Women In Trucking Association Announces its May Member of the Month

Plover, WI (May 2, 2016)– Women In Trucking Association (WIT) announces Michele Zambrano of Waste Management (WM) as its May member of the month.

As a recent enlistee in the United States Army in 1998, Michele’s colleagues called her ‘Private Zambrano.’ Seven years later after quickly ascending the officer ranks, her troops called her ‘Captain Z.’ Her success was a testament to the hard work and lessons on relationships learned working side by side with a diverse group of people while serving in the United States Army.

When Michele transitioned to the civilian world, she needed to find a company that had similar values to that of the United States Army. During her search, she came across a list of the Top Military Employers. There was only one employer that caught her attention; it was WM.

Michele’s first assignment with WM was as a sales representative. During her first week, she was partnered with several commercial drivers to do ride-alongs so that she could see the job from their perspective. She quickly became interested in the equipment they operated. These trucks had more moving parts than any truck she have ever seen or operated in her career. Her interest in their equipment and operations piqued even more, leading to her second assignment as a route manager. She was promoted to a front line manager in charge of a team of drivers that collected refuse while providing a valuable service to the community. She had the opportunity to interact internally with all aspects of the business from dispatch, sales, and disposal, as well as their external customers. She reported to the district manager who was responsible for every truck and driver at the facility. She loved it. She quickly realized that she found her home and it was in operations at WM. It was very much like being back in the field where she belongs, leading troops. This time, the troops are CDL drivers and their equipment is a trash truck.

Fast forward a few short years later, Michele is now the district manager of her own facility where she manages multiple employees, six lines of business, and 26 commercial trucks. She can still operate every piece of equipment on the yard, but will leave the efficient operation of the trucks to the drivers. She can confidently say that WM has some of the hardest working drivers in the industry. She reflects back on her time as a Platoon Leader in the Army remembering the importance of teamwork and having a full understanding of the roles of every person under her charge. Her goals are still the same, helping them to work as effective, efficient, and safely as possible while delivering world-class service to their customers.

Although Michele can point to a few things that got her into this industry, the people are what keep her in it.

Read Michele’s full story at http://womenintrucking.org/michele-zambrano/.

Michele

Women In Trucking Association, Inc. is a nonprofit association established to encourage the employment of women in the trucking industry, promote their accomplishments and minimize obstacles faced by women working in the trucking industry. Membership is not limited to women, as 17 percent of its members are men who support the mission. Women In Trucking is supported by its members and the generosity of Gold Level Partners: Bendix Commercial Vehicle Systems, Daimler Trucks North America, BMO Transportation Finance, Great Dane, J.B. Hunt Transport, Ryder System, Inc., U.S. Xpress, and Walmart. Follow WIT on Twitter, Facebook, or LinkedIn. For more information, visit http://www.womenintrucking.org or call 888-464-9482.

Get it on your calendar:

The 2016 Women In Trucking Accelerate! Conference takes place Nov. 7-9 in Dallas, Texas!