Truck Driver Madlen Lata from TOPREGAL on Her Professional Life

40 tons on the road, the horizon far away, and the path – always straight ahead. Truck transport plays an indispensable role in functioning logistics. However, as the drive technology has evolved in recent years, so has the domain and community. More and more women are daring to enter the heavy class. Maike Wrieden from Borgmeier Public Relations spoke with Madlen Lata from TOPREGAL about life as a woman behind the wheel of a truck.

(Filderstadt) In her experience report, Madlen Lata from TOPREGAL GmbH reveals how it is with prejudices, whether they are true or not, and when a woman in the driver’s cabin has a better overview. She drives the large trucks nationwide and internationally.

Maike Wrieden: How did you come up with the idea of becoming a truck driver?

Madlen Lata: “This passion developed from a stereotype more commonly associated with girls – equestrian sports. For some time, I worked at a riding stable and often went to tournaments. However, it wasn’t the riding that fascinated me so much, but how the rider could handle her transporter. That inspired me – the handling of the large machine and the elegance with which one can operate such a vehicle. I wanted that, I wanted to be on the road, I wanted to drive. So, I completed a 3-year training program to become a truck driver. I am excited about being my own boss on the road, the feeling of freedom when I drive, the open road ahead of me that keeps pulling me forward. No office can offer me that.

How was your training period?

Professionally good, very good even, although I was the only woman. I don’t care about that; I don’t categorize people based on whether they are male, female, or diverse. It depends on the interaction and respect among each other. There was an experience during that time where this respect was lacking. I was assigned to work with a colleague who had somewhat, let’s say, traditional views and treated me accordingly. He didn’t take me seriously and doubted my ability to handle the work and the truck, and he showed that. It simply wasn’t teamwork, and accordingly, it didn’t run smoothly and purposefully in terms of fulfilling the assignment – and that was what it was all about. I then actively requested to work with someone else. Personal feelings hinder good teamwork, and that is particularly important when dealing with heavy machinery and goods.

As a truck driver, Madlen Lata also has to get her hands dirty and secure the load, for example.

So there are no differences in the way women work in logistics?

Not directly. From my experience, I can say that women can sometimes be a bit more patient or considerate, which can indeed be a significant advantage in certain situations on the road or during loading processes. But one shouldn’t generalize that. Much depends on the individual. Since truck drivers are on the road with other road users, one should generally be a bit more robust and calm. I once had a tire blowout on the highway. Thank God nothing worse happened. But it was also something that couldn’t be changed anymore. It doesn’t make sense to waste energy on outbursts of anger; instead, it’s important to calmly and thoughtfully take all necessary safety precautions and support the breakdown service as best as possible. Hotheads, whether male or female, are not good on the road. The pressure from deadlines, driving and rest times, searching for parking, and driving economically is high, but selfishness and aggression have no place on the road. However, there is a lot wrong when the employer exerts this pressure; that’s where the focus should be.

So you also see employers as being responsible?

Of course, but I don’t mean that in a negative sense, but in a positive one. Employers who give men and women equal opportunities in the logistics industry, not based on gender but on the necessary skills and who keep up with the times, create a broader range and a more colorful spectrum of professionals and can act much more flexibly. Smooth logistics work better and safer when their dynamics arise from good management rather than being based on pressure and threats. Good business and departmental leadership knows this and can practically delegate it within the team. At TOPREGAL, for example, we are almost always allowed to schedule our driving and rest times ourselves. What matters here is that the goods arrive on time at the customer. Our routes are very well planned, and thus we have less pressure.

Photos: © TOPREGAL