J.G. Drapeau hosts a field trip to the terminal
ETOBICOKE, Ont. – In an effort to get more women into the trucking industry for good, Margaret Hogg, general manager of J.G. Drapeau, a family business that hauls mostly hazardous materials, invited students of MicroSkills’ Women in Transportation Program to tour the company’s terminal on March 11.
The day’s purpose was two-fold, according to Hogg.
The first was to give the women a first-hand look into the everyday job duties of a typical commercial driver.
“I want to really show them what they can expect when they say they want to be a driver,” Hogg said. “And I want them to know how much safety goes into the job.”
During the visit to the terminal the students were shown what exactly is required during a pre-trip. They got to climb up into the truck and look around the office and observe other jobs within the industry, like dispatch.
The second purpose of the day was a chance for Hogg to practice her mentoring skills.
“I had mentors when I first started in the industry and now I want to be the mentor,” she said. “I know we’re not a large carrier and we’re very family-oriented but I want to be there for them and support them and let them know that being a woman, they have just as much skill as a man does. I want to let them know it’s a good industry to work in.”
The Women in Transportation Program is in partnership with Humber College, OTTA and Rexdale Women’s Centre. Students spend 10 weeks in the MicroSkills classroom where they learn essential skills like trip planning and map reading, and 7 weeks at the Humber College Transportation Centre.
J.G. Drapeau currently employs just one female driver but Hogg says they are actively looking to recruit more.
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What a great opportunity for women wanting to get into the trucking industry. I’m very proud to become a part of the 3% of women in trucking. It’s a chance to empower myself and other women, wanting to make their mark in a male dominated industry.
Thank you J.G Drapeau for showing us your great company’s operations.
It was very informative and fun!
Wow, Ms. Hogg is an inspiration to both the transportation industry as well as empowering Women to excel in a male-dominated industry.
Kudos to you for very creative -out-of-the-box thinking.
The future of professional Drivers is a serious matter that does not seem to garner the attention it deserves. I have personally done a tremendous amount of AZ/DZ/G recruitment for all size companies and have seen huge multi-nationals practically begging to find Drivers, yet unable to provide reasonable compensation.
I hope someday the general public will understand just how vital it is to have reliable, safe transportation of our daily consumables and appreciation for professional Drivers will increase .
The transportation industry is a critical economic component to our everyday world and we do largely take it for granted and do not give it the respect that it deserves!
Inspiring people and Women Leaders in business like Ms. Hogg from J.G. Drapeau are refreshing and bring inspiration to an industry that is faced with many challenges in the work that they do!
I’m so glad to see that picture thank you very much for your compliment. and for the tour we enjoy the visit