1. How did you become interested in becoming a truck driver?
    My first intrest was the income bracket trucking proposed.  Also, I had worked for many years at a military base as a Transportation Supervisor/Foreman.  Various truck and heavy equipment operations were our daily routine.  The thought of a unit as huge as a tractor trailer intimidated me a great deal.  I had to research the idea of handling equipment that large and the female acceptance of the job field.  I spoke to several companies, researched the idea online, and decided to take a chance on this career.  One of the most drastic factors to consider is the time away from home, which can be very difficult.  The driver must adjust to being alone the majority of your time on the road.  This is not at all as easy as it sounds.  The boredom can be a drastic mind game.  You are required to commit to extreme long driving hours in all types of traffic and weather, day and night.  I had to commit to complete concentration and safety at all times.  Most drivers are out on the road at least two weeks and home two days.  This calculates to four days a month, resulting in 48 days a year at home!  A year suddenly goes by in a flash and holidays are few and far between that you will spend at home.  The "new and fancy" trucks you see in the ad's to lure drivers to apply, are not the ones a new driver will be assigned.  With 95% of the companies, you get the bottom of the barrel and work your way up.  This is how it was laid out to me to make my decision.  I weighed the pro's and con's and and I decided to give it a try.  I have to admit, sometimes out there, when things get very hairy . .I had to ask myself if that "yes" decision was just a result of mental meltdown ??  Nahh, . . .

 

2. When and where did you learn to truck drive?
    I attended the Trans American Technical Institute, on I-81, in Carbondale, PA, in January 1998.  It was a great school, with very thorough and patient Instructors.  There is classroom instruction, truck and trailer inspections, yard driving and maneuvering, then actual road driving.  You alternate with other students and an instructor.  I was not as nervous on the back roads, this was getting training on proper gear usage.  However, I was a basket case on my first time driving on the highway . . .among other vehicles!!! . . . .I actually froze up.  We were in an area near Elk Mountain on a veerrry narrow snow covered road.  We were changing drivers and proceeding to Interstate 81 !!!!!  The group had stopped at a coffee shop for a break and I stayed in the truck pondering the upcoming task and scared to death!!!  The instructor immeditely noticed something was wrong and delayed the driving a bit longer, talking me through other  students taking their turn ahead of me.  Eventually I did go, I did have the "white knucke syndrom" . . .holding the wheel so tight my blood was running out of my hands.  It was a piece of cake after that day, and I was so thankful I was not forced before I was ready.  I graduated at the top of the class, and was so happy when they stamped my CDL license as passed.  I also decided to test and passed all the available endorsements . .Tanker, Doubles, Triples and Hazardous Material.

 

3. What was the first type of truck you drove for a living?
    The first type of trucks I drove for a living were warehouse and Aircraft Flightline Operation vehicles.  All size forklifts from a 10K to a 50 K, Dump trucks and heavy road equipment, Aircraft servicing from cargo K-loaders, baggage equipment, passenger busses to food and latrine servicing vehicles/equipment.  In the Tractor Trailer side, I drove a Box Van in the training school, then was hired by a Flatbed Company.  I drove flatbed operations throughout the Mid West and Eastern US.  We hauled all bulk material. . .steel, wood, farm equipment, etc.  I drove for a Drive Away Delivery Company in PA  . . .delivering anything from heavy utility trucks to Motor Homes.  The latest was a company assigned to Tanker Operation . . . I was assigned to the Tanker Operation . . .this was the best one. 

 

4. Do you remember your first trip and longest trip?
    Actually, my first trip was to Canada.  It was to Montreal, and very confusing.. . . road and street signs are in French!  Finally that French class in Catholic High School came in handy.  I remembered enough to maneuver my way to delivery and back out of Canada.  The money was a bit strange at first . .a lot of coins equivelant to large dollar amounts.  The fuel also . . here we fuel a truck on both sides, both tanks, at once . . .there they do one tank at a time, sometimes, having to turn your truck around to do the other side.  The borders are all different . .some are very strict and ask numerous questions . . check all paperwork with a fine toothcomb . . .and have multipule gates each way.  Another I went to on a winding mountain road along Lake Superior, had only three gates . .one for cars, one for trucks, and one for "hunting and fishing !!  You have to use the Border Cross assigned in your Delivery work order which has been set up by the Delivery Company.    

 

[Longest Trip]
    The longest trip for a solo driver varies on the cargo.  As for myself, driving alone, most trips for solo drivers are mileage limited in the tanker division, due to the product delivery time, unless an unlimited delivery date . . . which I did have once from Newark, NJ  to San Fransisco.  Cross country, non stop deliveries are assigned to team drivers who never stop only to fuel, eat, and shower.  They just alternate drive and sleep . . the truck never stops.  Solo drivers do trailer relays from point to point everywhere accross the country and Canada.

 

5. Did you enjoy truck driving? ( If yes, why?,  If no, why?)
    Yes I do enjoy it until it gets too long out, then exhaustion takes a toll on you.  I have been out, sometimes, for three and four weeks before a break at home.  This is a job where you see places you may never go to on your own time.  I have been through every state and all over Canada.  You pass a lot of historic areas, but with a truck as large as ours, and being on a scheduled delivery, you cannot actually visit each place.  I was always certain that Fort Knox, Graceland, or Beverly Hills, would never appreciate a chemical tanker pulling up to the gates!  A great deal of beautiful scenery and wildlife to photograph, when you have the time.  You are self supervised, answering to your dispatcher, and tracked by a computerized sattelite system in your truck.  My truck was equipped with a Refrigerator, TV, DVD, VCR, etc., to keep you busy when you are sitting idle for whatever reason, other than sleeping.

 

6. Have you ever been in serious accident and were you injured?
    I have never been in any vehicle accident as of yet.  I assisted in several and saw many extremely serious and fatal accidents, but never involved in any myself in my own auto or the truck.

7. Most truck drivers use c.b. radios, did you have, use one and did you have a cb handle?

 

    I started out in a flatbed driving a Kenworth cab . . .it was ok but I did not like flatbed operation.  The next was driving various vehicles from tractor trailers, School Buses, to Motor homes for a Drive Away service . . .delivering all over US and Canada.  Then I operated Box Vans with an International cab before applying to the tanker division.  This was my final location, driving a Tanker with Freightliner cab.  This was my favorite unit.  It was quite a bit more dangerous than any other due to the Haz Mat materials, which average  90% of the loads.  This is still my favorite  choice to drive. 

 

9. Have you dealt with other truckers that have treated you unfairly because your a female?
    I really worried about that before I made the choice to drive.  It was rare to find a driver to be rude or unfair because they see women driving . . .but there definetly are some out there.  Some just hate women in general due to a breakup at home while they are out driving . . .they all talk about it.  Usually it seemed to be the older drivers who have been out there for a great many years as a driver.  . . not ALL of them, some are very helpful to other drivers and share their knowledge of the business, due to their length of experience on the road . . . lBack when they started, there were very few to none of female drivers.  some are just stuck in that ancient mind set that women should not be in this profession.  They can be very rude and quite obnoxious!  These are the same men who hate the DOT Regulation changes over the years and more in recent years.  They do not like to conform to change and are, themselves, the biggest danger on the road.  They do not follow the driving hours regulation . . .they tailgate cars and other trucks which is extremely dangerous  . . and spend so much time at the truck stops . . thats why they have to fly like a maniac down the highway to get to their destination on time.  all you hear is constant complaining. . .I just turn the CB down or off . . .you really get so tired of hearing them wine. 

 

10. What is the most harsh weather you have driven in, when and where?
    I have driven through a full blown tornado twice, numerous hurricanes, blinding snow and ice storms, and whiteout snow blizzards several times in both US and Canada.  I think other than the blinding whiteouts and tornados, I would say the worse are the ones where you are made to stop and wait for clearance to proceed.  I was stopped at the top of a mountain in California called Cabbage Patch, for over 12 hours, waiting for the State Poloce to reopen the road. 

I sat in Missouri in the middle of the highway, as traffic came to a dead stop under instant black sky, like entering a tunnel, sitting through a tornado passing. . .the truck was just rocking back and forth. 

 

11. I heard you were injured on the job, was this the end of your truck driving career?
      "Yes I was injured on the job. . . but I will continue my trucking career in a capacity adjusted to fit my physical requirements." 

 

    No, I was never stopped by law enforcement for any violations.  The only time I was delayed by law enforcement was for  random DOT Inspections.  This usually occurs when you are hauling Haz Mat loads.