Big rigs:
Not just for boys anymore

by Michele Regenold

“I’ve been fascinated with these trucks ever since I was 18 years old,” says Eva Toney, an over-the-road driver since 1982. “If you can drive a five-speed and back a trailer, you can drive a big rig.”

Over the road or OTR is the term for drivers who drive long distances, usually from one state to another, and spend one or more nights on the road.

If you don’t know how to do either, you can learn. Many newer trucks have automatic transmission, so shifting isn’t as big a deal.

Driving a truck is “a challenge,” says Toney, who drives for Gary Sears and Son in Lineville, Iowa, to California, Arizona, and Nogales, Mexico. It’s never the same day to day. “You drive on snow and ice. It’s a big challenge around four-wheelers. They’ve got no respect for a big rig.” ‘Four-wheelers’ is what truckers call any vehicle with fewer than 18 wheels.

“It’s like a vacation too,” Toney adds, “because I get to see beautiful country.” She especially likes cruising along Interstate 90 in Montana where she can spot the heads of baby bald eagles sticking up from nests built on poles along the highway.

As truck drivers, women and men do the same job for the same pay, says Marge Bailey, owner of several online trucking job referral services and host of a satellite radio program about trucking called “Marge at Large.” But women have to demand the same treatment as men, she says.

Women truck drivers are still kind of rare but they’re becoming more common. As of 2004, the U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics reports that women make up 12.4% of all workers in truck transportation.

The long and short of driving truck

Driving a truck over the road suits people who like their independence, who want to get out and see the country, and who don’t need to be told what to do all the time, says Carla Condon, an OTR driver since 1989.

Condon enjoys driving a truck. “It’s easier than being on your feet all day as a waitress or on a line in a factory,” she says. Plus she gets to take her dog Cecil to work with her.

Condon, who works for KTJC Express in Dysart, Iowa, hauls meat, cheese, pizza products, and just about any food product you make in the Midwest and take to other parts of the country.

Her schedule depends on the time of year, but she usually gets home three or four times a month, sometimes for just a day or two, sometimes for three or four days. She typically loads up on a Friday and leaves for California that night. She arrives in California early the following Monday, reloads that afternoon, and heads back to Iowa, arriving Thursday or Friday.

Driving a truck is not an 8 to 5 job. Drivers are on duty for up to 14 hours, and they can drive 11 hours at most, after taking 10 hours off. This is dictated by federal regulations. The three extra duty hours include loading and unloading and meals.

Cecil, a toy fox terrier, likes to stop every three or four hours. This works well for Condon, who doesn’t like to drive 11 hours straight anyway.

Condon always sleeps in her truck unless she lays over for more than a day. Her twin-size bed fits behind the driver and passenger seats and stretches the width of the cab, a little more than six feet. Cecil makes good use of the bunk while Condon’s driving.

To stay warm or cool in her truck, she lets the engine idle to run the heat or air conditioning. Some drivers make their trucks their home and have their own mini fridges, televisions, and computers. Some trucks even have a shower, though Condon’s doesn’t. She showers at truck stops.

Not all truck drivers are gone for days at a time. Some do shorter, home-in-one-day runs.

After several years driving over the road with her husband, Barbara Caldwell became a solo driver on shorter, regional runs. “I enjoy being home in my bed every night,” she says.

She also enjoys seeing the same customers on her three to four drops per day. During the three years she’s been delivering produce to grocery warehouses and food distributors for Capital City Fruit, she’s built relationships with her customers. She gets to socialize a bit when she makes deliveries.

Gina McClelland also drives solo on short runs for Capital City Fruit. Her hours vary. One day recently she was preparing to deliver two loads to a grocery store about 60 miles away.

About 5 p.m., after the produce shipment was loaded on to her truck, McClelland visited with her dispatcher and got her paperwork. Then she started her truck and did a pre-trip inspection. She checked the tire pressure, lights, trailer’s refrigeration, air lines, and brake lines. She made sure nothing was obstructing the tires. She opened the back of her trailer and checked the load, making sure it was secured so it wouldn’t slide around.

After locking the trailer, McClelland climbed in her truck, filled out her log book, and hit the road. Once she arrived at her delivery site in Chariton, Iowa, she checked in at the guard gate. Then she backed in to the loading dock. She went onto the dock and got her paperwork signed. She made sure everything was accepted (sometimes damaged stuff is rejected), called her dispatcher, and returned to her home base for her second run. She finished work about 1 a.m.

Local/regional drivers usually make more stops than OTR drivers, but the basic processes for any stop are similar. The issue of whether drivers should also be responsible for loading and unloading their trucks can be controversial. Some companies don’t want their drivers to touch the freight.

Staying safe on the road

Condon has driven solo most of her career and never used to worry about her personal safety. But she’s become more cautious with age, she says. She checks under and around her truck before she gets in it. She rarely uses the CB. That just draws unwanted attention from men.

Marge Bailey (“Marge at Large”) frequently talks to women about getting into trucking. She advises them to carry a cell phone and always lock their truck. She also says, “Don’t dress alluringly or to attract males. Don’t walk with the attitude that you want to flirt. Be careful how you conduct yourself.” Trucking is a serious job, not a dating service.

Joy of the job

Driving a big rig for a living “is very empowering,” says McClelland, who started driving when she was 25. “You get to drive around in the biggest truck on the road.”

For independent women who like challenging work, driving a truck is an “excellent way to make a living, a respectable way to make a living,” McClelland says.

OTR driver Eva Toney loves driving. She says, “Once it gets into your blood, it’s in it.”

Marge Bailey agrees. “It’s a lifestyle not just a career,” she says, “especially over the road.”

About the job

The trucking industry needs good, qualified drivers, Bailey says. She encourages women to look for companies that are pro-women and offer women trainers. She recommends Schneider National and Cardinal Logistics as pro-women. She says Heartland Express, Creed, Hunt, and Schaeffer offer women trainers.

Bailey suggests finding a company that will pay to train you (though 90% of companies deduct the cost of training from your paycheck). That way you have a guaranteed job and you get to know the company. After one year of experience, an OTR driver will get great benefits, she says, and bring home $700–$1,000 a week.

Basic requirements/qualifications

• You have to be at least 18 years old to get a class A commercial driver’s license (CDL).
• You have to be at least 21 years old to drive most commercial vehicles for hire outside the state where your CDL was issued.

There are many truck driving schools around the country. See this issue’s “School spotlight” for info on a program in Iowa. A good training program will give you at least 180 hours of practice and instruction, usually lasting about six weeks.