Susan Vincent Meyer

I attribute my success to my resilience. I don't give up. If I can't figure out how to do something one way, I'm going to find another way, and it's going to happen. The thick skin I have developed has been crucial, especially working in such a male-dominated industry. I also have a very strong personality, which is a big contributing factor in my ability to lead and manage complex projects. Over time, I have learned how to compartmentalize my feelings and separate my emotions from the work at hand. This allows me to stay focused on execution and make objective decisions, even in high-pressure situations where multiple moving parts need to come together perfectly.

The best career advice I ever received was: Don't ever let them see you cry. I learned this when I was very young, and it was told to me by a man. If you cry in front of them, if they say something that hurt your feelings, you lose all respect from those men once they know they can make you cry. You can't let that happen. If you need to cry, you go to the bathroom. You leave the room. You step away and compose yourself in private. But you never, ever let them see that vulnerability, because in a tough, male-dominated environment, maintaining your composure and not showing that someone has gotten under your skin is absolutely critical to maintaining respect and authority.

My advice to young women entering this field is to have thick skin. This is a man's business, a male-dominated industry, 100%. When you go out on the job site, you will be the only female there, and you will have to put up with a certain amount of stuff. You've got to have thick skin. You cannot let them get under your skin. And don't be afraid to be tough. Women face such a fine line in this industry. If you're tough, like a man, business tough, then you're labeled negatively. But if you're too soft, then they won't even listen to you. They won't even look at you. You have to find that balance, stand your ground, and refuse to be intimidated. Sometimes you have to make yourself smaller in the moment so they can realize how capable you really are, but you always need to prove that you know what you're doing.

The biggest challenge in my field is getting all of the moving parts moving together. That is the most difficult aspect of what I do. I am dealing with so many different people and variables in every project. I'm counting on the truck driver, I'm counting on the rigger, I'm counting on the highway patrol, I'm counting on anybody that has a piece in the project to be where they're supposed to be when they need to be there. Otherwise, it's just a bunch of waiting, with everybody sitting around. The coordination of it all is probably the most challenging part. Beyond that, the routing and permits add another layer of complexity, because I have to know the rules in each state for how tall and how wide you can be, what the curfews are, and which states you can only drive through during certain hours depending on how big your load is. Managing all of these interconnected logistics simultaneously is what makes this work so demanding.

The values most important to me are integrity, honesty, and saying what you mean and meaning what you say. When you say you're going to do something, you do it. No excuses. I believe strongly in being honest and not hiding information from the customer or from the truckers. I think it's critical that everybody is on the same page. That transparency and clear communication is the key to running successful operations. Whether I'm working with a customer, a carrier, a rigger, or highway patrol, keeping everyone informed with the same accurate information builds the trust necessary to execute complex projects smoothly. I hold myself and everyone I work with to this standard of accountability and straightforward communication.