Belinda Rueffer

Position: Director of Marketing
Company: Axele
Industry: Transportation
Years in: 6

It’s said you showed early signs of an “infatuation” with transportation. Please describe your journey to this industry.

My family and friends all joke that they knew I’d end up here someday, based on my infatuation with “Smokey and the Bandit” (released in 1977 when I was 8) and then “BJ and the Bear” (a TV comedy that started in 1979 when I was 10). As an elementary school kid, I would draw photos of myself either driving the black TransAm with the golden firebird on the hood or behind the wheel of a big rig, and display the drawings on my bedroom wall. I dreamed I would become an owner operator and my handle would be “Brandy.”

So, when I got the opportunity to join Omnitracs in 2015, my friends and family said I had finally met my destiny. I joined Omnitracs at a pivotal time when they were acquiring other companies. As the director of marketing communications and PR, I led the effort to rebrand the organization. From there, I joined Spireon’s Fleet and Asset Intelligence division, where I led the marketing efforts for our long haul and local fleet product lines. Then, in 2020, I joined Optym, which had a rich history serving some of the world’s largest transportation companies, such as Southwest Airlines, BNSF, and Saia. It was in the process of launching an advanced, intelligent transportation management system (TMS) for small to mid-sized full truckload carriers. I’ve always loved building teams and marketing strategies from scratch; getting in on the ground floor of Axele has been an exciting challenge.

What are you most proud of or what has excited you most?

While it’s always great to manage the lifecycle of a software product and watch a business grow as a result of strategic marketing efforts, I’d say the initiatives that have meant the most to me have been the ones that give back to society or bring joy to the public. At Omnitracs, we were major sponsors of Wreaths Across America. WAA’s mission is to remember, honor, and teach the public about the veterans who have sacrificed in the service of their country by laying wreaths at Arlington National Cemetery and national cemeteries across the county.

As a sponsor, we coordinated volunteers across all our offices to help lay wreaths, and we coordinated a massive giving event where the company matched donations by employees. It was a huge success, and it paved the way to Omnitracs becoming a sponsor of truck driving institutes who help returning service men and women to get their CDLs and enter the trucking industry post-military.

At Spireon, I had the pleasure of joining the annual U.S. Capitol Christmas Tree initiative. The tradition of the Capitol Christmas Tree began in 1964, and is carried on each year by selecting a tree from one of the U.S. national forests to become the tree that sits on the Capitol lawn. Spireon, a telematics pioneer, sponsored the tracking of the tree by installing tracking devices on the trailer that carries the tree and building a web site where the public can follow the tree as it makes its way across the country, much like NORAD tracks Santa each year. Opportunities like these are unique ways that marketing and trucking combine to give back to the community.

Thoughts on the Infrastructure Bill passage? Where do you see the most benefit to your industry?

Considering about one in every five miles of U.S. highways and major roads are in poor condition according to federal data, any infrastructure bill that tackles problems like these will benefit the trucking industry. It’s estimated that the package could support more than 700,000 new jobs, including more than 100,000 in the transportation industry, so I say bring it on!

Can you recall a time where it took some real MOXY to say what needed to be said, or did what needed to be done?

I’ve always felt that my employers hired me for a reason, and to act like a shrinking violet would do myself and the company a disservice. I think the transportation industry has made huge strides in recruiting women into trucking; however, where I continue to see the gap is in executive leadership positions. The trucking industry is long overdue in realizing that its future depends on a diverse workforce, particularly due to the driver shortage, and women can bring a lot to the table. When more women vie for leadership roles in trucking, trucking will flourish.

What do you hope to see the industry accomplish over the next 5-10 years?

Even though the trucking industry has been forced into adopting technology due to legislation such as the ELD mandate, I worry that as a whole, it still resists change and refuses to embrace what technology can do for it. From autonomous trucks to advanced analytics, it seems the old adage is true, “If you aren’t at the table, you’re what’s for dinner.”