Life as a female truck driver

The reason why I got into truck driving was for the freedom of driving and making easy money. I been a truck driver for about three years. When I started, I through it was the coolest thing ever. Learning how to shift a 10 speed, backing, and cruising down the highway peeping the scene. I liked being able to not have a boss breathing down my neck watching my every move. I would pick up loads all across the country while site seeing listening to music.

What I didn’t like over time was the way I was being treated. With truck driving, you are supposedly the captain of your ship. That means, if you are not comfortable truck driving (like in bad weather) the dispatcher is not supposed to force you to drive. However, my dispatcher would continue to taunt me into drive saying, “I just checked the forecast and it’s not so bad” or “I got another driver doing it in your area so just try your best”. I understand that the load has to get there, but there are a lot of drivers that end up in ditches because they risked it either by persuasion or pride.

I also left truck driving because I was away from family for WAAAY to long. I would miss birthdays, holidays, and special occasions just because I am stuck over the road delivering products. I realize that the important things were slipping by, and life is too short to be stuck in a truck all my life without spending it with family. Although, my family enjoyed me sending them money, I knew they much rather me be with them in the physical form to make memories.
Another reason why I left truck driving is because it was tiresome. Truckers are allowed to work 70 hours in a week and I felt like the companies I worked for took advantage of the situation. Even when I should be sleep for 8 or 10 hours for the day, I am getting phone calls from the dispatcher and knocks on my door from another driver saying, “to switch out the load” or having to wake back up because I have to go get my Bill of Lading because they are done unloading the truck. I did not get enough sleep over the road and when I did take my vacation to go home, I would sleep most of the days after months of exhausting and intense driving. *** If I had to change a law, it would be to give a 34 hour reset every week, and not wait for hours to pick up at midnight.***
Being a female truck driver was sometimes scary, like parking at truck stops when I didn’t own a gun and taking or making the last parking spot to rest for the night and walking in the truck stop to take my shower can be intimidating at night and a bit scary. I felt like guys were looking at me like a piece of meat or a Lot Lizard, when I am making honest money just like every other trucker on the road. Also, I hated when I go to a shipper to unload and other truckers question me, they would talk to me like it is my first time driving a truck. When in my mind I am saying, “I know how to let down a landing gear, or I know how to do my post trips, and I know how to back so I don’t need you spotting me unless I ask for your help, and I know how to hook and unhook my truck”. Basically they are underestimating my ability like I am stupid or something.

Now, that I have changed my career I am less grumpy, happier, I feel like I am living again, and my major is in the Computer Science field which I love. Will I go back to truck driving? Well, I will never say never although I don’t plan on it. So for that, I will continue to make sure my CDL’s are up to date just in case. Life as a female trucker can be hard.
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