Women Truck Leasing Executives No Longer a Rarity

1
Women Truck Leasing Executives No Longer a Rarity
1888 Press Release - Sandy Hakes, President and
Owner of Williams NationaLease, says business and
leadership skills are what make a successful
trucking executive - not his or her gender.
Things have come a long way since Sandy Hakes
first sat in meetings of trucking executives as
the only woman in the room. Today Hakes -
President and Owner of Williams NationaLease -
said the ranks of top women executives in the
trucking industry are growing. "Yes, some men are
still surprised when they see a woman trucking
company owner, but there's no negativity
involved," she said during an interview with
NationaLease staff. NationaLease, the North
American organization of full service truck
leasing companies, is running a series on "Women
in Trucking" in the months ahead and chose Hakes
as its first woman to profile. "The entire
trucking industry, including the full service
leasing business, is changing. Some of the older
company owners are retiring and now their
daughters feel free to enter the business when it
used to be only sons," Hakes said. "It's really
great not to be the only woman in the room
anymore." Hakes took over Williams NationaLease
in 1998 when her father retired. Since then, the
company has expanded to three locations two in
Illinois and one in Indiana. Less than 10 years
after Hakes took over the helm, the company was
awarded the American Trucking Associations'
President's Top Trophy for Safety and a few years
later, Hakes was named Woman of the Year by the
National Association of Professional Women. In
the interview, Hakes talks about raising her two
daughters who are now in the business with her,
and the issues of balancing work and family. She
states that her daughters have their own style of
working and, as she says, "They'll manage in a
different way and I have faith in them to make
the company bigger, better and stronger."
2
When asked what advice she would give to other
women who want to enter the industry, Hakes
provided some thoughts. "Hang in there. Don't
give up. Don't be intimidated. This really is a
great industry with a lot of camaraderie. We look
out for one another. But it's a lot of work. I
tell my daughters that we work with pennies in
this business (.01 cents per mile). But if you
add up all those miles and all those pennies, you
can have a successful business." To read the
full interview, visit http//blog.nationalease.com
/women-in-trucking-an-interview-with-sandy-hakes/.
About NationaLease Founded in 1944,
NationaLease is one of the largest full service
truck leasing organizations in North America,
with over 600 service locations throughout the
U.S. and Canada and a combined customer fleet of
over 125,000 tractors, trucks, and trailers. The
company provides comprehensive fleet management
services for private fleets and transportation
service providers. More information can be found
at http//www.nationalease.com.