Hi~!

I have graduated from IITR Truck driving school in Oregon, ridden with someone for the last six months who owned his own truck and am going to be going out to work with Swift this month. I am not sure exactly when I will be going to orientation but I am hoping on the 11th. :clap:

What is it like for women out there. In the six months I have been out I have seen women on the road, some with partners (spouses) some on their own. Some fresh out of newly found adulthood and others that I was amazed when they told me they were in their 70's and still driving. But I have not been able to really talk with many as they seem to disappear at the end of the day at truck stops/rest areas and the what not.

I am very excited and somewhat apprehensive to this new line of work. Like how am I going to make it through training with someone telling me when I should pass, how fast to drive and when it is okay to breathe during my training. :zzz:

My boyfriend is also working for Swift and we haven't made up our mind if we are going to team up after my training or go solo and make our home time at the same time. He wants us to team up and I am thinking that it would be neat for us both to arrive in our own rigs on home time. Relive, rekindle, renew. I kinda am looking forward to the freedom of my own truck - be the captain of my own ship. And not so sure I can do all this on my own and missing him for the long weeks in-between.

Anywho's, there it is and there you have it...

I am new, going to work for the driver mill Swift but I am out there doing it!!! YAY~!

Welcome !! to the CAD site and to trucking. when your out with your trainer safety is the key, about the only time a good trainer will say something is when your going to do some thing wrong or not do some thing when you should. That being said you may find your trainer acting more like a team mate than a trainer, don't let that happen! You will not be getting the training/ experience you will need later and the trainer will be picking up xtra $$ for training you while your running as a team.
As far as the female drivers, they usually don't hang around the T/S you can guess why.

Thanks for the welcome repete~! Yeah, those truckstops can be ... interesting. I am not sure if I would learn more from a male trainer or a female trainer. And living with someone for 6 weeks that I don't know in a box seems challenging.

I am thinking about going into the business driving team with my husband. There are some advantages and disadvantages. Advantages, you can make a lot more money together then you can seperately, and safety (at least for me, I will feel a lot safer with my husband around then if I was alone). Disadvantages, being stuck together 24/7 in that tiny box, and trying to sleep while the other person is driving. Well for me, when I'm tired I can sleep anywhere so I don't think I would have any problems LOL but I might get a little stir crazy being stuck in the truck for 20 hours a day. But I won't know until I try. Anyway, that's my 2 cents, like I said we are just thinking about it, it's going to be our back-up plan if our dump truck doesn't do well.

trucking is a tought world for women.... mainly your fellow drivers will do one of two things : Hit on you and try to hook-up or they will give u crap cuz your a female. There are a few who will treat you with respect and as a fellow driver such as most of us on here. Just keep your head-up, do the best you can and if you ever have questions, always as someone for help.


Also, for your poll...... I vote BEER

Strawberryhubarbpie~

I have teamed with my boyfriend for the last 6 months. He did most of the driving and I did most of the sitting... After the first couple of times out when we came back on home time I spent the first two days trying to catch up on my sleep. It is difficult to sleep when the truck is moving. More so in some states as the roads are terrible. As to being in a tiny box, there was our cat Oscar, him and I in that that infor 14 hours a day and the only time alone was when a potty break came. We actually did pretty good together with only a few discussions. This last time out before I decided I wanted to go out on my own we were out for 8 weeks and it came to the point where I was getting tired of saying I told you so... He captin', me not and we had some breakdowns that could have been avoided if we would have just that extra $10.00 belt or box of fuses that I insisted on and he didn't want to buy.

The safety worries me... but I think I would like to try solo for a bit, in a way it will be practice if we increase our fleet size, if we ever get to that point.

Good luck with the dump trucking! A couple I know do that for a living and they are doing pretty good. He has his own dump truck and she dispatches.

Sounds like the woman's world in any profession Steel Horse Cowboy ~

I just knew I should have put beer in the choices... LOL

Not only is she a woman but also driving for Swift, I was at a truck stop in Oregon when a woman driving a swift flatbed pulled into the lot, two old timers began ripping into her right away, nasty stuff too, I got on the radio and told them to knock it off and told her she could park next to me if she wanted.
Some drivers can be real jerks, good luck with whatever you chose. :thumbsup:

Unfortunately, there are some real jerks in this business. Don't let it get to you. Just ignore them and do your best. There are also some really decent people around.

airplanegirl ....

"" I kinda am looking forward to the freedom of my own truck - be the captain of my own ship. And not so sure I can do all this on my own and missing him for the long weeks in-between""

I completely agree with you .... Being the captin of your own ship !! ... I think every female would benifit from driving solo for a while and get some miles under you ... From your post it sounds like you have a level head on your shoulders when it comes to looking ahead to the problems that 'could' go wrong while on the road .... and the items you could already have in your side box to possibly fix the problem until you can get to the next Shop to do more maintance ... sure there's the moments you will wish your boyfriend could be there ... but that's what the cell phone is for ... buy yourself a good Bluetooth ear piece, and who knows .... the two of you possibly will cross paths out there on the hwy .... since you'll both be working for the same company. This I've seen happen more than once ! ... I've driven solo and team ... if there's any questions you'd like to ask, please feel free to send me a message and I'll get right back to you. ................. Think about 1 thing, because I have also seen this to be an issue - - - boyfriend is not only concerned about Your safety on the hwy .... but he's concerned on Your Independence without him. You'll not need him as much if you get TO good on the road by yourself - at least that could be a thought in his head ? ... as well as the boyfriend think you might find another guy on the road .... That Won't happen as long as You stay Professional ... first and foremost this is a Job ... a hard job, but a good job. .... Where else can a Woman work starting out at the same pay as a guy ? .... Stay safe, keep looking ahead and when walking through a T/S ... never carry a purse (big) and know at all times if there is someone walking toward you or behind you. You can secure the doors on your tractor while sleeping that will keep anyone from opening them ... there are many things you can do to keep safe. You haven't asked that question yet so I won't go there, but again ... if you want another female to talk to give me a holler .... I started on the road in the early 90's when there weren't as many Ladies driving ... the world has changed alot since then.
Stay safe ... Ride high in the seat and keep your eyes on the road ... Good Luck ...