According to statistics, only two to three percent of all trucks in Germany are driven by women. This fact makes many of these women transporting goods from A to B in their heavy commercial vehicles all the more enthusiastic about driving. Take Julia Lepek, for example, who alternates between driving a Mercedes-Benz Actros and an Actros L for the shipping company Große-Vehne Speditions GmbH in Kornwestheim near Stuttgart. Born in Poland, she has lived in Germany since 2013, and what she appreciates most is the assistance systems on board these vehicles.
She often catches surprised glances as she overtakes other vehicles on the highway; she sees others watching with excitement as she skillfully performs difficult manoeuvres on the delivery ramp; and she notices the critical looks she receives in other traffic situations: When Julia Lepek talks about her everyday life as a professional driver, it quickly becomes clear that many of her male colleagues underestimate her ability behind the wheel of a truck. “That’s the reality, unfortunately”, affirms the 25-year-old driver, but it is not enough to take the fun out of the job for her. “I always like showing men that I can do this,” she emphasizes explicitly. “If a man can work in a nail salon or do make-up, why shouldn’t I be able to drive a truck as a woman?”
She has driven her Mercedes-Benz Actros for five years now, loaded mainly with parts for passenger cars, trucks, and buses bearing the three-pointed star, and primarily across southern Germany and France for Große-Vehne Speditions GmbH. This shipping company specializes in logistical services for sectors including the automotive, textile, and beverage industries.
Prior to this, Julia Lepek completed three years of professional driver training with the cooperative network GV Trucknet, which operates almost 1,200 of its own trucks – mostly from Mercedes-Benz. “There have always been a lot of truck drivers in my family. As a young girl, I was fascinated by the job and, above all, by the vehicles themselves”, says Lepek. “I always like the feeling I get when I climb in my truck and hit the road – you feel free somehow, and you have the opportunity to discover new areas.” At the same time, her job has helped her become more self-confident. “This is because I mastered my training program with ease.” As such, she can also give some useful tips to her younger female colleagues at the company who are currently working on their professional driver training and who frequently accompany her on her trips.
Julia Lepek travels almost 100,000 kilometers per year easily. It goes without saying that she has had to master many different hazardous traffic situations. “But I feel very safe in my Actros”, she says. This is especially true because, at Große-Vehne, the primary focus is on using the high-tech equipment in its trucks in addition to the assistance systems already required. “The comfort and safety of our drivers is our top priority”, emphasizes René Große-Vehne, Managing Director of GV Management, who is well aware that properly equipped vehicles also attract qualified specialists.