Meet Saniah, The Woman Who Drives The Big, Red Truck For Ninja Van Malaysia
When Saniah took up the job as a truck driver for the logistics company, she didn’t think she would be one of the many women breaking the bias in the male-dominated industry.
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Saniah Suman previously worked as a driver for a pest control company. When she decided to change jobs and work in a logistics company as a pick-up driver, she didn’t think she would be breaking a career bias for many women.
Saniah came across a posting as a truck driver for Ninja Van and thought it sounded like an interesting challenge. She applied for the position, and voila, she has been picking up parcels in areas like Semenyih and Cyberjaya for close to 3 years and counting.
Before joining Ninja Van Malaysia, I never thought of joining the logistics industry. I initially chose to work as a driver because it came with flexible working hours, which allows me to have more freedom when working a typical 9 to 5 job.
Ninja Van Malaysia pick up driver Saniah Suman told TRP.
She believes that the logistics service plays an essential role amongst consumers and businesses. When the e-commerce demand grew, she saw it as an opportunity to venture into this role that was stereotypically reserved for men.
When she first joined as a female driver, people around her were quite shocked but they were mostly curious and impressed. A lot of them thought it was a male-dominated career, so they had a good surprise when they saw Saniah jumping out of the driver’s seat of the big, red truck. Saniah said she always found their reactions funny and interesting.
As a woman, there’s a misconception that delivery personnel need to be men who are strong and tough as they perceive the job as manual only. This is probably due to the fact that there’s a lot of physical exertion like picking up goods and parcels. However, the truth is, the job of a delivery driver requires you to be disciplined, systematic, organised, and have people skills more than it requires strength.
Ninja Van Malaysia pick up driver Saniah Suman.
Working with big and heavy parcels can be challenging at times, but Saniah doesn’t see it as a reason to be hesitant about taking up the job.
Other than collecting parcels of varied shapes and sizes, Saniah also trains new drivers and make sure they are familiarized with the processes and SOPs.
Like the other drivers, sometimes she experiences vehicle breakdowns and has to quickly come up with solutions so that the parcel delivery operations aren’t disrupted. Saniah finds her work at Ninja Van Malaysia truly fulfilling and meaningful despite facing some challenges.
If there’s one piece of advice she will like to give to all the girls and women, it’s that everyone has the freedom to express their thoughts and to stand up for who they are.
Choose who you want to be without being constricted by stereotypical-gender views. What we need to bear in mind is that we should trust ourselves and be confident in what we are doing. Embrace and enjoy what you are doing! As the saying goes, “There’s nothing women can’t do. There’s absolutely nothing we can’t do. We’re far stronger in a lot of ways than men.”
Ninja Van Malaysia pick up driver Saniah Suman.
Society is slowly pushing aside gender stereotypes on careers, and Ninja Van Malaysia is one of the many companies leading the change.
Saniah isn’t the only female driver in the company. To date, more than 200 female drivers work at Ninja Van Malaysia, and women also make up the warehouse and sort teams.
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