Women driving alone

[ladykatrina]

I like your posts sizzle, and you make a lot of good points and seem to have 'been there and done that' I found myself nodding at the 'nester' comment though as this definetly is me, I love being home and with my family...how many days are you out before you get to go home? .I hear that you have to be driving for years to get those trucking jobs where you are home every night and that most of the serious drivers scoff at those jobs anyway...I keep vaccilating about doing this as a career...what do you think? :?

[Sizzle]

Hello Lady Katrina:

Sorry it took me so long to respond to you. I left on July 29th and just returned today, August 24th. I don't have a laptop on my truck and can't get these messsages via e-mail off my cell phone. So today was the first day that I knew that you sent that message.

First of all, thank you for the compliment. I am not a good one to ask about being out because I stay out for an extraordinary amount of time. As witnessed above--I think it was 27 days today! Not many people stay out that long. I was supposed to be home on Tuesday August 22nd on the 24th day but it didn't work out that way. We can take off one day for every six days out. I choose not to come home more often because I just about recover from being totally stressed out on day 4 when it's time to get back on the road. So there's no way I'd come back more often.

I had early retirement when I lived in Misery [oops did I say that outloud? Missouri] with my ex. There were no jobs where I lived and I got sick of commuting to St. Louis 200 miles per day and supervising bitchy women. So I've done the stay at home thing and it didn't work well with me. Not much on housework, yardwork or wanting to help a man out anymore. I have no one to force me back. I love to drive so being out isn't an issue for me. Obviously, don't have much of a life! Oh well, for right now after taking care of my ex for 1/2 a life time I say it's my turn to do what I want for me.

The b.s. my company is putting everyone through right now has totally stressed me out. They've realized that when people idle alot it's burning up their profits. Hence, they've enacted an anti-idle policy. You can only idle 28% of the time. Hence, if you drive 10 hours you can only idle 2.8 hours. Now tell me please how anyone is going to survive the heat and humidity of Georgia. I thought I was going to die while I was down there. It was 104 degrees with 90-100 percent humidity. Apparently, my company doesn't care if drivers faint, have heart attacks and I imagine someone is going to die. That isn't reasonable to expect people to endure those temperatures. I'm ashamed for my company. They could put APUs in the trucks like Wal-Mart has.

However, my company doesn't care about their drivers. APU's are Auxillary Power Units [generators] that enable drivers to have heat/air without idling. I was hoping that the other companies would follow suit. However, they are too damn cheap. It's a huge capital expenditure. It cost $2,500-$10,000 per truck. Well the truck won't idle at 1 gallon an hour while someone is sitting. It allegedly uses 1 1/2 gallons per 10 hour period. Hence, the company would make what they spent on APUs back before a year goes by by not having to pay for fuel while people are idling. For each year after that they save millions of dollars. Go figure-their Accountants must be out to lunch.

As far as your question goes about staying locally... It's my understanding that you have to go Over The Road for the first year to "pay your dues". Apparently, liability insurance is astronomical for new drivers. Consequently, local companies can't afford it. Therefore, it is usually necessary for people to go over the road the first year and try to stay local after that period. The big companies train and apparently can afford the insurance. You can also do regional jobs where you're home a couple nights a week. Don't know what region you live in.

However, I'd love to stay west. I can't because our company doesn't have enough freight out here. I find myself doing the mid west and east to get miles. I love the mountains and perfer being a dragonfly up and down the rockies as opposed to the four wheeler traffic east. SIGH!!!
Hopefully, soon I'll get that chance again.

Personally, if you love to travel and are good with maps, don't like direct supervision and are capable of planning your trips so you arrive on time--I would deifnitely recommend this job. You definitely need a cell phone and c.b. at a minimum. I will put a laptop on my truck soon. I don't have a t.v. or d.v.d. player. I do have a c.d. player though and enjoy that and my c.b. A c.b. is a must. You never know when you'll need to know about an accident up around a curve. Need help for a breakdown etc... I have a c.b. because I'm very extroverted and can't stand being by myself all day long. I realize it's my main form of entertainment. However, the guys can and will be raunchy from time to time. I have some favorite expressions that seem to keep most, not all of them, in check.

These are my all time favorites:
1) When they are talking dirty I say: Driver use some class, oh that's right, you don't know how to spell class. How could I possibly expect you to use any.

2) When they're bickering on the radio. I say, "hey boys get the testosterone level down it's a nice day enjoy the sun.

3) Theres's a lot of racist and sexist drivers. I find most men over age 50 think that women should be bare foot and pregnant at home.
My response is: I don't have any rug rats nor do I intend to have any. You're copping that attitude with the wrong woman.

4) I heard another driver say one night in the truck stop. Driver get your head out of the gutter so something else can float by. Now that's a great saying for the RAUNCY MEN.

I'm sending you a P.M. with my e-mail login. I'm leaving again on Wens. August 29th so I won't be on the forum again for a while. However, I can get messages via my cell phone on my hotmail login.

[ladykatrina]

hey sizzle..just found this tonight..good advice...did you ever drive to northwest connecticut? I will e-mail you where I live...I won't put that on the board here ...for obvious reasons.. 8)

[Radaremtjcw]

I will be attending Schneider for training and I have been reading up on driving alone. My brother drives for United and went on the road with him for about 2 weeks and LOVED it!! My only concern was going alone, but from what u ladies are saying, you've had no problems. I have a question that may or may not offend some of u tho., please take no offense. I am 32 , 5ft4 and about 140 pounds, (size 10). I install satellites right now, and get lots of attention, especially from the Mexicans (why, I don't know)No doubt I expect whistles and such, but as long as the guys don't touch, I'm good. R some of u ladies close in size to me, and still feel safe?? Don't get me wrong, I ain't scared of a little flirting from guys, sometimes it's flattering, but as long as they keep the distance, It's fine.

I am a guy so sorry for posting here, but i team with my wife and we had only 2 serious experiences on the road in the past 2 years.

the most serious was when in Murfreesboro,TN and my wife was sitting in the truck while i went to sign the bills, he was weird and wanted my wife to flash him, he wanted to do so in return, he was getting out of the truck as i walked back but i did not know what was going on she wouldn't tell me at first because she was afraid of what i would do to him, but it gave me a few minutes to cool down so i wouldn't go to prison for cracking his skull, we reported him instead and he was never allowed to pull a trailer for that company again (Prime).

but 89% of the guys out here i think respect women drivers, I have a deep respect for women drivers who drive alone because it is a tough job sometimes

If you want to drive alone, do it!, just remember to be safe and not put yourself in a position to be unsafe.

some things my wife and i put into play

#1. If you got to go to the bathroom at night pull into the fuel island at a truck stop, or get a portable toilet, the truck stop is well lit and it is a safer walk as opposed to walking between trucks in a dark parking lot (people do hide under trailers,, i have seen lot lizards inside the Atlanta Petro do it to hide from security) be safe, if a woman is going to the bathroom ifo me and is at the fuel island i do not mind.

#2. keep some sort of non lethal and legal defensive measure on your person, walk with a key between your fingers, or something else

#4. Know Your Surroundings


and we will be back teaming at the end of the month and hope to see you out there.

[Piece Of Work]

Hey Rawhide, you are far too pretty to ever be a lot lizard.

[ThinkingAboutTrucking]

I don't particularly consider myself attractive, but while waiting for a trainer (long story, look for the post titled Passed my test (finally) looking for a trainer) men at the hotel I was staying at were courteous to me, for the most part. Some men will flirt at anything female, so if you are reasonably attractive, or just look feminine, expect some attention. there was a woman at the hotel who was extremely unattractive. I don't know what sort of attention she got, but if you put us both side by side, I'm sure if you polled the men, they would vote me as the more attractive, even though I could lose a few pounds.

And I don't perceive things the way other people do. I was wearing shorts the other day, and my former trainer claimed I was "mooning" everybody. I have shorts that are REALLY short, and I thought these were modest. Bottom line (no pun intended) my butt cheeks were covered and no undies were showing, yet my former female trainer suggested I start wearing baggy clothes. I refuse to dress like a man!

[4roses]

ThinkingAboutTrucking .... You don't have to dress like a man, but you have to consider the profession you have entered into is mostly a man's world .... shorts about the knee would be ok, but lets face it - - when a person bends over - more of our butt cheek shows that we realize alot of the time ... and your ex trainer was only trying to save you a hard time later on down the road .... a woman can wear jears and t-shirt and look sexy too .... the shorts could also prove to be very unsafe in certain parts of the TS and pickle parks .... Why would anyone want to wear anything that would open the door for smart remarks, or uninvited touching ?? ... So don't be so hard on the female that tried to enlighten you on the proper way to dress. ... This is a job ... not a weekend at the park. Don't mean to sound hard ,,,, but this world we live in isn't the safe place it once was .

[LadyNorthStar]

Gotta agree with my good friend Rose here on this one. You will bring on the attention you get. Make sure its respect. Be professional. As she said you can still look sexy in jeans and a t shirt.

[Shawnee]

Since I was a teenager, I have always worked in jobs that had mostly male employees. The best advice I got was from a woman who I worked for when I was very young, she told me if I wanted to succeed in the working world, I had to learn to think like a man.

That meant, don't talk too much while you are supposed to be working, don't gossip, conduct yourself in a professional manner, dress appropriatly for the job, have respect for other people etc. I learned a lot from this woman, and I also learned a lot by observing how the men worked

Is that fact that you were more attractive than the other women really relevant, does the fact that you are more attractive help you do your job better. The men don't care about these things, men don't worry if they are as attractive as another guy. The men probably weren't even thinking about who was more attractive.

There is a time to be "sexy" and a time to be professional. Maybe that woman didn't want to see you embarass yourself, You say you were wearing shorts that were really short, maybe you should think to yourself, "Are these shorts really apropriate to wear for what I am doing?"

[4roses]

Shawnee :

Since I was a teenager, I have always worked in jobs that had mostly male employees. The best advice I got was from a woman who I worked for when I was very young, she told me if I wanted to succeed in the working world, I had to learn to think like a man.

That meant, don't talk too much while you are supposed to be working, don't gossip, conduct yourself in a professional manner, dress appropriatly for the job, have respect for other people etc. I learned a lot from this woman, and I also learned a lot by observing how the men worked

Is that fact that you were more attractive than the other women really relevant, does the fact that you are more attractive help you do your job better. The men don't care about these things, men don't worry if they are as attractive as another guy. The men probably weren't even thinking about who was more attractive.

There is a time to be "sexy" and a time to be professional. Maybe that woman didn't want to see you embarass yourself, You say you were wearing shorts that were really short, maybe you should think to yourself, "Are these shorts really apropriate to wear for what I am doing?"

Ladie Trucker ~ that was very well put. :!: Now if the new female drivers would just take 'note' of what you've said and apply it to their daily work ... Ladie drivers would be respected even more ... for the life of me I don't understand why the new drivers coming on board can't see this. If they want to continue dressing like they do on the weekend ... their going to have alot of disappointing day's out there and wonder why their not respected for the hard work they do

[wildkat]

Very well put, both Shawnee & Roses...

Always above all be PROESSIONAL, never forget the IS a double standard out there. If you expect to be treated like a lady..ACT like one & DRESS like one.

Remember there is much more to trucking that just sittin' behind the wheel. You are going to get DIRTY. Shorts IMHO are not prefessional & you may find yourself asking for trouble. Something my mother taught me a long time ago... If in doubt... DON'T!!

[SouthBound93]

Girl, I have been out here a long time and have had my fair share of crap from men! Here's the thing; don't ever put yourself in position to be hurt. Don't walk around truckstop parking lots at night. Don't announce over the radio that you are alone! Don't be a tease. Park where it is lit up and people are moving around. For the most part a lot of the men will come to your defense. Just don't ever CUSS on the radio or act like a ***** or they will throw you under the bus and you will have to fend for yourself. It's a lot harder for a woman out here no matter what you have been told. Act accordingly and you will be treated as such for the most part. If you run into a (bleep bleep) get away from him as quickly as possible! That's why I run a triple digit truck! Good luck kiddo!

[steelhauler2007]

I am a male driver.My belief is treat people the way I want to be treated.This has worked for many years.Been happily married for22 years.Gone during the week and home weekends.I drive a flatbed so I don't see alot of women in flat. Whatever a woman wants to do I say go for it.Just watch the area you are in.

[kahlana]

In addition to keeping myself out of bad situations as much as humanly possible... im getting a Rottweiler :shock: Sorry but at 5'4" and a size 12 I just dont think I could take on a guy 6 foot or better and outweighing me by a good 100 or so pounds, but when Choctaw stands up, shows his teeth and drools just a tad... well... I'm certainly feelin a heck of a lot safer already :wink:

[Bandit102]

Ok, I'm a male driver, so don't stone me yet.

I do flirt with nearly all the females out here. I live for the chase. But I do so as though my Grandmother were in the seat next to me. Very politely and I am never ever vulgar or disrespectful. It means nothing usually, I just love to flirt.

I have dated some female drivers and some of what I've heard on the radio when in the same truck stop with them makes my blood boil. I want to get out and smash someone's head when I hear some of the things I hear.

Just be very careful of your surroundings and carry yourself in a professional and proud manner. Avoid dark corners of parking lots and avoid encounters where there are few people around. There truely are some very sick male drivers out here. All in all, though, I would say that 90% of us are ok, even being the male dogs we are.

Best of luck to you and if you see me in my green Freightliner Classic, Goodyear Trucking out of Deming, NM, I'll buy you dinner and my puppy and I will keep all the creeps away!!!