“You have the ability to have a long and rewarding career through trucking.”

Jenny Abernathy, Vice President of Enterprise Capacity Development, CRST The Transportation Solution, Inc.

Jenny Abernathy is the Vice President of Enterprise Capacity Development at CRST The Transportation Solution, Inc., which is family-owned. She oversees the nationwide recruitment and driver placement strategies for the 7,000 driving partners at CRST.

Discussing her role, Jenny said, “Within the driver recruitment and marketing arm, our team seeks out drivers and independent contractors from across the nation. We onboard drivers from all different levels of experience and backgrounds.”

She started her career with Target Corporation, holding positions varying from Operational Strategy to District Team Leader. As she was seeking a job to relocate back to her hometown in the state of Iowa, she came across a position at CRST in Cedar Rapids.

“I knew nothing about trucking or driver recruitment before joining CRST, but it’s all about people. It was very aligned with my experience from running stores, so I had a correlating skill set.”

CRST was the perfect fit for Jenny and she enjoys working in the trucking industry. She has been working for CRST for over six years now, working her up throughout the driver recruitment team from a Director to Vice President. “Trucking is my home. It’s a wonderful industry to be a part of.”

Some of the top reasons that she enjoys working in trucking is how small and family-first the industry feels and the community of people in the industry. “This industry feels incredibly small for how big it is…the industry is also filled with amazing people. From the people I work with on my team, to our drivers and even industry peers and partners that help make us successful. You get to work with people from all walks of lives, backgrounds and experiences.” She also enjoys the fast-paced nature of trucking. “Trucking changes so fast…the fast movement keeps me energized.”

One memorable moment from her time at CRST is the first million miler event that she attended early in her tenure at the company. She was able to meet drivers who had been with CRST for 10, 20 and even 30 years. “Getting to talk to them and their families was really special. It was really motivating and drove home how important they are to our organization and our country.”

When she is not working, as a mother of two young girls, Jenny enjoys spending time with her daughters — watching them play sports and traveling. Some of their favorite trips have been to Disney. She also enjoys spending time with her family and friends boating during the summertime.

One of the reasons that Jenny encourages the next generation of women to consider a career in trucking because of the endless career possibilities and professional growth opportunities. “The trucking industry provides an opportunity to take any career in any direction. It is so broad — from operations to recruiting, driving to safety support, finance to human resources. Regardless of your skill set or aspirations, you have the ability to have a long and rewarding career through trucking.”