[Sizzle]

Tbird and the other Gals with the Recipe Card suggestion-great idea. I don't have the patience or inclination to yank cards out of a recipe box. Hence, that's why I use a spiral notebook. Although, if I get organized enough someday I may try that suggestion. Also, liked the fifth wheel pull idea it's a great suggestion. I get filthy while hooking up the trailer. I've had more marks across my chest I always look like a female [wear tank tops and a long skirt] before I hook up and a dirty ol truck driver after hookup. I should keep a t-shirt just for hooking up to my trailer Obviously, my pigtails are usually dirty-even after having the truck washed. Somehow they never seem to get clean!!!

I must say I've used scrunchies [large elastic bands] on many occasions even to "harness down" the landing gear handle. I'm sure the next driver probably laughed their butt off. However, it certainly came in handy. I have them on the ring that I bought them on which is on one of my nets to my cabinets above my head. I too have long hair and use those often. I don't know what I'd do without them. They are essential just like my duct tape. I have used two duct tapes in the past three weeks taping the inside of trailers where holes have been knocked into the wooden sides of the trailers. Always afraid a customer will turn me away with huge holes in the walls. Don't care to search for hours for another empty.

I have had to repair at least 6 trailers since December. Those are only the ones that I remember. Hence, it is essential to bring lights with you and duct tape. I don't know how I'd survive out here without duct tape. Another great idea Thanks TBird is the coveralls. I haven't bought them yet trying to avoid it. However, I'm sure I'll have to break down and get them. Since I live in Denver and go west often I'm sure I'm going to need them....

Hauled trucks much longer than freight and haven't needed them except once on top of Donner. Even then I didn't want to chain. UGH!!! We were forbidden from chaining the new trucks because they were going to dealerships being sold as new and they didn't want any damage from the chains. My first month on freight after hauling trucks for 19 months and I had to chain on Donner. Not a lucky gal for sure!?! How funny there was a guy in front of me with 27 years experience who had never chained.

Gals anything we use out here can be written off as a business expense including your cell phone. No woman should be out here without a cell phone. If you can't afford a contract get a prepaid cell phone that way you can pay as you go. It is imperative that we all have one. You never know when you may absolutely need one: breakdown, accident, blowouts etc... It's supposed to be a certain percentage of your cell phone the part you use for work that can be written off. However, in my case most of my cell phone is used for work. My bills are very high. That's a great write off for your taxes. I am an Accountant and have found more and more that can be written off the longer I stay a driver. We are able to write off I think it is $53 a day for food without receipts. That's a huge write off [days out on road x $53]. After that calculation I think we can take 70% of that as our total to write off. Hey gals, that's an enormous amount. People think that if they don't have mortgages to write off that they can't do Schedule A. B.S. look at the write off above that gives you more than the standard deduction and that's before the other write offs: cell phone, clothing, equipment, tools etc...

If you don't have an Accountant to do your taxes get Turbo Tax. I'm sure I've done better with that than I would by sitting and doing the taxes on my own. I never did Trucker Taxes until I went trucking. It was a piece of cake using Turbo Tax. I realize with my background it's easier for me than others to do taxes. However, trucker taxes were much different than what I was used to doing. I was a Cost Accountant and Financial Accountant which has NOTHING to do with taxes. I loathe tax accounting.

Good luck to all the newbies and remember we are always here to help each other on this forum. I haven't had much luck with females on the road. I don't know if it's a competition thing or what but males have been much more helpful to me on the road. I think it may be because I wear skirts and they assume I'm looking for a husband or boyfriend. I'm not, I hauled trucks and put trucks on the ground and axles in the back drives. I'm not a girlie girl. May look like one but can assure anyone that I have the tools and know what to use them for. I was married for 1/2 a lifetime prior to my divorce. I say, "I've been there, done that, didn't work and don't want to go back. We should never make assumptions about another person due to the way they dress or look. People are wrong about me most of the time. They assume I'm a wife or girlfriend simply because I wear skirts. No, I don't wear skirts for attention. I'm used to wearing skirts and not pants. Therefore, I'm much more comfortable in skirts. They aren't short and wouldn't show my chubby legs anyway even if I wanted to wear shorter skirts. So I always look like I stepped out of an office unless I just hooked to a trailer than I look like a "dirty ol truck driver".

So if you face nastiness from other females just blow it off and ask a male for help. I was told by a U.S. Express Driver one night that when she started 35 years ago there were only 3 females on the west coast and they all knew each other and helped each other. I told her about my experiences and she told me the next time another gal was rude to me to just say, "find a puddle of water and show me how you can walk across it." I've never forgotten that advice. Don't let nasty females intimidate you. I cried at a shipper one day when a nasty driver from my company-no less put me down in front of three other drivers. I was told later that no one liked her-she thought she knew it all.

[ladykatrina]

it amazes me sometimes how we women are so damned nasty to each other most of the time, you'd think we would stick together but we don't, I just don't understand it. my last job, I had more trouble with other women than any of the guys, sexual harrasement is easy stuff next to some of the underhanded BS I had to deal with from other gals. :cry: I cried at work more times than I can count from all the crap that went on there...thats why I am looking at driving a truck! :P

[bluegrassdeb]

I know it is a little easier getting help from the guys, especially since there are more of them around naturally. I have however met several really nice lady truckers out there. I think alot of times the women who have had indiference showed to them from other ladies don't bother to remember to be a little friendlier so the other lady knows right off that your open to helping or whatever. I know women do tend to be more territoral or whatever but like I said I met some really nice ladies on the road that lent me a hand if I needed. One woman out West told me about getting her throat cut by someone she never saw come up behind her as she was getting into her truck some 15 or 20 yrs ago. She had a scar on her neck. I guess they just wanted her purse. I guess that is another reason to not carry one. I know that was unusal but I learned to carry pepper spray on my key chain and watch all around me when I'm anywhere. Most of the guys are great but there are a few that make you wonder. I've had them follow me to my truck as I am walking and I just feel safer knowing if anyone ever tryed getting fresh I could get rid of them pretty easy. I normally try and not start up and conversations as I'm walking. When I first started driving I was a little nieve about this. Just something I do to feel a little better when alone. ONe more thing about the shower shoes. I like the rubber ones you get at the drug store cheap. I never go into a shower without them. Great advice girls on this subject. I've picked up a few new idea's from reading this. I know I've mispelled some stuff on this post but I can't find the spellcheck. I thought one was on here?

[ladykatrina]

deb, you spelled most of your post just fine but naive is spelt thusly...I am curious about protection while on the road, I have a .45 automatic...I wonder what the laws are regarding my carrying that through multiple states? I am pretty good with it and I have saved my fanny a few times just displaying it to would be attackers...how bout it guys, whats the best weapon for on the road defense? besides common sense and intuition? 8)

[4roses]

ladykatrina ....

besides common sense and intuition?

may I strongly sugget ... leave your gun at home. I own a 357 magum .. and very good at handling it, but after being on the road I've found that a gun will get you killed. ... as well as you could lose your license when it's found in your truck by DOT ... if you go into Canada .. you won't be coming home, you'll go straight to jail and serve a very long time there .... and pay a big fee. ... as you stated ... common sense and intuition is your best defense. A good tire thumper can do wonders, mine has a strap on it so if I wanted to ... I could slide my hand through the handle and carry it as I walk up to the restrooms in the pickle parks and other shady places you'll go. .... carry your keys cupped in your hand as your walking from your truck to anywhere. This is something we should do even around home walking into and out of wallyworld .... there's so many things a person can do - lady or man .... was your walking back to your truck look under the trailer and under the cat walk behind the sleeper ... these are things you'll learn in school also. ....

we also have several other threads here that people have given good ideas of things to consider to use for safety if you'll go back and look. :wink:

[ladykatrina]

thanks roses, I am not too surprised at your answer but in some ways it is dissapointing as well, I have gotten myself out of nasy situations with my handgun...but I have a concealed carry permit good only in my own state...I will look for those threads you mention, and thanks for replying.

stay safe,
kate

[bluegrassdeb]

I say when it comes to protecting yourself out there no one else is going to do it for you. Especially if your driving alone. If a company puts you in a situation where you do not feel safe its your right as a human being to protect yourself. I'm not talking about taking a gun up into Canada or into areas where your not sure if you will searched etc. Also it is not something that you should let be known to other drivers. You have to be smart about it. Again I only carry in areas where I know I could be in danger. I personally know of plenty of times that my being alert to my surroundings have kept me from harm. A simple thing such as pepper spray could of possibly saved my life. I have seen posts of ladies on these sites that are drivers that think that they are Gods gift to men and have bragged how they have never been bothered. I look at their picture and can really understand why. I guess alot of women drivers think since the other guy drivers hit on them all the time that they must really have it going on. I have met 300 hundred pounder women drivers that some guys go gaga over. Go figure? I'm here to say alot of the women I have met that drive look like they have been droveway to long. Alot of the male drivers I've trained with on different jobs assume that just because nothing has happened to them in the the paticular area he is training you in that nothing will happen to you as a woman. That is just not true. There are lots of women in this world that have been raped and even murdered because some man has said don't worry so much that won't happen. Bull shit. Watch your back at all times. We are not as strong as men so we have to be smarter!

[Shawnee]

Sizzle, I don't know what you are doing to make all these women nasty toward you, are you being nasty to them to make them nasty to you? I have never had problems with other women drivers or women shippers/recievers. Even though I sometimes come across as a bit of a hard ass, I am alwasy polite and friendly to everyone, including women, who in turn are polite and friendly to me.

In fact I have on many occasions, helped out other women drivers, so this thing about get a male to help is a crock of s#$t. I have helped women who were lost, I have helped women with truck problems, I have helped women to back up when all the guys would do is stand around and laugh at her. I just don't know why you have so many problems with women. By the way, male drivers can be just as nasty, if not more nasty than women

[Shawnee]

Bluegrassdeb, you gave some good advice, you can never be too careful. Being a woman makes you an easy target, you just have to look around the truckstops to see what kind of people are out there. Drivers, male and female, have been killed for their loads. I keep a low profile when I am on the road, I rarely talk on the CB unless it is to get info. I don't need the whole world to know that there is a woman in my truck, I don't make myself a target by telling everyone on the CB that I am there. Don't count on the male truckers to protect you, common sense will keep you out of trouble.

I hear women all the time on the CB telling everyone where they are going and what they are hauling. Ladies, just because you talk to some guy on the CB does not make him your buddy, don't assume you can trust everybody. I knew one woman driver, who was a big blabber on the CB. She told me that several times guys had followed her to where she was delivering and sleeping for the night, and tried to get into her truck because she told them where she was going, I wanted to slap her for being so stupid.

[bluegrassdeb]

I hate it when they start asking where you are going to pull over. It is so obvious. But I guess it has had to of worked for em at one point or another or they wouldn't be doing it. I did stop once or twice to have coffee with a driver that I had been talking to for awhile but even that can be dangerous. I talked to them a long time before going into the truck stop though. I'm pretty good at judging character in a man by the things they say and the way they say it. I have not always been good at it. It took many yrs. I'm 50 and I think its true that wisdom does come with age. I trust my instincts now more than any time in my life. One good thing about getting old. As far as justing talking to be talking it isn't a good idea especially at night it is smart to keep low profile. But hey ya gotta have a little fun once in awhile. I love talking to the guys. I've been known to sing to em a song or two going down the road.That can be a blast and judging by the reguests to keep singing they enjoy it too.