Driven Women

One-Sided and Biased

Dear GG—

This is in response to a column you wrote about a man who didn’t think women should be driving trucks. I think you called him a Neanderthal. Your response was one-sided and biased. You didn’t consider the heavy labor often required, the mechanical problems, the hard-nosed dispatchers and receivers we have to deal with and the safety factor. Would you want your daughter subjected to this hard life?

Ron F., Philadelphia

If my daughter had a passion for a particular job, I’d support her to do anything that is legal, ethical and profitable. Having said that, driving professionally is often a stepping-stone to other opportunities within the transportation industry. I’m a prime example.

Without having OTR experience, I could not have become a contributor to this magazine 11 years ago (today, there are entire trucking magazines geared toward women). If it were not for my OTR experience, I wouldn’t have the credibility to help companies recruit and retain the best drivers in North America. And without OTR experience, drivers like you would continue to perpetuate the negative side of trucking and void the positive attributes.

Trucking isn’t always easy, Ron, but it attracts a certain type of individual that would otherwise fail miserably in other “traditional” occupations, regardless of gender. If my daughter has the talent to maneuver a big truck and is a problem solver, then she’s got my vote. In fact, I’ll be her first investor in a fleet of trucks.

Incidentally, PMs and regular maintenance help to minimize mechanical issues. Try it.

GG