At Lily Transportation, we believe that strength comes from diversity—and that some of the strongest voices on the road belong to women.

Across the country, more women are stepping into roles traditionally dominated by men, and nowhere is that more evident than right here at one of our Chicago operations. What makes this location so special? It’s home to one of our largest groups of women drivers—12 band counting—who are not only moving freight but also breaking barriers and redefining what it means to be a professional driver in today’s world.

These incredible women are part of something even bigger: Lily Ladies, our internal committee dedicated to supporting, celebrating, and empowering women in the transportation industry.

Who Are the Lily Ladies?

Launched with a simple but powerful mission, Lily Ladies exists to champion the women of Lily Transportation—drivers, dispatchers, mechanics, recruiters, and everything in between. The group fosters mentorship, creates space for connection, and encourages more women to explore careers in logistics and transportation.

It’s not just about representation—it’s about recognition. The Lily Ladies are building a culture where women are seen, supported, and celebrated for the impact they make every day.

Chicago: A Hub of Strength and Sisterhood

The energy at our Chicago location is different—in the best way. With one of the highest concentrations of women drivers in our fleet, this team is proof that inclusion makes us stronger.

These women bring professionalism, grit, and pride to every mile they drive. They support each other, look out for one another, and lead by example. During a recent visit, we had the opportunity to capture a few special moments of the team in action and in community, proudly wearing their Lily Ladies shirts and representing everything this initiative stands for.

While we won’t name names, this location supports a well-known national grocery brand, and it’s clear the women behind the wheel are a key part of that partnership’s success.

More Than a Committee—A Movement

The Lily Ladies initiative goes far beyond team t-shirts or social posts. It’s about changing the narrative—showing women that there’s a place for them in transportation, and that they can thrive in it.

It’s about creating safe spaces, building confidence, offering resources, and making sure that when women step into a role at Lily, they feel like they belong.

Because when women lead, entire teams succeed.

Looking Ahead

We’re proud of the progress we’ve made, but we’re even more excited about what’s next. As the Lily Ladies network continues to grow, we’ll keep supporting initiatives that elevate voices, open doors, and pave the way for more women to find opportunity on the road and beyond.

To every woman at Lily who’s blazing a trail—you’re not just making deliveries. You’re making history.

Want to learn more about Lily Ladies or explore opportunities with Lily Transportation?
Visit lily.com/lily-ladies and join a team that celebrates what drives you.

The Golden Age of Trucking: Post-WWII Boom

After World War II, the U.S. experienced a manufacturing boom fueled by consumer demand and economic growth. The federal government invested heavily in highway construction, including the landmark Federal-Aid Highway Act of 1956, which established the Interstate Highway System. This new infrastructure facilitated faster and more extensive trucking routes, giving rise to long-haul trucking as we know it today.

Lily, which had by then solidified its position as a key player in local Northeast logistics, leveraged this new infrastructure to expand its service capabilities. The company’s fleet grew exponentially, as highlighted in its company history, adapting to the evolving needs of manufacturers seeking faster, more reliable transport solutions.

Deregulation and the Rise of Freight Logistics

The Motor Carrier Act of 1980 deregulated the trucking industry, leading to increased competition and lower shipping rates. This era also marked the beginning of specialized trucking services, including refrigerated transport and LTL delivery models. Lily’s strategy during this period involved embracing technological advancements in fleet management and optimizing routes for efficiency, as discussed on the Lily Company History page.

The Digital Revolution: Modern Trucking and Manufacturing

The turn of the millennium brought about the digital revolution, reshaping both trucking and manufacturing. GPS tracking, advanced fleet management software, and data analytics became essential tools in the logistics sector. Lily embraced these innovations early on, integrating data-driven solutions to enhance delivery accuracy and reduce operational costs. The expansion of dedicated contract carriers across the US made Lily ripe for growth. Major US Industries such as food, automotive, retail, medical, manufacturing, and others looked to outsourcing trucking and transportation. Lily was the ideal candidate for those who wanted the best service possible.

The Future of Trucking and Manufacturing

As the manufacturing sector continues to evolve, so too does the logistics industry. Companies like Lily are at the forefront of this transformation, investing in new technologies, AI-driven route optimization, and advanced fleet management systems. Lily’s commitment to innovation is a driving force behind its sustained success, making it a vital partner for manufacturers looking to streamline their supply chains.

In conclusion, the history of trucking and manufacturing in the United States is a testament to the power of innovation and adaptation. From the second World War to the digital revolution of today, companies like Lily have consistently adapted to industry changes, positioning themselves as leaders in logistics and fleet management. The future promises even more advancements, and Lily will be there alongside your business ensuring that your product makes it from A to B in the most safe and effective way possible. Look no further than the company named after mom!

The holiday season has arrived!  For some, the season rings of sentimentality, joy and family tradition. For others, not so much.  Folks who are lonely, dealing with health issues or struggling financially, often feel worse this time of year.

According to the American Psychological Association, 38 percent of people report a noticeable increase in stress during the holidays. Lack of time, living up to the hype, and pressures associated with gift giving are at the top of the list of stressors.  Perceived responsibilities to create a joyful experience for family adds to holiday stress with half of men (49%) and women (51%) reporting pressure to make sure family members are happy.

Thankfully, there are some simple techniques you can use to lower your stress level and stay healthy this holiday season.  To help keep the “Happy” in your holidays, here’s what to know.

•  Just Say NO

When the holiday invitations start rolling in, saying “yes” to them all can create feelings of overwhelm, resentment and anxiety.  Even the gatherings that sound like fun ahead of time can end up compounding your stress when you suddenly find yourself with too many things to do and not enough time to get it all done. Accepting the invitations you find most appealing and kindly saying “No” to the rest will help you keep your peace and joy.

•  Unplug

The constant connectivity to our screens can make it difficult for our brain to slow down and allow us to relax. Try choosing one day a week to turn off your devices.  Ignore those emails and spend your unplugged time on a fun project, a relaxing walk, cooking a yummy meal for friends and family, or reading a great book.

•  Acknowledge your Stress 

Trying to suppress stress just causes the pressure to mount. By acknowledging and expressing those feelings in a healthy way, you can transform the negative to a positive. Focus on a good outcome AND acknowledge the stress simultaneously.  For example, “I feel exhausted and overwhelmed by all I have to do but I am so excited about all the people coming to our holiday dinner”.  

•  Do something nice for someone

In the midst of all the parties and shopping, take time for small acts of kindness — you’ll be glad you did!  Studies have shown that both you and the recipient of your kindness experience reduced stress and improved emotional well-being. Acts of kindness can be as simple as paying a compliment, holding a door open, or expressing gratitude toward someone you appreciate.

•  Walk it Off

A brisk, walk provides a repetitive rhythm that soothes your brain, relieves anxiety and helps you sleep. The busier things become, the more important it is to make time for physical activity.  A short walk can be done anywhere at any time and can make a big difference in your mental health.  Breathe in the fresh air and the sites and sounds of life around you – it’s like pressing the Reset button!

•  Laugh Often

Laughter reduces stress hormones AND boosts your immune system. Keep your sense of humor as much as possible during the holiday rush and laugh whenever you get the chance.

•  Let it Go

With the holidays constantly romanticized on TV and social media, there’s a lot of pressure to make them perfect. Over the years, traditions and family can multiply, leading to even more preparation and less time for decompressing. Realistically, you cannot do it all — and that’s okay.  Choose a few things that matter most to you and let the rest go, guilt-free.

• Maintain your Routine

When our schedules become too crowded, routines are often the first thing to go. During stressful times, healthy eating, staying active, and getting a good night’s sleep are more important than ever. Maintaining your morning ritual, that daily workout, and your wake/sleep schedule will ease the load on your physical and menta/emotional bodies. Nobody likes a grumpy holiday guest!

•  Add a Little Citrus

Researchers have discovered that the citrus scents of lemon and orange can increase your levels of the mood-influencing hormone norepinephrine, which amplifies feelings of well-being. Citrus-scented soaps, essential oils, or simmering a mixture of lemons, cloves, and rosemary on the stovetop can make a big difference when you find yourself feeling tense.

•  Don’t Do it Alone 

Even though you may feel that no one can do it as well as you can, you’ll experience more joy if you start delegating or asking for help.  It is often one of the most empowering things you can do and can go a long way toward relieving stress. You don’t have to do it all!Slowing down to enjoy a cup of hot cocoa (add the marshmallow), watch a holiday movie or make a call to a loved one can go a long way to help make the holidays feel merry and bright! 

With valentine’s day approaching, many of us often think of chocolates, flowers, and spending time with your partner. But what about your physical heart? Let’s shift gears for a moment and think about what we can do to make our heart happy. What can you do this valentine’s day to improve your heart health? We are giving you some top 5 things you can start implementing into your daily trucking life to be a keep a happy, healthy heart.

Many people correlate smoking to strictly lung issues. Such as lung disease, lung cancer, emphysema, COPD and so on. But no one seems to talk about the major toll it takes on your heart. Smoking not only increase your heart rate, but it can also cause permanent damage to your blood vessels, potentially leading to CVD (cardiovascular disease). This is caused by inhaling the cigarette smoke, which then contaminates the blood vessels with harsh chemicals and pumping that contaminated blood throughout your body. CVD is currently the leading cause of death in the US. However, it is never too late to quit! Give yourself something productive to do whenever you feel the urge to smoke, perhaps take up a new hobby or express your urges to friends and family to help stray you away. If you are over the road and you are getting that cigarette craving, allow yourself something else you enjoy. Tell yourself if you make it through your route without any cigarettes, you’ll buy yourself those new sneakers you wanted, or eat a piece of candy instead! It may also help to keep a calendar of how many days you have gone without smoking to keep motivated, you got this!

When packing snacks for the road, some heart healthy but tasty options are dark chocolate covered almonds. The Journal of the American Heart Association, found that almonds, dark chocolate and cocoa significantly reduced the number of low-density lipoprotein particles in the blood. LDL is often called “bad cholesterol” because of the negative effects of clogging arteries!

Other snack options include crackers & hummus, nuts, raisins, veggies with greek yogurt, and apples with peanut butter, or any fresh fruit or vegetable! I’m sure you’ve all heard the saying before, an apple a day keeps the doctor away! Even though that might be a stretch, apples do provide great nutrients for your heart and body. They are a staple super food and will keep you full for longer, promoting weight loss.

If you suffer from high blood pressure, it is important to avoid foods with high fructose corn syrup, sodium, and salt. Try incorporating vegetables, whole grains and oily fish. When you’re on the road, It may seem like the options for healthy meals are very limited. A good fast food tip is to switch out any fried sandwich for a grilled sandwich instead. Fried food contains high levels of sodium and cholesterol, which overtime can lead to high blood pressure. Fast food chains like Mc’Donalds or Wendy’s sell a grilled chicken sandwich that has significantly less sodium and fat, making it a healthier option all around.

According to the American Psychological Association, People diagnosed with clinical depression are more than twice as likely to develop coronary artery disease or suffer a heart attack. In addition, people with a more stable mental health have healthier levels of fibrinogen and cortisol in their blood, which makes them less likely to develop cardiovascular disease. Clinical depression is very intense on the depression scale, if you are suffering, we highly recommend you consult with your doctor on a plan to get you on the right path!

Find an Exercise you Enjoy

Staying active for at least 30 minutes a day is key to a healthy heart. Exercising your heart means getting your heart rate up, and the best way to do that is cardio. Some effective cardio exercises that can be done on the road are jump roping, walking/running, and body weight exercises. If you have a gym you can stop by, even better! If your gym has a pool, swimming is an excellent form of cardio. Swimming works the majority of muscles in your body, while also burning a lot of calories and working your heart muscle. If you can’t seem to fit any of these in your schedule, even taking a 10-minute walk can be effective. Next time you’re at a truck stop, get out and walk around! But most importantly, make sure whatever form of exercise you choose is something you enjoy. Consistency is key! Working out here and there will not strengthen your heart. But consistently working out overtime for 5 days a week will, and whatever form of exercise that is, its up to you!

Prioritize Your Sleep Routine

Catching quality sleep can be difficult, not to mention how it is for truck drivers. Sleeping in a truck, moving or not is definitely something you need to take time to adjust to. If you are new to trucking, or have been struggling with your sleep lately, take these tips into consideration!

Invest in quality pillows and blankets

Sleeping in your truck may not be ideal, but make the most of it by investing in quality blankets and pillows. You will be surprised at the difference it makes! Even if you are a local driver and don’t sleep on the road, you will then look forward to coming home to your comfy bed and appreciate your sleep time more.

Use a sound machine

Something a lot of folks use to fall asleep is a sound machine. It plays calming noises helping put your mind at ease and into relaxation mode. It can also help cancel out any noise going on outside of your truck. It’s worth a shot!

Avoid electronics before bed

Studies have shown that using your phone before bed keeps your brain engaged and suppresses the melatonin levels in your brain, causing you to stay more alert and awake. Try reading a book, or plan out your day for tomorrow instead!

Even though Valentine’s day is a one day event, maintaining a healthy heart is a lifestyle. Take everything you learned from this blog into account that you must stay consistent! Your heart is a lifelong muscle that is working for you. Treat it right! With anything you wish to accomplish, consistency and hard work is key. As long as you don’t lose site of your goals or give up, you are golden. Slip ups will happen, but don’t let it affect your entire journey to healthiness.

Setting a new year resolution is always the easy part. Sticking to it is the real challenge. Statistics show that it takes 21 days to form a habit. If you can get yourself to perform your goal for 21 days, you’re golden! But how do I stick to my goal for 21 days?

Set realistic, small goals

Don’t set yourself to such a high standard where you go into it feeling like you won’t be successful. The goal here is long-term change. A lot of people will fail at their new year resolutions because they went on too strong in the beginning and began to feel it was too much to handle. For example, if your goal is to run a marathon, don’t start running every single day. You will burn yourself out. Start out slow at jogging a couple days a week. Slowly increase the running overtime and you will begin to see a huge improvement.

Get support

Hold yourself accountable with the buddy system! Explain your goals to a friend or family member, maybe they have similar goals as well. You can hold each other accountable and stay motivated together. That way you will always have backup support if you begin to feel discouraged. Make sure to talk through your thoughts and concerns together and set a plan of how you two are going to get through it!

Keep working on your goals

By March, many people have lost that initial spark of motivation. Keep that spark alive by continuing your goals even if you have faced some setbacks. Keep positive by setting small goals, and creating new ones if you can’t seem to jump the hurdle on one. Re-evaluate your goals if needed and don’t give up!

WHAT SHOULD MY RESOLUTIONS BE?

Now that you know how to set goals and stick to it, let’s ring in the new year with a fresh set of goals and resolutions! 2022 is giving you the opportunity to turn over a new leaf and reset. We all know the trucking industry can be tough, and you probably have a lot on your plate. New year resolutions may be the last thing on your mind, but we are here to give you some goals that you can incorporate to your everyday trucking life! Here are some new year resolutions ideas you can start with:

Become an elite driver in 2022

In 2022, take it to the next level and become an elite driver! This means no accidents for the whole year. If you are already elite, awesome! Continue that pattern into 2022. Not only will you feel accomplished, Lily Transportation will enroll you into our Elite Driver Program and you will receive an annual bonus which increases each year you are elite, as well as elite gear. Talk about motivation!

Stay hydrated and eat clean

We all know that truck stops are often limited to unhealthier options. But there are usually always fruits available. Make your health a priority and switch out that cookie for a piece of fruit once or twice a week. It is important when trying to eat healthier to slowly incorporate healthy changes to your diet. Quitting sugar, or carbs cold turkey can often result to binge eating or a failed diet. It is also highly important to stay hydrated. Try purchasing a water jug that contains all the water you need for the day and set goals to finish half of it 4 hours into your route. Or make it a priority to switch that soda to a water a few times a week. Small changes lead to big results!

Prioritize safety

Safety has always been the #1 priority, especially in the trucking industry. Take some time this January to really look at your safety procedures and truck inspection checklist. Are they as thorough as possible? If you aren’t already doing truck inspections before every trip, start a new habit of putting safety first. Contrary to popular belief, drugs and alcohol abuse are not the highest cause of truck accidents. It is mechanical issues often in tires and brakes. We cannot emphasize enough the importance of pre and post trip inspection!

Make time for your friends and family

Being a truck driver is often associated with having no time to spend with family due to traveling for weeks at a time- make them be wrong! Family should be your #1 priority. Take time out of each day to stop and call or facetime your loved ones and let them know how your day has been. It is important for your own mental to express how things are going on the road, especially if you drive solo. It can get lonely! Plan something nice to do with your family or friends so that you will have something to look forward to. This will help you get through your time the road.

Exercise at least 30 minutes each day

Truckers often neglect exercising due to lack of time or access to a gym. Don’t make that excuse this year! Learn to adapt to your environment and work with what you got. For example- buy a couple pairs of dumbbells, do bodyweight exercises, or start skipping, running, or walking. Any form of exercise is better than no exercise. Take those few minutes at a rest stop and get your exercise in. Getting your heart rate up once a day is so important and beneficial to your overall health! This will not only benefit your health, but exercise also releases endorphins in your brain causing you to be in a better mood, and feel more energized.

Overall, try to head into 2022 with a fresh mind. Think positively, mindset is everything! If you are feeling down about anything, try to focus on the positive by thinking of 1-3 things you’re grateful for, even if it seems impossible. Think of all your years to come and remember that if you don’t start implementing your goals now, when will you? If you start now, you will be so glad one year from now. Remember to keep your goals realistic and re-evaluate if needed! Good luck truckers and Happy New Year!