Diane Cox on being a woman in the transport industry

With International Women’s Day just around the corner, Diane Cox, Northline’s IFM Business Development Executive, steps forward to talk about what it’s like to be a woman in the transport industry.

Tell us about your experience of being a woman in the Transport Industry

Being a woman in the industry is easy now, compared to 30-40 years ago!

Back then, I was often the only woman in the room, and it was hard to be taken seriously… I was one of the first female sales representatives in international freight shipping, certainly in South Australia, if not the whole of Australia.

At one point in my career, I was State Manager for a shipping line and I remember when calls would be put through to me, they’d ask for ‘one of the boys’ as soon as they heard me. I certainly had to grow a thick skin!

We’ve come a long way since then though. I love seeing our female truck and forklift drivers around the depots and Northline provides a really inclusive environment for all its employees.

How long have you been with Northline?

I joined Northline three years ago, right before the pandemic began and things started changing. I had to hit the ground running on day one.

I have been in the industry for as long as I can remember, probably more than 40 years.

Can you describe your role?

My role as Business Development Executive involves getting out there to look for new customers to build our business and to build upon existing business.

There is a lot more to it than business development though. We’re a tight-knit team and we all help each other where we can. I get involved in other aspects of International Freight Management like customer service, operations, and logistics.

What has been your favourite aspect since joining the business?

The people. The people are amazing. Northline has a really good atmosphere. I have worked in a number of large businesses and this is the first time I have seen teams gel together so seamlessly.

How has Northline adapted to customers changing international logistics requirements over the past year?

The industry has had to evolve since 2020 drastically. It was something that no one could have expected, and no one knew how it was going to pan out. The great thing about Northline is that we’re great at finding our way around obstacles. If there are changes to customs clearances, rail outages, or border closures, we will do everything we can to continue doing our part in the supply chain for our customers. We’re just now starting to return to some level of normality!

The past year has allowed us to look at how we operate and refine our processes, so we’ll be ready for the next hurdle.

What sets Northline apart from other freight management providers?

I think the fact that we have a number of services all in one place really sets us apart. Each department and service flows into one another effortlessly, which gives our customers exactly what they need.