As the shortage of truck drivers in Ontario continues to be a major challenge for the concrete industry, finding and keeping qualified drivers has never been more crucial. In response, there has been a recent shift in the traditionally male-dominated industry as various groups are working to strengthen the trucking industry’s diversity practices and increase gender parity. Recognizing that women only represent about 3% of the trucking workforce in Canada has prompted government and corporate funding, additional educational and training resources and the emergence of new associations that encourage the employment of women in trucking, promote their accomplishments, and minimize obstacles faced by women working in the industry. The ready-mixed concrete industry in Ontario has over 3,500 trucks on the road. The truck operators or Concrete Delivery Professionals (CDPs), are responsible for safely and efficiently delivering quality concrete to countless projects throughout the province and are an essential part of the team. Concrete Ontario represents over 90 ready-mixed concrete companies in Ontario and hosts a variety of events, such as our annual Truck Rodeo, which showcases and celebrates the skills of our member’s CDPs. This past summer, at our 2019 Truck Rodeo, we were excited to have three female contestants out of our twenty-four participants, and are proud to announce our first female winner, Colleen Lizotte. Colleen took some time to share how her search for a second career brought her to the trucking industry and allowed her to find her “happy place”, behind the wheel of a Miller-EC King Concrete truck (part of Colas – Miller). Daughter to a dad that had driven both long haul and short haul in the concrete industry, Colleen grew up familiar with the trucking industry. As a mom to a soon-to-be 13 year old daughter, her commitment to herself and her family drove her to finding a rewarding career, which allows her to be a key contributor to the safest, most resilient buildings and infrastructure across the province – those built with concrete. Throughout her five years as a CDP she has enjoyed delivering concrete to various jobsites and helping develop her greater Collingwood community. Her success can be attributed to her contagious positive energy, confidence in her skills, as well as knowing she is contributing to sustainable and resilient communities through her work.

Colleen, what do you enjoy most about your career as a Concrete Delivery Professional CDP)?

I love the variety of challenges. Every day is a different experience. There are not many places you can work where you get something new and interesting every day. I love being part of a team. I feel very supported by my team members, and by the crews I coordinate with on-site when delivering. This is my second career. I was working a minimum wage job and had a wake-up call in my personal life that said to me, there is better out there for me than this. I decided to look into trucking and a trusted friend helped me learn how to get the proper license, and I went out and started applying. It has been positive change ever since.

What do you find the most challenging, day to-day, as a CDP?

Most challenging. Hmmm. It has to be managing the self-pressure to be safe and to perform extra well. It’s not just my job to deliver, it’s my job to deliver safely. It’s your truck – you know it and you don’t want to sit at home if you damage your truck, and you definitely do not want to be responsible for an accident or injury. There can be pressure when you arrive on site, so you need to constantly tell yourself “Focus, Go Slow”, and then have the confidence to drive that way, no matter what is going on around you. I hold myself to a really high standard on that.

Growing up you were exposed to both long haul and short haul. Why choose short haul for your profession?

For me – the choice to drive in concrete just made sense. I’m a mom to a great 13-year old daughter. Driving concrete means, I’m home every night. This industry gave me the perfect mom solution. Make a great wage doing an interesting job during the day and “Be Mom” every evening. It’s such a win-win. I wish more women were aware.

What advice would you give to new women considering entering the industry?

Wow – that’s a great question. Let me think. There are a few things: The first one is that it’s normal to be nervous to start. These trucks are heavy. They don’t turn the greatest, but you develop the skills, an art to deal with that. At first, the hills around the Blue Mountains were pretty scary. You get quickly used to constantly thinking about how to be safe on the road. Making good gear choices becomes second nature. Side note: Be kind to trucks out there. They are watching out for you. Give them room and watch out for them. You have to have confidence in yourself. Your team will support you in learning and growing and you need to trust yourself and accept “I know what I’m doing” and go out and do it. When you start out – I think the best thing is honesty. I’d go on job sites and tell the crews “I’ve only been doing this for so long – work with me here”. And they did. And they’ll help you along the way. Now 5 years later, delivering to those same crews, we joke around about it being my “1st day”. Some women think they couldn’t do this career physically or that they couldn’t learn about concrete. I’m here to tell you – it’s really not that physically demanding. And other drivers and employees here taught me about concrete, slumping, etc. Trust that your team will teach you what you need to learn. They’ll be invested in your success. Lastly, and most importantly, have fun and enjoy it. This industry is made up of great people who love to build and create great things. That is something amazing to feel good about at work.

And the Concrete Rodeo – What was that like? And what’s up next?

It really was a great day. You’re surrounded by others passionate about professional concrete delivery. There were also two other women drivers, which was great to see. Some of the drivers I knew were teasing me at the start of the day “You’re going to win this year” and I couldn’t resist responding “I’m going to try and prove you right!”. Driving the course, I nicked the edge of one of the barrels and I thought “there goes my first place”, but I guess others had more nicks. It was really special to win. It was an honor to get a letter in the mail from our company CEO congratulating me. But the best honor was that day, and is every day, how proud my daughter is of her mom and what I do for my chosen career.

We are all very proud of Colleen , and all the women working as CDPs across Ontario. They are part of the solution to the many challenges and opportunities within our industry, and we appreciate the support of anyone who is positive and supportive of women in the transportation industry. Join us as we come together, problem solve, share ideas and help promote our industry to future generations as a viable career option. To learn more about building a career as a Concrete Delivery Professional (CDP), visit: www.rmcao.org/careers/

Consider the advantages of an exciting new career: Home Every Night. Ready-mix concrete has a shelf-life of approximately 2 hours, meaning it must be delivered locally. For the most part CDPs can expect to be home every night, allowing for a great work-life balance! Great Pay & Benefits. Full-time day shift schedules, health insurance plans, paid vacations, safety bonuses, and retirement plans are some of the benefits offered in the industry. As higher levels of seniority are achieved, the greater the rewards available are. Pride in Project Completion. CDPs help to build cities and communities. You can feel a sense of accomplishment as projects are completed. Being a part of a project from beginning to end is a memorable experience – be one of the few who are proud to say, “I helped build that.” More than A Driver. As a CDP, you are a critical part of a concrete operations team. In addition to being a driver, a CDP quickly evolves into a product expert. Concrete is a unique and versatile product, working with a variety of mixes daily gives CDPs a vast amount of technical expertise. Onsite experience is invaluable for a company and CDPs are at the forefront of ensuring product quality.

It is important to promote the success and accomplishments of our team and our industry’s continual growth. We look forward to you joining the Ontario Concrete Industry!

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