hour virtual coaching session with keynote speaker, Ankha Marza prior to the conference.
Contact Lana Nichols
Phone: (208) 217-2147
Email: programs@womenintrucking.org.