Women in Trucking

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Women Truck DriversLet me start off this article by stating that I am a huge advocate for women in trucking. Honestly, I am an advocate for women or men working in any field of employment they desire. However,  the truth of the matter is that some of these jobs are better suited for men or women specifically. Trucking is not one of them. I see more women in trucking all the time driving up and down America’s interstates today and it seems that the amount of women in trucking is increasing year by year. I have no stats to back this up except for my own observations but I have personally trained a few brand new women truck drivers. And where some failed due to their lack of commitment. Which I had more men give up than women. A few of them turned out to be awesome truck drivers. I have no problem training women in trucking and I would encourage more to try it. They need to understand though that it is and has always been a male dominated industry. And I am not going to apologize for all of the insensitive, foul-mouthed male truck drivers out there. Frankly because that would take more than a lifetime to apologize that much. What I will say is that women in trucking need to make sure they enter into the trucking industry with realistic expectations.

Realistic Expectations for Women in Trucking

Like I mentioned above, truck driving is a male dominated industry. This will put male humanoids on the defensive from day one of you entering the truck driving profession. Don’t let this hold you back. You will get “looks” and possible some other insensitive crap thrown your way. I’m sorry for this, but this is part of the caveman intellect. And some of these male truck drivers have been on the road and alone for way too long. You will need to be constantly concerned with your personal safety. This isn’t women in trucking specific. I am constantly concerned with my personal safety. But, the nice thing about being the size of an NFL linebacker has its privileges. In my opinion personal safety is a huge matter for any woman. And with women in trucking it shouldn’t be any different.

Safety Precautions for Women in Trucking

These are some of the ideas I’ve heard from some of my women friends in trucking. The first one that comes to mind is using a ratchet strap on the doors when you are in the sleeper for your 10 hours. The idea is to get a longer ratchet strap and loop it through each door handle. Then connect them together and crank down till it’s tight. This provides tension from the inside on the doors. And by locking the doors and the ratchet strap it would seem to me like you are in Fort Knox. I don’t think that this is something you absolutely need to do every night. But, it would be good in concerning areas. Don’t walk in between trailers and always walk in well lit areas. Now, I know you can’t always walk in well lit areas. But you can try to park closer at truck stops and etc. And if you are out in the open there is a chance that more people would see something happen. And my guess is that if something went down there is enough good truck drivers out there that would help you in that situation. Also, carrying mace would be a good idea as well.

Women in Trucking the future

I foresee a great increase in women in trucking for the foreseeable future. There is no reason why they shouldn’t join the trucking industry. The jobs in the trucking industry will be in demand for a long time to come and at the rate divorces occur and more women choosing to go unmarried. This should increase the amount of women in trucking exponentially. I am happy to see more women in trucking in the future. This is because trucking can be a good way to support yourself or your family and really make a difference in your life. As well as a fun and rewarding career.

Let us know what you think about our article about women in trucking by commenting below or engaging in our forums. Thanks for reading and be safe out there!