Behind the wheel

Women in Industry finalist Candice Lureman discusses what she loves about the logistics industry and why she is proud to be “Australia’s Deaf Trucker Girl”. 
Q. How long have you been in your current role?
A. I have had my roadtrain (MC License) since 2013 and have been driving with my current employer for two and a half years.
Q. What does a standard day for you look like?
A. My days are never the same. The type of truck I drive and the number of trailers I pull will depend on the freight I’m carrying, so some days I’ll be behind the wheel of a semi-trailer and others – a super B-Double. Some days are easy driving days whilst others are very strenuous and demanding – requiring me to hook up and relocate dozens of trailers in the one shift. Given I am unable to hear the truck radio, communication with allocators is done on my tablet via text message.
Q. What has been the highlight of your career so far?
A. Some of my career highlights include driving a triple roadtrain during my three month stay in WA’s remote Pilbara region in 2015, my recent appointment as one of ten Brand Ambassadors for SheWear Australia out of 500 nominees. I am also hugely proud of the fact that since getting my heavy vehicle license in 2013, I have had zero incidents and zero accidents.
Q. What do you like about working in the logistics industry?
A. Every day is different. Every day is interesting and every day I learn something new! I love the responsibility of being behind the wheel and looking out for other road users whilst getting the freight safely to my customers. Once in the industry, there is a huge variety of work on offer however – for many women – getting a start is still a difficult.
Q. What do you like about working at Visa?
A. Because my world is silent, I spend a lot of time studying heavy vehicle procedures, methods and best practice. Many of the new drivers come to me looking for assistance and advice on how to safely hook up equipment, reverse into tight spaces, restrain loads safely and conduct pre-starts. Helping others gives me a great deal of satisfaction.
Q. What do initiatives like the Women in Industry Awards and Conference mean to you?
A. For me, attending industry awards and conferences is a great opportunity to network, connect with peers and industry leaders and gain fresh ideas on how to grow both personally and professionally. I’m very proud of being Australia’s Deaf Trucker Girl. I always head to the front row at conferences, so I don’t miss out on anything. I love tapping into the energy and enthusiasm in the room because when women get together – great things happen.
Q. How does VISA demonstrate diversity?
A. Because I was nominated for this Award by my colleagues at newly established non-profit – Women in Trucking Australia – I’d like to talk about the vision of the three co-founders – women who all walk the talk when it comes to workplace diversity. Female heavy vehicle drivers remain a minority in this overwhelmingly male dominated vocation. Lyndal Denny is a mature age driver who embarked on her new career at 55. Tanya Carter is just one of a handful of female indigenous truck drivers and I am Australia’s only profoundly deaf female trucker.
Q. What are you most looking forward to in your upcoming professional life?
A. Ultimately, I would like to return to remote area Australia to drive super-quads (four trailers) across the outback. I will continue my work with WiTA, and I’d also like to open up opportunities for Deaf truckers from other countries to visit Australia and experience life driving the longest on-road vehicles in the world.