Any women truck drivers out there?

Question

I have given some thought about being a truck driver. Is it really difficult to drive a truck? How long is the training.?
Are alot of women truck drivers?

Answer 1

This is a great question that I hear a lot.

The most difficult part of the decision to go into trucking is not whether you can learn to drive a truck; those skills can usually be learned whether you are male or female. In fact, my experience in driver training is that women tend to listen more closely and with a more open mind.

The harder part is the issue of lifestyle change. Some people love the trucker's lifestyle (I am particularly talking about the over the road/long haul driver). Others view it as a very difficult way to live. Either way you look at it, being a professional driver is a lot of work.

You will: be away from home alot, often drive alone, deal with traffic congestion, be stuck with 4 wheelers who don't have good driving skills and don't understand the limits of 18 wheel trucks, be faced with unhealthy food at truckstops, sleep unusual hours, etc, etc. You just have to be mentally prepared to face this.

However, being a professional driver is a challenging job that can give you great satisfaction. You accomplish most of the job on your own. You can make good money. You will meet interesting people and see the country (not all of it is what you want to see, but you can see much of America).

As to training, you have to choose a good school. My view is to avoid company-paid training. There are too many hidden pitfalls. Some people who do not understand the industry recommend it because they think it is "no cost." Nothing could be further from the truth. The reality is that 9 times out of 10 it sets you up for failure and financial hardship in the end.

Your best bet is find a solid PTDI certified school (I've recommended one below). If you are concerned about whether you have the ability to drive a truck, your training is even more important. If you choose a "CDL Mill" ( a school that gives a few hours of CDL training over 1-2 weeks), you are asking for trouble. A good school is at least 4-5 weeks. Any school that says they can do it in 1-3 weeks is usually full of it. Also, good schools should cost $3-4 thousand. If you are asked to pay over $5,000, go somewhere else.

More and more women are getting in to trucking and doing an incredible job. I speak with courteous, capable and professional women truck drivers on the road all the time.

Good luck.