Women Semi truck drivers?

[AsphaltGypsy]

Hi all,

I was just sitting here wondering....I work for a large transportation company managing big rig drivers OTR (over the road), and was curious if any of the users on this site were big rig drivers?

I have thought about making the "break" by driving a semi....get the experience of living in/on a truck and seeing the US while getting paid for it. I am concerned about the "down" side of it though. Was hoping to get some input from anybody on here that does drive a Semi.

Some of my concerns would be...real idea of pay, safety concerns, physical aspect of the job, and which company/ies are better to work for as a driver?

I am open to any thoughts / ideas....just seems like a win win situation to me...of course there is always that first step off the ledge. :-/

 

[Optimistic Paranoid]

Never drove a big rig.  I did work as an armored car guard/driver in upstate NY for about 5 years, and I can tell you that having to take a truck out on the roads in snow, sleet pouring rain, whatever, really SUCKED.

While I was doing some research on Youtube on the oil boom in ND, I came across one done about a women truck driver working the oil fields, and that led to a bunch of others.

Do a search on Youtube on "Women Truck Drivers".

Regards
John

 

[HarmonicaBruce]

I was database administrator for Specialized Transportation, Inc in Fort Wayne for 2 years.  I never drove, but I went to the safety meetings because every employee went to them.  One thing I figured out is that the team drivers who own their own rigs made the most money.  They got more per mile because they could move stuff faster with 2 drivers, and their fixed costs were effectively cut in half.  Husband and wife teams did real well, single guys struggled.  

 

[Almost There]

Hi all,

I was just sitting here wondering....I work for a large transportation company managing big rig drivers OTR (over the road), and was curious if any of the users on this site were big rig drivers?

I have thought about making the "break" by driving a semi....get the experience of living in/on a truck and seeing the US while getting paid for it. I am concerned about the "down" side of it though. Was hoping to get some input from anybody on here that does drive a Semi.

Some of my concerns would be...real idea of pay, safety concerns, physical aspect of the job, and which company/ies are better to work for as a driver?

I am open to any thoughts / ideas....just seems like a win win situation to me...of course there is always that first step off the ledge.  :-/

Having talked at length to multiple long haul drivers, it seemed that all they saw of the country were the interstates, loading docks/transport drop yards and truck stops!

If you're interested in playing with the big toys maybe consider getting your heavy equipment training and going to work on construction jobs where you can move around the country with each different job.

I know one woman who did this and she was having a blast - good pay and long hours but still ample time off to explore the area. She did end up hiring on with the same eastern seaboard road paving crew so she limited herself to the area that way but it's possible to move about quite easily once you've got some experience.

Just a thought.

 

[Spirituallifetime]

I've been driving semi trucks for about 20 years. The pay doesn't seem to be as good as it used to be, but you can still make more than other jobs. You have to work long hours to make good money, up to 14 hours a day. As far as seeing the country you will see it through the windshield that's it!
If you do long haul I would suggest living out of the truck that way you won't have to pay for a home and utilities that you are not using, that will save you a lot of money every month! Most long haul drivers get home every 2 weeks usually for a day and half or 2 days. So your not even living in your home anyway!

 

[VanLifeCrisis]

Luisafernandes (sp) from this forum is a heavy equipment guy, if you are curious about that aspect you could probably pick his brain. I think telcobilly from here is driving or recently drove a truck, so give him a shout out. I have a friend that drives a truck, and he does alright but sometimes the loading times make him pretty mad, i dont think you get paid during those times and they can be very long.

 

[Luisafernandes]

Luisafernandes (sp) from this forum is a heavy equipment guy,

Hey VanLifeCrisis!
Just out of curiosity, what does "sp" mean?
Thanks.

 

[Luisafernandes]

AsphaltGypsy, as VanLifeCrisis mentioned, I work with heavy equipment and I do have a CDL class A that I never get to use. My work is limited to New Jersey and parts of New York State, though in almost 20 years I only worked in NY once for three months.
I've lived in my van for the last 12 months, but as far as cross country experience I have none. Like Optimistic Paranoid said, YouTube has many women semi drivers, look them up. You'll gain tons of info regarding life on the road. [emoji106][emoji1][emoji604]

 

[GotSmart]

SP = Spelling. I think VLC was unsure of the spelling of your name.

 

[VanLifeCrisis]

Yeah, wasnt sure

 

[highdesertranger]

gypsy I am not a woman or a semi driver. however I see many woman driving otr trucks, also a lot of couples. when I worked construction many of the short haul drivers were women. so what I am trying to say is there are many women drivers, I see no reason for you not to do it if that's what you decide to do. good luck. highdesertranger

 

[Luisafernandes]

SP = Spelling. I think VLC was unsure of the spelling of your name.

Yeah, wasnt sure

Ah, ok. [emoji106]

 

[Queen]

Gypsy, I'm a woman and previously drove OTR in the Midwest region. I hauled farm equipment for a seed corn research company so I saw much more than loading docks and interstates. It was interesting work and I enjoyed it, but as was said earlier, you are rarely home so if that matters to you I'd suggest seeking a local haul position.

As for safety, I usually felt safe but you have to be very aware of your surroundings and keep your radar on. Truck stops can be iffy at times, but mostly they're okay.

 

[AsphaltGypsy]

wow. Thank you all so much for the responses. It is definitely something to think about.

I see where having my heavy operators license might not be a bad idea to begin with. Hmmm so much to think about here.

Again, thank you for all the responses!! I appreciate it.

Kim

 

[Patrick46]

I drove OTR (and lived in my truck) for many years, but that was 25 years ago.
(I gave it up when I became a parent, as I couldn't be a good Dad that the kids only saw once every 2 weeks)

When I was single, though, I loved it!! I did get paid to see the country, and I saw a lot of it too!
I've trucked everywhere between Bangor Maine, to Tijuana Mexico, to central Florida, and all the way up the AlCan Highway to Homer Alaska. (in January no less!)

It's pretty lonely out there, but I did have one boss who gave me an unlimited pass for me to bring my (then) girlfriend (who's now my wife) out on the road with me. We talked about becoming a team driving, but it never came to pass...besides, we started a family about a year later, and I only drove local after that.

One of my biggest customers owns a large trucking company, and I've been told that if the need ever comes up...1 phone call is all it'd take and I'll be behind the wheel again. (I still keep my med card and CDL fresh)

It was different out there 25 years ago though. There wasn't so many trucking regulations, we didn't have road-rage, nor people who were texting while driving, like we do now.
But we also didn't have cel-phones, laptops, or computerized logbooks, so I guess it's give and take.

If I go out on the road full time anymore, it's gonna be in a van pinstriping at the national motorcycle rallys.

It IS a good job and a good life out there, but be prepared....it's LONGGGGGG hours of lonely driving, and you don't get home for very long.

 

[Kezzie]

I knew several women who drive OTR. Not cross country, usually within a tri-state area. Those that I know up here in Alaska drive the Haul Road. The 2 women I know who currently drive it are as busy as they want to be, and are grossing about $350,000.00 annually. But that's the Haul Rd to Prudhoe Bay. I live on that road though, and I have to say that 8 months out of the year, you better have some serious nerves to be running up and down it a couple time a week. LOL I only run the lower 20 miles of it, and that is enough in the dead of winter.