ARLINGTON, Va. — Tanya Miracle, director of OE truck channel at Bridgestone Americas, has been named the Women In Trucking Association (WIT) March member of the month.
Miracle said she’s been involved in trucking in one way or another since high school — but notes that it’s “100% by accident” that she finds herself still in the trucking industry today.
In 1993, she began her career as a dispatcher for Roberts Express while living in Ohio. After that, she said, she went to work for a tire mold company.
In addition, she was married to an owner-operator who hauled oversize drop-deck freight (they have since divorced). Nonetheless, she fully understands the sacrifices made and challenges faced by the families of long-haul drivers. She knows how difficult it is when birthdays and holidays are missed, or when the industry is experiencing a downturn and work is uncertain. She remembers those tough days, but she also believes those times helped shape who she is today and helped build her resilience and courage.
When Miracle decided to apply for a job at Bridgestone, it was for the role of developing consumer tires. However, the interviewers introduced her to the commercial truck group — and that is where she is today, based at headquarters in Nashville, Tennessee.
Since going to work for Bridgestone, she said, she’s fallen in love with the people, the industry, the weather in Nashville and her work. She genuinely enjoys the interactions with members of the trucking industry.
Working with and meeting people — from truck drivers to company CEOs — at conferences and conventions and watching them all interact together, sharing their knowledge and experience, is part of the collaborative environment that keeps her in the industry. She’s noticed that everyone exchanges ideas and thoughts as equals, no matter what their title in their company may be.
As Miracle said, “It is a great industry to be in.”
The most unique aspect of Miracle’s role is how she goes conducts business in a predominantly male industry. She said she promotes from within and works to eradicate the gender bias by breaking down barriers for women in the industry. She creates pathways for women to succeed and ensures that each employee has the tools necessary to realize their full potential.
According to a statement from WIT, “Miracle has a progressive mindset and leverages her technical expertise as a previous design engineer to drive initiatives and innovative ideas to deliver solutions to her customers (OEMs and fleets). She selflessly shares information and contacts to make Bridgestone a great place to develop talent and preserve a culture of comradery. She is in her element when she can mentor and teach others in the industry.”
Outside of work, Miracle’s main interests are her children, her family and playing golf. She has nine children, three stepchildren, three of her own, and three that she adopted. She said she loves being both a woman with an amazing career and a mom.
In 2020, Miracle won an internal Bridgestone America award as part of the R213 team, and was she was recognized as a top woman to watch in Bridgestone in 2022.
She said her best advice for other women in the industry is this: “Don’t be intimidated or come into the industry with a preconceived notion of what the trucking industry is; the societal stereotypes about trucking are just not true.”
Miracle said she is saddened by the image many have of the trucking industry, adding that she’s discovered that, in general, members of the industry are much more accepting and open than people think. In addition, she said, the industry is becoming more diverse, something she believes will help move trucking forward.
When asked what the future holds, Miracle said she plans to remain in the trucking industry, working to make the industry “the best it can be” and continue to move the industry forward.
“This industry was created by hard-working, driven people who move the world around us into the future every day,” she said.
Linda Garner-Bunch has been in publishing for more than 30 years. You name it, Linda has written about it. She has served as an editor for a group of national do-it-yourself publications and has coordinated the real estate section of Arkansas’ only statewide newspaper, in addition to working on a variety of niche publications ranging from bridal magazines to high-school sports previews and everything in between. She is also an experienced photographer and copy editor who enjoys telling the stories of the “Knights of the Highway,” as she calls our nation’s truck drivers.
