OTA Oregon Truck Dispatch Issue 2, 2024

33 www.ortrucking.org Issue 2 | 2024 Cheri Van Dyke – George Van Dyke Trucking For as long as Cheri Van Dyke can remember, her dad has been a trucker. She never planned on following in his footsteps, but when an opening at his trucking company arose and gave her the opportunity to join the family business while bringing her young children to work with her, she dove in headfirst. Today, Cheri manages safety and helps with dispatch for George Van Dyke Trucking, along with receivables, billing, payroll, HR, OSHA requirements, and anything else that comes up in the small, family business. Cheri says that working in dispatch helped her carve out space for herself in what she calls a very male dominated industry. “Having that interaction with drivers helped me to build strong relationships with them which is helpful when it comes to managing safety,” said Cheri. Cheri says her that her perspective as a woman in the trucking industry helps provide a point of view that often isn’t heard in other spaces and has helped her to develop those relationships with their drivers. Her willingness to get her hands dirty and learn about all aspects of their family business has also served her well. “As a woman in trucking, you have to find what your role is if you don’t drive trucks,” said Cheri. “That’s one of the reasons why I took the OTA’s Fleet Safety Class last year. My mother told me knowledge is power and that’s a lot of why I signed up for the class and have learned to take on different roles, throwing myself into different parts of the business.” When asked what she would tell other women interested in getting into the trucking industry, her advice is clear: “Go for it! Don’t be intimidated by it. There’s a need for women and our perspective here!” “As a woman in trucking, you have to find what your role is if you don’t drive trucks,” said Cheri. “That’s one of the reasons why I took the OTA’s Fleet Safety Class last year. My mother told me knowledge is power and that’s a lot of why I signed up for the class and have learned to take on different roles, throwing myself into different parts of the business.”

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