In an industry where nearly 85% of the drivers are men, Julie Van de Kamp has been named president of the dedicated trucking division at Chattanooga's biggest trucking company, U.S. Xpress Enterprises.
Van de Kamp joined the Chattanooga-based trucking giant more than 15 years ago as a pricing analyst after working for the Wisconsin Department of Transportation. The 38-year-old Green Bay, Wisconsin native has taken on a variety of roles at U.S. Xpress in business development, customer experience and sales before taking on her new role in January.
"She knows our industry, our customers and our people," U.S. Xpress CEO Eric Fuller said in an announcement of her appointment which includes serving on the company's executive strategy team. "We're fortunate to have a leader of her caliber on our team."
Van de Kamp says she has grown to love Chattanooga and the trucking industry as one of the top female logistics executives in the city. In her new role, she is responsible for leading operations for one of the company's biggest divisions which services some of the nation's largest retailers.
Although growing up she didn't think about a career in trucking, she says her job offers her plenty of daily challenges, rewards and opportunities. She is often one of the few women in meetings and events in the industry, but encourages more women to join the trucking field and to find the success she has enjoyed.
"I have really enjoyed the trucking and the transportation industry with all of its intricacies and challenges. It sort of gets in your blood when you've been here a while," she says.
Van de Kamp led the creation of the first employee resource group at U.S. Xpress for women and has helped in the formation of three other such employee groups.
"This is a great company that has given me a ton of opportunities that I hope to share with others," she says.
She and her husband have two children and reside in Chattanooga.