KAUKAUNA, Wis. — For the past five years, Vivki Schultz has been driving trucks. She’s been both an over-the-road driver and now a yard spotter.
The variety that comes with the work keeps her in the industry and with her job at Kaukauna-based Midwest Carriers.
“Maybe it’s what they call Diesel Fever,” Schultz said. “It’s really a lot of fun being able to drive such a large rig. Just learning this industry. When I was over the road, I was capable of seeing so many new places that I would never have the opportunity to otherwise.”
In her current job as a yard spotter, Schultz spends much of her day moving trailers around at a food manufacturing facility in Freedom.
It lets her exercise one of her favorite skills — driving in reverse.
“One of my favorite things is backing, which is what I do all day,” she said. “Just being able to learn how to maneuver in tighter situations.”
Midwest Carriers is seeking 10 drivers. It serves customers in 48 states and specializes in moving refrigerated products.
President Eric Van Handel said the company grew by 30 drivers last year.
“We have extremely low turnover. The industry is somewhere in the 90 to 100% range and last year we were in the high 20% range,” he said. “We really hold on to our drivers here and treat them very well. In return, there’s definitely a benefit because that turnover can be quite costly.”
Many of the office staff who work with drivers have experience on the road. That’s people, like Robin Grapa, who handle marketing for the company.
She spent seven years driving over-the-road.
“I got into it just because I wanted to do something different and something challenging. I was working in an office, which I loved my job, but I just wanted to get out and do something a little bit different,” Grapa said. “I had a little bit of wanderlust. I’m a backpacker and a runner. I just like moving and going places. Getting in a truck and seeing the country — and getting paid to do it — was awesome.”
Grapa said she’s also seen more women enter the industry.
“Being a woman in trucking is a cool thing because it’s definitely a male-dominated industry. Coming into this and being able to learn it and being able to do well at it is very empowering,” she said. “That’s really satisfying, to come in and show that we can do this and we can do it really, really well.”
It’s work Shultz said she finds challenging and engaging.
“There’s a lot of thought in driving and backing. It is a challenge,” she said. “You definitely always have to be focused on driving.”
Careers at Midwest Carriers can be found at https://drivemidwest.com/careers/woman.
