Rhonda Rowe joined her father in the trucking business in 2009 after taking a buyout from Chrysler, who in 2006 began laying off employees and offering buyouts in an effort to return to profitability. A decision that she put off since 1996 when she decided to take a position at the third largest automobile manufacturer. Detroiters know all too well the accompaniment of the trucking industry and the automobile industry; an ensemble that started after World War I when heavy-duty trucks began to share some of the shipping load with the railroads. For Rhonda Rowe, the duet would orchestrate her life story.
She grew up in trucking. Her father started, Arthur L. Rowe Trucking, in 1967 when Black owner operators made up 7% of all truckers in the United States according to Census data. So, starting Rowe Trucking in 2007 was her next best move and she was able to convince her father to come out of retirement to help her. Growing the business is not without its challenges. Getting her foot in the door with prime contractors and building harmonious relationships with them is redoubtable while building on her father’s reputation and creating a reputation of her own. As with other minority owned small business, accessing capital to grow the business arduous but not impossible. Nonetheless the challenges strengthened her faith, in teaching her to be prayerful and diligent towards progress. She strives to press forward notwithstanding obstacles she may face as a black woman in trucking. Rhonda is unstoppable, resolutely finding a way over, around or under an obstacle, but never quitting.
