WOMEN IN TRUCKING: LEANDRA GALE, DEALER PRINCIPAL OF TRACSERV DUBBO

To mark International Women’s Day, Isuzu Australia looks at how the trucking workforce is changing, with increasing opportunities for women to have a career working with and around trucks. From service technicians to truck drivers and parts managers, there are women throughout the industry literally jumping into the driver's seat. Leandra Gale worked her way up through the ranks of the retail sales business her father started when she was a young child. In 2022 Leandra was promoted to the position of Dealer Principal of the successful heavy vehicle dealership known as Tracserv.

Located in Dubbo in New South Wales, Leandra has had the opportunity to explore and expand her career amidst a supportive regional community with close knit ties, extended family and a passion for trucks. So much so, she was recently named a finalist in the Outstanding Young Business Leader category of the 2022 Rhino Awards by the Dubbo Chamber of Commerce.

What was it like growing up around trucks and in the work shed? Trucks, engines and vehicles are something I grew up with. As kids my brother and I would spend our weekends here in the workshop because Dad was a mechanic, so we'd bring our pushbikes in and ride around the workshop. I’d get lots of quality time hanging around with dad, playing out the back of the shed with my bike. It definitely was a lifestyle I grew up in. Tracserv was created by my dad, Richard Kirby, and a business partner in 1989 here in Dubbo. Since then, mum and dad purchased the business outright and have been running it themselves. I've grown up around the people who I've watched grow and lead our business and now I get to work with them, so it's all come full circle.

Did you always want to enter the family business?

I finished high school and went out into the big wide world exploring different jobs in different cities and then came back and worked at Tracserv from 2012. I started in the service department and then moved up into stock control, I then worked with the accounting department before taking on the role of business manager. In 2022 I was promoted to Dealer Principal. I feel like I have been in this industry my whole life - born into it. However, I have been officially working in this industry for just over 10 years. I can’t wait to get my heavy vehicle license in the future so I can drive the bigger trucks around and take my truck passion to the next level, but what I am most familiar with is parts because I spent many years working in that department.

Do you have a personal ethos or approach?

I like to provide an environment where it encourages the team members to work together. I don’t like the method of yelling at people to get something done, it's an old school approach that I don’t think works. I think it's better to lead by example to encourage the team environment. At Tracserv we like being flexible for our team, we all have kids and families, lives and responsibilities outside of our careers.

Have you had any challenges you have had to tackle entering the truck industry?

Creating a work life balance has been a bit of a challenge after having children but it was something important that I needed to prioritise. Trying to fit everything into my day and then still being present as a parent can be tricky and has been my biggest hurdle. But I want to set the example to the team of having a rewarding career and still living a full life with family and children. I have been lucky that I've got my dad here to help me and mentor me, as well as people who have worked for Tracserv for such a long time. Those people have mentored me along the way, and they feel like extended family. They have also introduced me to other people in the Isuzu dealer network and helped me grow in the industry.

Do you have any advice for young women entering the industry, or women looking to move into the automotive sector?

Whether you are looking to start an apprenticeship or work in truck sales or parts you need to just launch straight into it, and don't be afraid. There are actually no stereotypes or barriers in the automotive industry around here, women are embraced in the industry and it's becoming the norm. We have women in nearly every department now, in spare parts, in service, and while we don't have any in the workshop at the moment, but it's absolutely embraced and very much welcomed.

What does your promotion to Dealer Principal mean to you?

It's an awesome opportunity for all women in the industry, we're not just another staff member, we can be the Dealer Principal, we can do anything in the trucking industry and achieve our goals and dreams. I love leading other women in the trucking world and showing that we can do whatever we put our minds to. I would be absolutely flattered if I was a role model to girls wanting to enter the industry, but realistically myself and Tracserv are just from a little country town. But I would love to be somebody or someone that girls and young women could look up to and think, ‘that's what I want to do, that's where I'd want to be!’ I am so excited to see what the future holds for women working in the Isuzu dealer network, and for women in the trucking industry. We love a bit of girl power here at Tracserv!

Looking to read about more women in the trucking industry? Check out this story on Emma Newell-Courtney and her swap from diesel mechanic to Snap-on Tools franchisee.