SÃO PAULO, BRA.- Argentina sat next to Mexico; Peru chatted with Chile; Uruguay, Brazil, and other Latin American countries completed a scene where accents shifted from one chair to another. So did the stories: hazardous materials, mining, parcel delivery, family businesses, communications, operations, and, of course, trucks.
There were women who had just met and were already exchanging contact information. Others discovered that, although thousands of miles separate their operations, the challenges are more similar than they imagined. There was laughter, reflection, and, above all, many stories to share.
This is how “Connection” was experienced , the first activity of the tenth edition of Queen On The Road , the annual Scania meeting that this 2026 celebrates 10 years of bringing together women linked to transport and logistics in Latin America .
T21 traveled with Scania Mexico to São Paulo to experience this edition from the inside, accompanied by representatives from ADO , Estafeta , and Autotransportes Pilot . The first night revealed that behind those 10 years lies something that is difficult to capture in a group photograph: women of different ages, countries, and backgrounds who found common ground in transportation .
One of them is Marianela . She is 31 years old , came from Jujuy, in northern Argentina, practically on the border with Bolivia, and when she starts talking about her work, it’s clear that transportation isn’t simply the industry she happens to be in. She’s passionate about it.
Its operation is linked to the movement of general and hazardous cargo , mainly for mining companies in the north, between Argentina and Chile.
“We’re in that field, which is a little complicated. They have more and more requirements, but we’re here to improve every day,” she said while the others listened to her story.
Marianela also represents a young generation growing up in an industry that for a long time had a predominantly male face. But a stroll through the tables that night was enough to discover that there wasn’t just one way to get to the transportation.
From Mexico, Fatima Verdugo, from Estafeta , spoke about courier and parcel services and an operation capable of moving stories that are much more everyday than one usually imagines when talking about logistics.
From Argentina also came the story of a woman who, 20 years ago, started out with her husband, then a truck driver, when they were able to buy their first truck. She was a teacher and educational psychologist; he ended up leading her into the world of transportation. Two decades later, that first truck is part of the story that has now brought her to Queen On The Road. And so, stories continued to emerge from other parts of the region .
Different ages. Different companies. Different goods. But as the talks progressed, borders also began to shrink in the face of the problems: lack of operators, greater regulatory demands, rising costs, and the ongoing challenge of keeping the units moving .
Contexts change from country to country, but many of the concerns ended up coinciding at the same table. Perhaps that’s why the conversation flowed so easily: although each woman arrived in São Paulo from a different reality, many perfectly understood the challenges faced by the woman sitting across from them .
But there came a point when talking about companies, operations, and trucks ceased to be the focus. One by one, the participants were called in to have their picture taken and tell their story in front of a camera. And something changed.
There were poses, laughter, nerves, and even crowns.
For a moment, the name Queen On The Road ceased to be just the title of a meeting: each woman had her own space to be heard, portrayed and recognized as a protagonist of an industry that also carries her history .
And perhaps that was part of the meaning of the night: to stop for a few hours the dynamics of a sector that always seems to run after the next delivery, the next trip or the next problem, to focus on the women who make that operation happen every day .
10 years of Queens
Behind this edition is a story that began a decade ago and that year after year has added new voices, experiences and generations of women related to transportation.
For Sandra Huerta, Chief Marketing Officer of Scania Peru , this event has a special significance. She has been able to support Queen On The Road since its first edition and now gets to experience its tenth anniversary.
“This is a very special edition for Queen. We are celebrating 10 years and I am proud to say that I have been able to participate since the first edition and now in this tenth anniversary with you,” he expressed.
And that’s also part of what makes these days in São Paulo so special: in the same edition, those who have watched Queen On The Road grow for a decade come together with those who are just beginning to discover it .
This is the case of Anna Carmo, Vice President of Strategy and Communications at Scania , who came from Sweden and shared that, although she had heard about the meeting for years, this is the first time she has experienced it as a participant.
Between those who were there from the first editions and those who are experiencing Queen On The Road for the first time today, there are 10 years of stories, encounters, and women who have made transportation part of their lives .
The agenda will continue
The next few days will take the meeting towards other conversations , including women in business and the future of business , the celebration of Queen On The Road’s first decade and a visit to Scania’s industrial operation.
Ten years is also a starting point. The next conversation will be about what’s next: how businesses are changing, what decisions their leaders will have to make, and what role these voices will play in the transformation of transportation.
Comment and follow us on LinkedIn: @Karina Quintero / @GrupoT21
