Kate Beck
Why did you become a truck driver and how long have you been driving for?
I am not a truck driver but have been married to one for 13 years. I am currently the Director of Sales for our company Beck’s Transport Training. Anthony and I started our truck driving school in 2020 after the company we were working for closed and we decided it was time to startup our own business.
What’s the best part of your job?
Helping support the growth of the transport industry. It is an industry that has been suffering a skills shortage for a number of years now and we want to see skilled drivers come into the industry and see this as a career.
What is the most significant positive change you have seen across the industry since you’ve started driving?
As someone who works on the training side of things, for me, it is the importance of drivers recognising how crucial having the right attitude is. You can spend all the time in the world training and gaining skills in certain areas, but you need to have the right attitude whilst driving to ensure you can keep yourself safe and the general public.
I also love to see more women come into the industry and see how they get involved in the trucking industry and the skills they can bring to the table.
What makes you happy inside your truck?
As a female, I love being behind the wheel. It’s not too often I get to drive our trucks, but when I do, I love being in control of the larger vehicle and it is funny the looks you can get as a female driver. As a mother, it is an amazing feeling to show our kids that mum can drive the trucks!
What makes you happy outside of your truck?
Life is very busy outside of work for me. We have a young family of 4 kids that take up my attention outside of working hours. The time that I spend with my family and connecting with them means the world to me.
What’s the most important thing you do that improves your wellbeing on the road?
The biggest challenge I think for anyone is to find something that keeps them stable. Driving is not an easy job, there are so many variables that affect a driver. The mental strain on drivers to constantly be focused, to account for time frames, general public and their own safety have to be very draining. But at the end of the day, these drivers need to be able to get home safely to their families just like everyone else.
What’s your favourite thing to do when you’re not driving your truck?
My favourite thing outside of our business is just hanging out with the kids. It can be hard running a small business and knowing when to switch off the work mode and sometimes that demand needs more time. But when I get to just be a mum is very rewarding.
Learn more about Kate by following Becks Transport Training!
