Three decades ago, Dee Dee Cox began building a career in human resources with a simple belief: Strong organizations are built by investing in people.
Today, as vice president of human resources development at Old Dominion Freight Line (OD), Cox has helped to shape the culture of one of the nation’s leading transportation companies — overseeing talent acquisition, leadership development and employee engagement initiatives that ensure the company’s workforce continues to grow, thrive and lead the industry forward.
Her impact has not gone unnoticed.
In recognition of her commitment to advancing opportunities for others, the Women In Trucking Association (WIT) named Cox as the 2025 Influential Woman in Trucking.
Through innovative programs such as management training, apprenticeships, and internships, Cox has helped create clear career pathways — particularly for women and underrepresented professionals — strengthening both the company’s talent pipeline and the future of the trucking industry.
“I am thrilled and honored to be recognized as the recipient of this award,” Cox said. “The real recognition goes to Old Dominion Freight Line, for allowing me and the team to develop these programs. Our leaders at OD supported these opportunities which has helped us continue to fulfill our vision of being the premier transportation provider while maintaining our unique OD Family atmosphere.”
Under her leadership, OD’s human resources development and talent acquisition teams have grown from one employee to nearly 40 nationwide.
Cox also developed a comprehensive leadership curriculum that integrates OD’s vision, core values and family culture into every level of training. Her strategic approach and commitment to inclusion have made her a respected industry leader dedicated to empowering people and opening doors for the next generation of women in trucking.
Brian Everett, group publisher and editorial director of Redefining the Road, the official magazine of the Women In Trucking Association (WIT), recently caught up with Cox to ask a few questions.
What specific impact have you made in advancing women in the trucking industry?
Since becoming a part of the transportation industry 20 years ago, I have created clear pathways for women through management trainee programs and supervisor development programs within a structured skills-based career ladder. These programs have helped advance women into leadership positions.
How do you measure that impact?
I developed leadership classes tailored to the industry and embedded each company’s core values and their unique culture. At OD, family culture is huge. By bringing that to the forefront I have normalized empathy, communication and professionalism as leadership traits within the industry.
By changing how leaders interact (smile, say hello, ask about family), I feel as if I have humanized the trucking workplace making the industry more approachable, especially for women and younger generations. … This has led more women to raise their hands for growth opportunities within the organization.
Also, as someone who had no idea what I wanted to be when I grew up, I have a sympathetic heart to those high school students who are not familiar with a variety of career paths. I am a first-generation college graduate myself. At OD we have set up nationwide high school recruitment efforts to communicate our diverse career paths in the transportation industry. This early outreach is reshaping public perception of trucking as an inclusive, forward-looking field for females.
Finally, since coming to OD, there were only a couple of people in human resources. This department has grown in the field to a nationwide team of 40 people — 67% of whom are women.
Overall, I feel my impact has been that not only does transportation have opportunities for females, but this industry has something for every female in every stage of their career. Whether it is on the dock, in the truck, in the office or in the C-suite, women belong in this industry and can thrive and be great leaders.
I remain committed to expanding opportunities for women in transportation and continuing to shape a more inclusive future for the industry.
Looking ahead, what is one bold change you believe the industry needs?
The trucking industry needs to understand what flexibility and opportunity look like for women.
For too long, success in this field has been measured by miles, hours or time on the road — but those traditional measures don’t always reflect the realities or ambitions of today’s workforce, especially women who are balancing multiple priorities.
To truly support women, we need to create intentional career pathways that allow for both growth and balance — whether that’s through shared or regional routes that provide more home time, or clear transitions from driver to leadership roles.
How are you positioned to help lead that change?
As a vice president of human resources (for OD), I’m in a position to drive these changes by shaping policy, influencing culture and ensuring that our workforce truly reflects the diversity and potential of the communities we serve. When women see themselves represented at every level, the entire industry becomes stronger, more innovative and more inclusive.
This story was originally published on the Women In Trucking blog on May 5, 2026. Reprinted with permission.
Brian Everett is the group publisher and editorial director of Redefining the Road, the official magazine of the Women In Trucking Association (WIT). He is heavily involved in strategic counsel for WIT and managing the association’s annual Accelerate! Conference & Expo.
Everett has a reputation as the “go-to guy” for marketing in the transportation and logistics industry. That’s because he has more than 30 years marketing, communications, and sales experience in transportation, warehousing, and logistics, with a special expertise in business strategy, B-to-B marketing, and association management. He also is senior partner of MindShare Strategies. Everett regularly provides marketing counsel to the firm’s key accounts. He is particularly well-connected to shippers as the former Executive Director of the National Shippers Strategic Transportation Council (NASSTRAC) and is the group publisher and editorial director for Food Chain Digest and Food For Thought, the official magazine and member e-newsletter, respectively, of Food Shippers of America.
Everett also was Director of Marketing for C.H. Robinson for 10 years, and helped transform this low-profile company to one of the world’s most widely known brands in the third-party logistics market when it went public in 1998. He also was CEO of the Transportation Marketing & Sales Association (TMSA) for approximately 20 years, and has provided counsel in business strategy, marketing and sales for leading companies in MindShare Strategies’ client portfolio, including Saddle Creek Logistics Services, the American Logistics Aid Network (ALAN), LeSaint Logistics/TAGG Logistics, RWI Logistics/RWI Transportation (part of the Castellini Group of Companies), Satellite Logistics Group, UPS, Line Drive Trucking, and H&M International Transportation, to name a few.
Everett has served on the board of directors for the International Association of Business Communications at the international, regional, and local chapter levels; on the Council of Supply Chain Management Professionals (CSCMP) Twin Cities Roundtable; and was the Chairman of the Transportation Track for a recent Warehousing Education Research Council (WERC) annual conference. In fact, in recognition of his career experiences and passion for industry involvement, Everett was named the youngest recipient of TMSA’s “Lifetime Achievement Award.”
