How ZanDraya became the first Deaf Amazonian with a Commercial Driver’s License
ZanDraya Pollock never expected to be the first at anything. She didn’t think she would break barriers. But she had a vision of what she wanted to do.
As a transportation associate at SLC2 in West Jordan, Utah, ZanDraya is living her childhood dream of working as a truck driver. In May, she earned her Commercial Driver’s License (CDL)—a requirement to drive a 53-foot tractor and trailer—and became the first Deaf associate at Amazon to do so.
But ZanDraya’s journey toward a CDL wasn’t simple.
“I feel like a lot of people don’t trust deaf people; that we can handle things, that we can do things at work, but we can,” ZanDraya said. “I can drive a truck, I can get a CDL license, I can do anything.”
In order for ZanDraya to get her CDL, she had to get an exemption from the federal government by demonstrating her sensory inputs were equal to that of a hearing person. Amazon supported ZanDraya every step of the way through providing access resources like interpreters and closed captioning on videos.
When her exemption was approved, ZanDraya had the opportunity to take the CDL permit test, but did not pass the first time due to a communication error. “I studied a lot. I practiced a lot. So that moment was one of the hardest and most frustrating things of my life,” she said. However, with her goal-oriented determination, she did not give up.
ZanDraya went through a practice CDL permit test with an Amazon interpreter who interpreted the entire test for her. The next day, ZanDraya took the test again and passed it. “That was one of the biggest moments of my life,” she said.
“It’s a big deal, not only for her to break the barrier down, but for other deaf TAs,” said Tracy Ballou, transportation area manager at SLC2. “She’s blazing a trail for Amazon to where now she’s offering hope to others who are deaf.”
ZanDraya is proud of the support she’s gotten from the company. “I am grateful for the leadership and the support that I have. And for them to be a part of me accomplishing my dream of having a CDL, it’s been so amazing.”