CompassTransport

Hope to see more women in the Transportation industry. Rajan Sawhney Alberta Motor Transport Association

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Thank you Honorable Minister Rajan Sawhney

𝙃𝙖𝙥𝙥𝙮 𝙄𝙣𝙩𝙚𝙧𝙣𝙖𝙩𝙞𝙤𝙣𝙖𝙡 𝙒𝙤𝙢𝙚𝙣'𝙨 𝘿𝙖𝙮 𝙚𝙫𝙚𝙧𝙮𝙤𝙣𝙚! 𝙏𝙤 𝙨𝙩𝙖𝙧𝙩 𝙩𝙝𝙚 𝙙𝙖𝙮 𝙬𝙚 𝙖𝙧𝙚 𝙨𝙤 𝙝𝙤𝙣𝙤𝙪𝙧𝙚𝙙 𝙩𝙤 𝙝𝙞𝙜𝙝𝙡𝙞𝙜𝙝𝙩 𝙨𝙪𝙘𝙝 𝙖𝙣 𝙖𝙢𝙖𝙯𝙞𝙣𝙜 𝙣𝙤𝙢𝙞𝙣𝙚𝙚 𝙛𝙤𝙧 𝙄𝙣𝙩𝙚𝙧𝙣𝙖𝙩𝙞𝙤𝙣𝙖𝙡 𝙒𝙤𝙢𝙚𝙣’𝙨 𝘿𝙖𝙮! 𝙎𝙤𝙣𝙖 𝙆𝙖𝙪𝙧 𝙈𝙞𝙣𝙝𝙖𝙨!

Sona Kaur Minhas is a trailblazer.

According to Trucking HR Canada, fewer than five per cent of the trucking industry’s female employees are in a management or supervisory position. This small fraction in senior leadership contributes to the industry’s problems of recruiting and retaining women.

Sona is the managing director of Compass Transport. She co-owns the company with her brother, Amandeep Minhas. Sona says, “It’s amazing. He’s my role model.”

Sona and her family left Punjab, India for an opportunity in Houston, BC in 2000. A few years later, there was a move to Calgary. Along with raising her two daughters, she attended university to study payroll and accounting.

While working for AHS five years ago, Sona’s brother had an idea. The siblings would become co-owners of Compass Transport. “He needed help, a partner,” says Sona. Working in a male dominated field doesn’t intimidate Sona. “I’m not afraid of taking risks. Take a chance. Go for it. You can do it. If you don’t try, you don’t get.”

The recent Coutts border blockade was tough on Sona’s company. Three drivers were stranded at the border. It took them an extra four days to get home. Sona is grateful for the help Minister Sawhney offered, by reaching out, offering support and listening to Sona, while helping direct drivers to other border crossings.

At the moment Compass Trucking does not have any female drivers, but Sona is hopeful that will change soon. “I would love to have more women driving in this profession.” Would Sona like to get her Class 1 licence? “Maybe one day.”

Sona has three pieces of advice for all women:
1. 𝘉𝘦 𝘺𝘰𝘶𝘳𝘴𝘦𝘭𝘧. 𝘈𝘤𝘤𝘦𝘱𝘵 𝘸𝘩𝘰 𝘺𝘰𝘶 𝘢𝘳𝘦. 𝘈𝘯𝘥 𝘣𝘦𝘭𝘪𝘦𝘷𝘦 𝘺𝘰𝘶 𝘤𝘢𝘯 𝘥𝘰 𝘢𝘯𝘺𝘵𝘩𝘪𝘯𝘨.
2. 𝘏𝘢𝘷𝘦 𝘧𝘢𝘪𝘵𝘩 𝘪𝘯 𝘺𝘰𝘶𝘳𝘴𝘦𝘭𝘧 𝘢𝘯𝘥 𝘎𝘰𝘥.
3. 𝘒𝘦𝘦𝘱 𝘺𝘰𝘶𝘳 𝘣𝘰𝘥𝘺 𝘢𝘯𝘥 𝘴𝘰𝘶𝘭 𝘩𝘦𝘢𝘭𝘵𝘩𝘺. 𝘛𝘢𝘬𝘦 𝘨𝘰𝘰𝘥 𝘤𝘢𝘳𝘦 𝘰𝘧 𝘺𝘰𝘶𝘳𝘴𝘦𝘭𝘧.

Lest we forget