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14 > Susie De Ridder chosen as
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Can the COVID-19 crisis serve as
a ‘vaccination’ against nuclear
verdicts in trucking?
By Kris Rutherford
The COVID-19 crisis isn’t the type of tunnel a nation enters
with expectations of an ever-brightening light ahead. After
all, an enemy with the ability to kill millions and destroy the
global economy isn’t something a nation can look beyond. But in terms
of the trucking industry and its executives, drivers and support personnel,
history may view the current crisis as a turning point. 2020 could
go down as the year truck drivers attained a status similar to what first
responders received after 9/11 — heroes, or at least doers of heroic deeds.
The shift in public opinion has been a long time coming. Not since
the 1970s, when public opinion of truckers was based more on myth
than reality, have truck drivers been as popular as they are today. Crisis
situations tend to pull the veil from decades of misconceptions and
negative publicity.
Public-opinion surveys as recent as last October deemed tractortrailers
and their drivers as menaces of highways. But as the COV-
ID-19 crisis spread, anecdotal evidence sprung up signaling a change
of opinion. The vital role the trucking industry plays in the nation’s
economy shone brightly, and Americans have recognized it. Billboards
offering thanks to truckers have popped up along interstates
and highways, and testaments of drivers being personally thanked by
Megan Lyndberg thanks truckers during a free lunch
giveaway Tuesday, March 31, 2020, at a rest area along
I-10 in Sacaton, Arizona. The nation has developed a new
appreciation for truckers and it is possible that it will translate
to the courtroom. (AP Photo: Matt York)
strangers are numerous. Small businesses are even making special efforts
to ensure drivers have what they need to keep them safe as they
make the deliveries that will help save the economy.
An early April White House ceremony sang the praises of truck
drivers. President Trump stated that “America’s truck drivers are the
foot soldiers carrying us to victory,” a reference to the many drivers
working seven days a week to complete deliveries of essential freight.
Ultimately, if the trucking industry is truly to be thanked for its
efforts, the evidence may first be seen in the legal system, where juries
have increasingly returned “nuclear” verdicts against the industry.
Americans aren’t known for their sympathies for insurance companies.
After all, dealing with an insurance company can bring 10 times
the aggravation of being involved in a car accident. When the insurer
does meet its obligations, it frequently sends its “thank you” in the form
of a skyrocketing premium or outright cancellation of a policy. Insurance
companies are not blameless in the high costs of driving a vehicle,
and they share the blame for the crippling premiums truck drivers and
carriers pay to fulfill their “heroic” roles. Still, insurance companies increase
premiums to remain viable, cover costs and turn a profit.
Maintaining the benefits insurers once provided for their customers
became more difficult when personal-injury lawyers factored into
the equation. Their ability to convince juries to return “nuclear” verdicts
against the trucking industry played no small role in building
the negative public opinion of the trucking industry in recent decades.
The hundreds of personal-injury lawyer billboards lining the roadways
of any large American city are hard to miss. For every billboard
thanking truck drivers, a hundred continue to encourage motorists to
speed to the nearest law firm if they have even a minor run-in with a
tractor-trailer.
The personal-injury attorneys specializing in incidents involving
trucks on the highways are masters at twisting information and statistics
to convince motorists and juries that trucks are the bane of
highway traffic. Take for instance the statistics involving rear-end collisions.
When a rear-end collision happens, fault is seldom placed on
the leading vehicle or its driver. After all, it’s a matter of following distance.
If the proper distance is maintained, the trailing vehicle’s driver
will be able to stop before hitting the lead vehicle. The basic safety
measure is as sure as the law of gravity, and every state has traffic laws
against “following too close.”
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Susie De Ridder chosen as Women In Trucking’s
first Female Driver of the Year
By Cliff Abbott
Driving a truck for a living isn’t an easy job. Driving for
a living AND making time to promote the industry and
its drivers while encouraging others to make trucking
a career? That’s an effort above and beyond. That’s Susie De
Ridder.
The Fredericton, New Brunswick-based driver for Amour
Transportation Systems was Women In Trucking’s (WIT) choice
as its very first Female Driver of the Year. Physical presentation of
the award was scheduled for the organization’s “Salute to Women
Behind the Wheel” at the Mid-America Trucking Show in Louisville,
Kentucky, but the event was canceled due to the COVID-19
pandemic.
“I’m disappointed,” said De Ridder, “but we have to think of
the safety of everyone.”
Instead, the award was presented through a video and press
release from WIT.
De Ridder was chosen from a group of three finalists that also
included Carmen Anderson and Sarah Fiske, company drivers for
America’s Service Line LLC and FedEx Freight, respectively.
“I can’t wait to meet them,” De Ridder acknowledged.
Still, she was elated at her achievement. “I’ve said it before;
it was like winning the ‘Golden Globe’ of trucking,” she said. “I
don’t think my feet have hit the ground yet.”
Like many drivers, De Ridder came from a trucking family.
To that end, she’s tireless in participating in events that present
women, and truckers, in a positive light.
“I love the ‘Girl Gala’ events,” she explained, referring to scheduled
exhibitions at schools and other locations where she brings
her truck. “It brightens my heart to pull in and see little girls —
and little boys — waving and wanting me to blow the horn.”
One item that’s always a hit is Claire, the WIT doll that rides
on De Ridder’s dash as a part of the organization’s ‘Where’s Claire’
program.
“I wish I could give every one of them a Claire of their own,”
De Ridder said, “but I try to leave them with some kind of gift,
like a hat or a scouting patch. My hope is that it reminds them of
the woman trucker who visited them.”
De Ridder loves to participate in charity events, too. She said
she is a good friend of Jo-Anne Phillips, the WIT June 2019 Member
of the Month and works with her on the Convoy for Hope,
an annual fundraising parade to support cancer research and
treatment.
Another charity event was of De Ridder’s own creation. When
the woman cleaning showers at a Nebraska truck stop told her
of a group of feral cats living around the facility, De Ridder went
into action. Working with others, she raised enough funding to
have all the animals vaccinated and neutered.
“If I had more time,” she said, “I’d be volunteering at shelters.”
“When I was young I’d go with my dad, and I noticed there
were no women driving trucks,” she explained. “I think I’ve always
wanted to be a truck driver.”
With 40 years of driving under her belt, De Ridder has more
than reached her dream of driving. She has, however, contributed
much more to the industry than simply her ability to handle
a truck. She’s been an ambassador for safety, especially to those
who are considering a driving career.
“I hope that other women can look at me and see that yes, this
is possible,” she said.
14
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Regardless, she still found time to adopt
two rescue cats, Downey and Spice.
“I don’t take them on the road with me,
but they’re well cared for at home,” she said.
De Ridder has extensive experience serving
women in the trucking industry. She
served on the board for the Women’s Trucking
Federation of Canada, resigning that position
to devote more time to WIT, where she
was named to the Image Team in 2018. She
has served as a speaker and panelist at trucking
events and conducted ride-alongs with
lawmakers and others. Although she enjoyed
all the official passengers, she said one stands
out.
“I had a police officer ride along on one
trip,” she said. “We kind of hit it off, and it
was interesting that each of us learned something
from the other’s point of view.”
De Ridder works a Tuesday-through-Saturday
shift from Armour’s Moncton, New
Brunswick, terminal. She’s “running wild”
(anywhere in the system) until Friday; then
she completes a scheduled grocery run.
When she’s home, De Ridder helps care for
her elderly mother, rests from her workweek
and indulges in watching a NASCAR race
when she can.
“I usually try to catch a race on Sunday
when I’m home,” she said. “Now that the
NASCAR events are suspended, I still watch
the simulated events.”
De Ridder’s future plans include using her
platform to encourage more women to enter
the trucking industry.
“Maybe I’ll have more opportunities to
promote women,” she said, adding, “My
father always said that the steering wheel
doesn’t know who’s holding it.”
Susie De Ridder was chosen as Women In Trucking’s first Female Driver of
the Year from a group of three finalists that also included Carmen Anderson
and Sarah Fiske, company drivers for America’s Service Line LLC and
FedEx Freight, respectively. Courtesy: Women In Trucking
Her message to women is a simple one:
“It’s never too late to get behind the wheel,”
she said.
If Susie De Ridder has her way, more women
will be holding that wheel in the future.
16
Big Money Trucking
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Seeking High Performing
Professional Team Drivers
Work Well.
Live Well. Earn Well.
Guaranteed.
Guaranteed Weekly Wage Starting at $1540
Home 100+ Days Per Year
Award Winning Workplace
Professional Work Environment
Comprehensive Benefits Package
Earn Two Days Off for Every Week OTR
$5000 Team Orientation Pay
9 Paid Holidays, 5 Personal Days, and Paid Vacation
Military Service Valued
APPLY ONLINE OR SPEAK TO
A RECRUITER TODAY:
800-442-4004
Join a company that has received the
top 20 Best Fleets to Drive For
for the 6th year in a row.
DRIVEBOYLE.COM

Boyle Transport ................................................24 9, 20
Central Marketing Transport ......................... 17
Container Port 7, 21
Clark Transportation .........................................6
East West Express 2, 3
Coal City ............................................................19
K.L. Containerport Harring ...................................................21 12, 19
Navajo East West Express ........................................... 6, 2-3 24
NuWay ..................................................................7
P.I.&I. Motor Express 8, 15
Payne ..................................................................23
Star Freight 17
P.I.&I. Motor Express ....................................... 11
TMC Schneider ......................................................... 11, 8-9 18
Star Freight ..........................................................5
UPS Freight 13
Turquoise ...........................................................15
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