Meet Kira of Thuja Transport & Thuja Heavy Equipment Services

Today we’d like to introduce you to Kira.

Hi Kira, thanks for sharing your story with us. To start, maybe you can tell our readers some of your backstories.
Growing up, I never saw myself in the trucking industry, or as an “influencer”. My trucking journey started when I met my now husband. I had never traveled much of the states and it’s something I always wanted to do. We bought a truck and hit the road shortly after we started dating and trucking just became our life. Everything we did involve travel, our truck, etc. Our motto is “always an adventure” because we never knew where we would end up, or what we would get to do or see along the way. Nothing ever went to plan, and we kind of liked it that way. We got engaged over the road out in Montana. We loaded up our truck with wedding attire, decor, and essentials, grabbed a load out west, and worked up until our wedding day (also in Montana). We spent over a year and a half working full-time over the road and it was absolutely amazing.

After we got married, we decided we wanted a little break and some more home time. That’s when we decided to get our own DOT authority, get a few trucks, and run our own trucking business. At that time we also purchased a shop to handle our own repairs as well as being open to the public. During this time, a little over 2 years now, I’ve taken the world along with me. I started several social media platforms (Instagram, TikTok) and to my surprise, they’ve taken off. I’ve made many new friends, both in the trucking industry and outside. I’ve had amazing opportunities for professional growth as well as personal and I’ve learned so much. It’s been an incredible experience to be able to share my journey.

Would you say it’s been a smooth road, and if not what are some of the biggest challenges you’ve faced along the way?
Smooth road? Of course! Trucking and social media are one of the easiest-going industries out there… I wish that could be a true statement. Being a woman in the trucking world is challenging at times. To some, both on job sites and on social media, at first glance, I’m not taken seriously or it’s assumed I don’t know what I’m doing or talking about. My appearance gets brought into question a lot. I get told there’s no way I can be a trucker or in the industry and still “look the way I do”. It’s assumed I can’t be a girly girl, wear makeup, have my nails done, and still throw straps and chains. This doesn’t speak to everyone, but it’s part of the territory.

Trucking will always be a roller coaster industry. You have your highs and lows and sometimes they come all at once.

It’s never smooth sailing, things always change. You have to be flexible and be able to roll with whatever it throws at you. Breakdowns, load canceling, wrong directions, dishonest brokers and shippers trying to get a free service, etc.

Sometimes it’s hard to stay positive, but you always have to look on the bright side of things and adapt to the changes coming your way. I say the same with social media. When you put yourself out there for the world to see, you open yourself up to criticism, hate, and judgment. I will be the first to admit that sometimes it’s incredibly hard not to take things to heart or too personally when someone leaves hateful/hurtful comments or messages. People judge you off on what they see briefly or without taking a moment to know more about that person and I’m one of those people that wants everyone to like me. I’m really an awkward person in real life, I promise.

Alright, so let’s switch gears a bit and talk business. What should we know?
Both our trucking business and service shop are run with the same values. Family, honesty, and fair pricing/pay. We pride ourselves on being hard-working and putting our drivers and customers first. With us, you’ll find that there is still some of that old-school trucking family around.

We set ourselves apart from other trucking companies by being available for drivers 24/7. They are always able to get ahold of us for any issues, questions, or concerns. Trucking is nonstop, so that means we are too. We specialize in flatbeds, step decks, and RGN and we travel the lower 48. We are transparent with our drivers about the loads we book for them. We don’t hide prices or information from them. They know exactly what to expect every week. We know our drivers by name, not a number. We work around the clock to make sure their schedules are booked and there’s little to zero down/wait time for their next load. Family time always comes first for us and our drivers. We make sure they have plenty of home time when needed and wanted.

As for our shop, we’re available 24/7 for emergency road calls. We are knowledgeable with both old-school and new-school tech and repairs. We take pride in our work to make sure we keep our customers coming back, but not too often. Our goal is to keep our drivers and customers on the road with minimal downtime. Being that we know both sides of trucking and repair shops, we know how some shops will see truckers and take advantage of a repair. With that knowledge and first-hand experience, we wanted to stop that narrative. Our prices are fair, and reasonable and won’t break the bank. We offer anything from basic PMs to engine rebuilds and everything in between.

Contact Info:

• Instagram: https://instagram.com/thuja_transport?igshid=YmMyMTA2M2Y=
• Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/thujaheavyequipment