{"id":3895,"date":"2019-06-10T16:43:13","date_gmt":"2019-06-10T16:43:13","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/publicaffairs-sme.com\/ExchangePost\/?p=3895"},"modified":"2019-06-10T16:43:13","modified_gmt":"2019-06-10T16:43:13","slug":"exchanges-first-female-long-distance-driver-in-europe-hopes-more-women-take-up-trucking","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/publicaffairs-sme.com\/ExchangePost\/2019\/06\/10\/exchanges-first-female-long-distance-driver-in-europe-hopes-more-women-take-up-trucking\/","title":{"rendered":"Exchange\u2019s First Female Long-Distance Driver in Europe Hopes More Women Take Up Trucking"},"content":{"rendered":"

\"HeikeGRUENSTADT, Germany <\/strong>\u2013 Heike Molter has been driving long distance for 18 years\u2014and it showed when she took her road test to drive for the Army & Air Force Exchange Service. She aced the test on the first try and was hired in April.<\/p>\n

\u201cSome of the other applicants took several attempts while she only took one\u2014we could tell she was very skilled,\u201d said Ronald Willis, regional supervisor for the Exchange\u2019s Europe fleet. \u201cWe knew we had to have her on the Gruenstadt team.\u201d<\/p>\n

Molter is the first woman hired to drive long distance<\/a> with the Exchange\u2019s Europe fleet. In fact, her application was the first from a woman in more than five years.<\/p>\n

Molter, a German national, is also no stranger to working for the U.S. government\u2014she drove for the Defense Commissary Agency for seven years. When she heard from another driver that the Exchange had an opening, she jumped at the chance to apply.<\/p>\n

\u201cI wanted to work with Americans,\u201d Molter said. \u201cI\u2019ve only had positive experiences, and the Exchange has a dedicated fleet. That\u2019s exciting.\u201d<\/p>\n

The Exchange\u2019s Europe fleet is composed of 34 long-distance drivers who deliver to locations up to 450 miles (one way). Molter rotates daily on all routes out of Gruenstadt, most of which take four hours and average 300 miles roundtrip. She drives to stores in Belgium, the Netherlands, Italy, Poland and Germany and might make special runs during military exercises to Romania, Macedonia and Hungary.<\/p>\n

Ultimately, Molter hopes more women take up truck driving, especially with the shortage of drivers in Europe. According to the European Road Freight Transport 2018<\/a> report, Germany needs 45,000 drivers to meet industry needs.<\/p>\n

\u201cThere is a lot of opportunity for women to start driving,\u201d Molter said. \u201cI hope someday everyone can see that women are as good\u2014or better\u2014than men at truck driving.\u201d<\/p>\n

Regardless of whether other women join her, Molter wants to stay with the Exchange for the long haul.<\/p>\n

\u201cI want to one day buy a house for myself,\u201d Molter said. \u201cI think working for the Exchange will make that dream come true.\u201d<\/p>\n

Facebook-Friendly Version: <\/strong>Heike Molter is the first woman hired to drive long distance with the Army & Air Force Exchange Service\u2019s Europe fleet\u2014and she hopes more women join her. Read more: https:\/\/wp.me\/p9Q7PG-10P<\/a><\/p>\n

 <\/p>\n

— 30 —<\/p>\n

 <\/p>\n

Since 1895, the Army & Air Force Exchange Service (Exchange) has gone where Soldiers, Airmen and their families go to improve the quality of their lives by providing valued goods and services at exclusive military pricing. The Exchange is the 61st-largest retailer in the United States. Its earnings provided $2.3 billion in dividends to support military morale, welfare and recreation programs over the last 10 years. The Exchange is a non-appropriated fund entity of the Department of Defense and is directed by a Board of Directors. The Exchange is a 50th Anniversary Vietnam War Commemorative Partner, planning and conducting events and activities that recognize the service, valor and sacrifice of Vietnam Veterans and their families in conjunction with the United States of America Vietnam War Commemoration. To find out more about the Exchange history and mission or to view recent press releases please visit our website at http:\/\/www.shopmyexchange.com<\/a> or follow us on Twitter at https:\/\/twitter.com\/ExchangePAO<\/a>.<\/p>\n

 <\/p>\n

###<\/p>\n

 <\/p>\n

Media Notes:<\/strong><\/p>\n

For more information or to schedule an interview with an Exchange representative please contact Alexandra Pirkle, 214-312-2143, or pirkleac@aafes.com.<\/p>\n

Follow the Exchange:<\/p>\n

Facebook:\u00a0 www.facebook.com\/shopmyexchange<\/a><\/p>\n

Twitter:\u00a0 https:\/\/twitter.com\/shopmyexchange<\/a><\/p>\n

Instagram: @shopmyexchange<\/a><\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"

GRUENSTADT, Germany \u2013 Heike Molter has been driving long distance for 18 years\u2014and it showed when she took her road test to drive for the Army & Air Force Exchange Service. She aced the test on the first try and was hired in April. \u201cSome of the other applicants took several attempts while she only […]<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":22,"featured_media":3896,"comment_status":"closed","ping_status":"open","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"jetpack_post_was_ever_published":false,"_jetpack_newsletter_access":"","_jetpack_dont_email_post_to_subs":false,"_jetpack_newsletter_tier_id":0,"_jetpack_memberships_contains_paywalled_content":false,"_jetpack_memberships_contains_paid_content":false,"footnotes":"","jetpack_publicize_message":"Heike Molter is the first woman hired to drive long distance with the Army & Air Force Exchange Service\u2019s Europe fleet\u2014and she hopes more women join her.","jetpack_publicize_feature_enabled":true,"jetpack_social_post_already_shared":true,"jetpack_social_options":{"image_generator_settings":{"template":"highway","default_image_id":0,"font":"","enabled":false},"version":2}},"categories":[25],"tags":[131,133,132,35,34,33,36,39],"class_list":["post-3895","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","has-post-thumbnail","hentry","category-press_releases","tag-europe","tag-germany","tag-long-distance-driver","tag-military","tag-photography","tag-press-release","tag-public-affairs","tag-the-army-air-force-exchange-service"],"parsely":{"version":"1.1.0","canonical_url":"https:\/\/publicaffairs-sme.com\/ExchangePost\/2019\/06\/10\/exchanges-first-female-long-distance-driver-in-europe-hopes-more-women-take-up-trucking\/","smart_links":{"inbound":0,"outbound":0},"traffic_boost_suggestions_count":0,"meta":{"@context":"https:\/\/schema.org","@type":"NewsArticle","headline":"Exchange\u2019s First Female Long-Distance Driver in Europe Hopes More Women Take Up Trucking","url":"http:\/\/publicaffairs-sme.com\/ExchangePost\/2019\/06\/10\/exchanges-first-female-long-distance-driver-in-europe-hopes-more-women-take-up-trucking\/","mainEntityOfPage":{"@type":"WebPage","@id":"http:\/\/publicaffairs-sme.com\/ExchangePost\/2019\/06\/10\/exchanges-first-female-long-distance-driver-in-europe-hopes-more-women-take-up-trucking\/"},"thumbnailUrl":"https:\/\/publicaffairs-sme.com\/ExchangePost\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/3\/2019\/06\/Heike-e1560184842200.jpg?w=150&h=150&crop=1","image":{"@type":"ImageObject","url":"https:\/\/publicaffairs-sme.com\/ExchangePost\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/3\/2019\/06\/Heike-e1560184842200.jpg"},"articleSection":"Press Releases","author":[{"@type":"Person","name":"Marisa Conner"}],"creator":["Marisa Conner"],"publisher":{"@type":"Organization","name":"The Exchange Newsroom","logo":""},"keywords":["europe","germany","long distance driver","military","photography","press release","public affairs","the army & air force exchange service"],"dateCreated":"2019-06-10T16:43:13Z","datePublished":"2019-06-10T16:43:13Z","dateModified":"2019-06-10T16:43:13Z"},"rendered":"