Commercial truck retail is not the first career on many women’s minds, but why not? As a high-energy, team-based industry with stable jobs and opportunities for growth and development, truck dealerships offer positions for everyone. Ally Rocha and Deanna LaFranca shared why they love their careers at the Premier Truck Group in Texas.
Rocha, a finance manager in Dallas, has been with Premier Truck Group for 13 years. Her role involves working with customers and lenders to get the best deal on financing, including submitting credit applications and lots of face time with her customers.
“What I love about working at Premier Truck Group is helping customers buy their first truck,” Rocha said. “Going from a company driver to an owner operator is a big step for them, and being able to be part of that is very rewarding and very exciting.”
She appreciates the opportunities she has had in her career in trucking. “Some advice that I would give to a woman looking for a career path is to not overlook the trucking industry,” she said. “I think any woman would enjoy working in the trucking industry.”
LaFranca joined the truck industry by chance, when she heard about a position opening through word of mouth. Starting in inventory, she worked her way through the department where she is now parts manager in Midland, Texas. She has been with Premier Truck Group for almost eight years.
“I’ve stayed because I enjoy the family atmosphere that we have,” LaFranca said. “I enjoy the team that we built. Getting to work with my people every day is a huge reason why I love my job.”
Her role as a parts manager involves making sure her team and operations are running smoothly. She said, “I love what I do because I love watching my team grow. I love watching them succeed in their daily duties and watching them grow into new positions.”
Beyond the team atmosphere, LaFranca advocates for the stability of her career path. “The heavy-duty truck retail industry is a great career path for anybody because everything that we own or use is brought in by truck,” she said. “It’s not going anywhere. It’s a great opportunity and great field for anyone to get into.”
In conjunction with Women’s History Month, this article is part of a series celebrating the women working in the auto retail industry. Both Rocha and LaFranca were semifinalists of the 6th annual Women Driving Auto Retail video contest, part of the NADA initiative that highlights the current voices of women working in dealerships and encourages other women to pursue automotive careers. The video contest celebrates women who work in all areas of car or truck dealerships. View the submissions from the 10 semifinalists here and find more information on NADA’s Women Driving Auto Retail initiative here.
