“Young girls don’t dream of becoming transportation managers … I love the work and want to encourage women to make transportation a career of choice.”

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CASSIE WOOD, CTP, born and raised in Boise, Idaho, has lived and worked there her entire life. Her mother taught second grade, and her father ran his own small business as a mechanic of heavy-duty equipment.

Wood has almost 20 years of transportation experience, including six years in management. In her current role with PCA/Boise/BCT, she is the regional corrugated and white paper transportation manager. She earned a bachelor’s degree in business administration from Boise State University and an OSHA certification in 2019 and the Certified Transportation Professional designation in 2020.

After graduating from high school, Wood went to work for Boise-Cascade and did not start her college studies until 19 years later. “I hired on at Boise in 2005 as a temp converting physical driver records to online files,” Wood said.

“Management pulled me aside one day and asked me to stay on as a temp for another six months. Soon I was hired as a log manager and did that for two years before moving on to the logistics department, where I worked brokering freight for five years.”

Next, Wood dispatched heavy-haul trucks for two years. Her next stop was Waco, Texas, where she worked as a terminal manager for two years before returning to Boise as a freight pay analyst. She then worked briefly in the safety department.

“I was fortunate to get into transportation by accident and have had wonderful opportunities in so many different roles. In the last four years, I’ve received two promotions. It’s been a great career for me.”

In her current role as transportation manager, Wood oversees transportation of some 34 manufacturing plants and helps facilitate relationships between outside carriers and BCT Inc., a private fleet that is domiciled at several plants. “I leverage the private fleet performance to help negotiate rates with carriers and owner-operators.”

Boise White Paper (formerly Boise-Cascade) is a wholly owned subsidiary of the Packaging Corporation of America, which has more than 90 box plants, 10 mills, and a white paper plant located throughout the country. BCT Inc. is the private fleet of the company with 300 trucks and 360 drivers, 75% of which are company drivers and 25% are owner-operators. BCT Inc. has 14 terminals around the country.

Previously, the company’s private fleet operated as a profit center with 70% owner-operators and 30% employee drivers. “Under Packaging Corporation of America, we are a cost center, and a majority of drivers are employees,” Wood said. “We feel we are better off with company drivers. We have more control with our own drivers, and turn-over is very low. PCA loves our private fleet and feels it is an asset and competitive advantage.”

Over the past 20 years, several management team members of Boise’s private fleet have participated in NPTC. Wood’s involvement with NPTC began in 2020 when she enrolled in PFMI and later passed her CTP exam.

“Going through the CTP program gave me a great understanding about all aspects of running a private fleet,” Wood said. “What an amazing experience. It is a very well-rounded program. The resource study materials and practice tests were very helpful in preparing for the CTP exam. I learned a great deal and met people who have been helpful in my career. I am still in touch with many from my class.”

Since becoming a CTP, Wood has joined the PFMI faculty, Benchmarking Steering Committee, and NPTC Board of Directors. Through her leadership, BCT Inc. is a Five Star member of the council. “I want to get more active in the council and encourage women especially to choose a career in transportation as a first-choice vocation and eventually earn their CTP certification,” Wood said.

“Young girls don’t dream of becoming transportation managers when they grow up,” Wood said. “It’s a career that often begins by chance. I love the work and want to encourage women to make transportation a career of choice.”

Cassie Wood, CTP | Photo: NPTC