FreightWaves Classics/Pioneers: Luella Bates was the nation’s first female licensed truck driver

Luella Bates and a FWD Model B. (Photo: Four Wheel Drive Auto Co.)

Today is International Women’s Day. FreightWaves Classics is continuing its series on women who have made an impact on the fields of transportation, logistics and supply chains.

Luella Bates was born in Wisconsin on October 17, 1897. Very little can be found about her earliest years, but she began working for Four Wheel Drive Auto Co. during World War I. Bates was the first female licensed commercial truck driver (as well as a mechanic and truck inspector). 

She had an influential role in the...

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