3 finalists for WIT's 2024 Influential Woman in Trucking award announced

Updated Oct 16, 2024
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Women In Trucking

The Women In Trucking Association Tuesday announced three finalists for the 2024 Influential Woman in Trucking award, sponsored by Daimler Truck North America (DTNA).This award was developed in 2010 to recognize female leaders and to attract and advance women in the trucking industry.

The 2024 Influential Woman in Trucking award finalists are:

  • Lisa Gonnerman, Vice President of Enterprise Services, TA Dedicated
  • Sheri Aaberg, Chief Operating Officer, Transport Enterprise Leasing
  • Tracy Rushing, Executive Director of Safety, RE Garrison Trucking, Inc.

Lisa Gonnerman has more than 32 years of experience in trucking, leading safety and operations and playing an instrumental role in shaping safety practices and policies nationwide. She is vice president of Enterprise Services with TA Dedicated.

Throughout her career, she has held influential positions including serving as the National Chair of the American Trucking Association 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 and the Federal Motor Carriers Safety Administration'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, accordin g to a statement from WIT. An active member of Women in Trucking, she also is active organizations like Make-A-Wish.

Sheri Aaberg excels at 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, according to the WIT.

As the chief operating officer of Transport Enterprise Leasing, LLC, Aaberg has 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 trucks and trailers 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.

Aaberg has served on the board of the Used Truck Association and is a member of the Heavy Truck Blue Book Advisory Committee. Through her leadership and executive sponsorship, Transport Enterprise Leasing has joined and become active in both national and state-level trucking associations.

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, Truckload Carriers Association and the Safety & Maintenance Management Council of the Alabama Trucking Association. She serves on the Risk Management Advisory Committee of the ATA Comp Fund, the Women in Trucking Membership Committee and as the chair of the Truckload Carriers Association’s Safety, Recruiting and Retention Committee.

Rushing has earned certifications from the North American Transportation Management Institute as a Certified Director of Safety 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 award finalists will participate on a panel discussion at the WIT Accelerate! Conference & Expo held in Dallas Nov. 10 – 13. The winner will give a HERstory speech following the panel discussion.