Welcome to Part 2 of our Adtrans Hino's Women in Trucking. Adtrans Hino have many females in non-traditional roles throughout the company and we want to celebrate them! This week we chatted with Karen Howard from our Gosford dealership, who has been working in this industry for an impressive amount of time....
What is your role at Adtrans Hino?
"My current role at Adtrans Hino is Service Advisor & Warranty Clerk at our Gosford dealership. I also assist Spare Parts, Sales and Admin."
How long have you held this job for? Tell us a bit about your working history.
"I started working in this industry 20 years ago as a Warranty Clerk and Receptionist for a truck dealership in Gosford, before moving onto what was formally known as Best Hino.
I was with Best Hino for a further seven years and then saw it acquired by the Adtrans Group, becoming Adtrans Hino. Adtrans Hino left the Gosford area after 12 months, which saw me move to another truck dealership in a Service Manager capacity for two years.
As luck would have it, Adtrans Hino returned to Gosford in 2011 and I have been in my current role since – nine years!"
Describe your typical day...
"My day starts with ensuring the job cards are raised for the workshop. I then do the mechanics times and banking for the day.
My day also consists of invoicing the repair cards and carrying out warranty submissions. As we are a multi-franchise site, there are a claims to be processed on different sites ie: Hino, Western Star and MAN.
I also liaise with the workshop to keep the customers informed as to any outstanding work required plus keeping them up-to-date with the progress on their vehicles. In addition to this, I also liaise with vendors for external works that may be required."
What do you love about your job?
"I love the interaction with the customers! As have been in this industry for 20 years and in the Gosford area all this time, I have built up a good relationship with a lot of the customers.
I also enjoy the challenges that come with the job and the support from Adtrans that I have had over the years and ongoing."
Given your longevity in the industry, have you seen a shift females performing non-traditional roles over the years?
"Throughout my time in the business I have seen a great increase in females in the service area either in administration, managerial and mechanic roles. When I first started I was one of a limited few females at courses, over the years the females can now out number the males in some circumstances!"