Why Did You Do It?

Do you ever see another woman driver going by and wonder why she chose to become a trucker? I do, especially if it is someone young. With their whole world ahead of them, why would a young woman become a trucker instead of going to college and getting a big salaried job in an office somewhere or getting married and having a family while she can?

I started driving over the road at a fairly young age; I was 29 when I started my common carrier otr career. For me it was a natural progression from my years on carnivals where I moved rides and equipment from spot to spot and by choice, I didn’t want to have kids. For me it was a simple choice, I could make more money driving truck than any other job I was qualified to do at the time. If the circumstances were the same, I would probably make the same choice.

Money is the most common reason for a woman to begin a trucking career. Due to the level playing field for women found in trucking and the equal pay for equal work concept found in the industry, many women choose trucking after their kids are grown or after a divorce. Also, after the kids are grown, women who are married to truckers, decide to get their cdl and drive team with their husbands making more money and being together.

There are few other jobs where a woman can make the good money to be found in trucking unless they have college degrees, and many older women do not.

Some older women do come from white collar positions into trucking though. One lady driver I know started at the bottom and worked her way up thru the corporate field to the executive level. One day, she decided that she had had enough and was done with skirts and suits and office politics. She put herself thru school and found a company to hire her. She is quite happy now living in jeans and shirts and proudly drives her truck safely and productively.

One woman worked it the other way. She started driving truck when she got out of the military and saved enough money to buy her own truck. Once she did that, she worked her schedule, took college courses and eventually left the driving part of the industry to become a safety director after working her way up the corporate ladder.

Many women enter trucking because a family member was a trucker. Some were encouraged to become truckers, but most fathers, even the trucker ones, often tell their daughters to stay at home. One such daughter waited until after her father passed away to go to school and start trucking. “My dad was old fashioned. He thought women belonged at home raising kids. After he died, my mother was the one who talked me into following my long time dream of driving a truck just like dad did. I wish he could see how well I am doing, perhaps he would have been proud of me,” she said.

Another woman watched her father go off in his truck for years. He worked both over the road and local coal hauling during that time, and the woman often thought of becoming a trucker, but had a child so didn’t act on her dream until he was grown up. She had been in nursing for years when she just decided that it was time for her to do something exciting. She contacted a local dump truck company owner she knew and asked if he would train her. After hesitating for a while, he agreed thinking that she would not be able to cut it; she is just 5 foot tall you see. She proved him wrong and took to dump truck driving like a duck to water and has been driving for three years. She does not ask for any extra help and does every aspect of her job receiving in return, the respect of her peers and her boss.

Some younger women are drawn to the excitement of the road; the possibility of adventure and being able to see parts of the country they might not ever get to see otherwise. The money is a part of it too with them being able to achieve financial success without the trouble and expense of going thru college. For some, it is a way to mark time until they find a good man to start a family with, for others it is a way to run away from home while making a living. A few face raising a child on their own and look to trucking to provide enough money to give the child a good home and education.

Why you become a trucker does not really matter, the reasons are many and varied. What does matter is that you are out there driving, doing what you enjoy doing, making a living to support yourself, and providing a valuable service to your fellow citizens.

Ya’ll be safe!

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