Here’s the latest update from MyTrucking’s Victoria Sales and Account Manager, Nikola Berryman. Nikola shares insights from attending the Transport Women Australia – Driving the Dream Conference.
To briefly sum up Driving the Dream Conference, I genuinely found the speakers engaging, inspiring, and thought‑provoking. The quality of the speakers and the honesty of the conversations really stood out, and I took a lot away from the experience.
Women Supporting Women (and why it matters)
One strong and recurring theme was the importance of women supporting each other in a male‑dominated industry. Interestingly, a number of speakers shared that it was often other women, not men, who were blockers in their careers.
That really landed with me. It was a reminder that progress isn’t just about getting a seat at the table, it’s also about how we treat each other once we’re there. This is highly relevant for small, growing teams working in a traditionally male‑dominated industry. How we communicate, support each other, and show up internally matters just as much as what we build externally.
Stand‑Out Speakers
Heather Jones – Founder, Pilbara Heavy Haulage Girls
The conference opened with Heather Jones, and her story set the tone for the entire event. Heather is the founder of Pilbara Heavy Haulage Girls, a group doing incredible work to support and train women in transport and heavy haulage.
Her story is one of resilience and determination:
After leaving an abusive marriage, Heather bundled her two daughters into a truck. She drove full‑time and homeschooled her girls from the truck. What started as survival evolved into purpose, creating pathways for other women to enter and stay in the industry.
What stood out to me most was that Heather didn’t wait for permission or perfect conditions. She built something meaningful out of necessity, grit, and a belief that women deserve space, safety, and opportunity in this industry.
Her work has since helped hundreds of women, many escaping domestic violence, gain skills, financial independence, and confidence through transport careers. Check it out here.
Trucking with CJ – Real‑World Perspective From the Driver’s Seat
Trucking with CJ (Casuarina Smith) also spoke, bringing a very real, lived experience as a female truck driver in Australia.
She raised points that many men, and honestly many office‑based industry roles, simply wouldn’t think about:
- Taking birth control to suppress her monthly cycle so she doesn’t have to deal with periods while driving long distances
- The lack of suitable toilet and shower facilities for women drivers
- The reality of working in an industry where only around 2% of drivers are female
Yes, 2% is small, but 2% is still 2%, and those women deserve basic dignity, safety, and facilities.
CJ also spoke about how being a woman has meant she has had to be noticeably better than her male peers just to earn the same level of respect, a sentiment echoed by several speakers throughout the conference. Learn more about Trucking with CJ.
Why wellbeing matters
On a lighter note, the conference did place a lot of emphasis on wellbeing, which I appreciated.
- There was a juice booth
- Roaming massage therapists
- I personally managed to squeeze in three massages over two days, which may have been one of my better life decisions
It was a good reminder that burnout is real in this industry, and that small investments in wellbeing can make a meaningful difference.
Personal takeaways
- Transport is still a hard industry, especially if you don’t fit the “traditional” mould
- Empathy and awareness matter, whether you’re driving a truck or designing software
- Support and flexibility are not “nice to haves”, they are retention tools
- We should always be conscious that many of our customers (and their staff) are juggling far more than we see on the surface.
It also reinforced for me how important it is that MyTrucking is built with real‑world workflows and humans in mind, not just “ideal” scenarios.
Supporting those who support the industry
The YETI drink pack MyTrucking put up for auction received strong support, selling for $520. All proceeds were donated to Farm Angels, a charity that provides practical and emotional support to farming families during tough times.
The winning bid came from Claudia Foini, who purchased the pack for her boss at Doble Express Transport, showing exactly the kind of generosity and community spirit that keeps this industry going.
To finish, one quote from a Healthy Minds in Trucks and Sheds presenter really summed up the entire conference for me:
“When we feel connected and supported, it makes the hard days easier, and the good days even better.”
