Team Trucking - Female Prospective

Sorry not a female but I saw you had no responses yet so I figured I'd throw in my two cents! (typical male right?!)

My wife and I drove team and she really did pretty well with the whole lifestyle. Its going to take you a good three to four months before you are comfortable out there with your day to day happenings. For the ladies it can be a little tougher because you aren't going to have the time and or luxury to put make up on and pretty yourself up every time you have to jump out of the truck. Also, running as a team, you aren't going to be able to shower everyday. My wife would often do the "wet wipes" bath just to stay fresh and pretty and not smell like a typical trucker. As a team you are expected to run 1000 miles a day or 7000 miles a week so as you can see there isn't a lot of time to take a bath every day. Just finding the time to brush your teeth will be a bit of a challenge. Ever see Lisa on Ice Road Truckers brush her teeth in the drivers seat with a bottle of water?

As far as safety and such its best to dress down and where a hat anyways. This brings less attention to yourself when walking across parking lots and such, especially at night. When your driving you can wear what ever you want. Sweat pants, PJ's etc.... you can drive in comfort. Also always keep tabs with your hubby and let him know what's going on whenever you stop and he's sleeping. Park in well lit places or upfront in the fuel island if you have to run in to use the restroom. Truck stops and such are a little safer then a rest stop if possible.

Nowadays there is no shortage of women in the industry and they are treated equally as men. Trucking has come a long way in a short amount of time and every walk of life is now in the industry so don't feel out of place. You will even see a good number of trucks out there with "rainbow" stickers on them!

When training it will really depend on what company you are with and who is available at the time of your training as to who you will be assigned. We drove for Central Refrigerated and they actually let us train together. They also have many female trainers. Your likely hood of having this type of similar situation will be much greater if you avoid the mega-carriers. They tend to throw you in the truck with whomever at the time of your training. The smaller companies will be more apt to cater to your wishes a little more than the big ones.

Sorry this isn't a female's perspective but hope it helps a little.

Good luck....

 

Check out our blog. it is in my signature. My wife would be happy to answer any questions you may have.

 

Finding a company to let a husband\wife team might not be too tough to do. However, if neither of you have any experience at all, than it might be a pretty tall order. Many companies may offer resistance to two inexperienced driver trying to train each other.

 

There is an e-book out there that is a MUST READ for you - it's called "Mother Trucker: An urban couple downshifts to life on the road." I downloaded this onto my Kindle app for only $3.99 and it has been worth every minute of reading. Hubby and I teamed together six years ago and have to go back to school in September also to do a refresher course. I got this book as a reminder of what that environment was like and to hopefully pick up tips from a husband/wife team that drove successfully together for 3 years.

From the female perspective, it's not as bad as my mother thinks it is, but at the same time, I'm glad I'm a tough lil trucker. If I've got my mag light with me, ain't nobody ######' with me. LOL Attitude can go a long way towards protecting you. Never let 'em see you sweat. And don't be afraid to stare down somebody who's trying to intimidate you. Learn to be observant of your surroundings at all times. If you have time, check with your local police department about a RAD class - this will help if you have no experience in self defense.

As team drivers (and even as new students) your will and your marriage will be tested like never before. You two will be tired, scared, hungry, and sometimes lost, but you can either learn to depend upon each other as partners and come out ahead or blame each other for all your problems and part ways at the end of the line.

It's like the army motto - it's the toughest job you'll ever love. First thing to remember is that nobody looks out for you as much as you. The companies will tell you they're looking out for you, but in the end, it's up to you to make sure it's done. When I first started I had silly assumptions like that the book with all the state registrations would be up to date for our truck. I thought that surely for new drivers they'd have checked this and had it all ready for us. So when I got stopped on a Sunday and we had to wait two hours because the weekend shift hadn't come on yet to provide a faxed copy of the paper that was expired in my book, I complained to my dispatcher about it when we were there in person not long after. That son-of-a-##### looked me in the eye with a smirk on his face and said, "Well it's YOUR responsibility to make sure that's up to date, isn't it?"

From that point on, I realized they didn't give one whit about us, it was up to us to make sure we had what we needed. Trucking will teach you to be very independent.

East Coast truck stops can be nasty, especially in Connecticut. If you stay out west, they're all very nice.

My best tips from the female perspective:
1) Don't overpack
2) Learn to love t-shirts
3) Make sure your pants aren't tight and if they're jeans make sure they have spandex in them so you can stretch easily while operating the clutch
4) Get some good quality tall socks for your workboots - your feet will thank you for it
5) BE TOUGH no matter what. School is gonna be the hardest hurdle, then testing for your CDL. Once you make it through that, you can make it through anything. DON'T GIVE UP. And don't whine to your teachers or dispatchers - they'll treat you worse for it.
6) Plan your liquid consumptions around known rest stops/truck stops. Unlike men, we can't do a "tire leak check" when there's no place to go. SIP your liquids during your drive time and drink LOTS of liquids during your down time. Especially out west sometimes those stops are few and far between. Learn to love your truck stop exit guide.
7) EXERCISE YOUR FOREARMS BEFORE SCHOOL. You'll thank me later. Take ibuprofen with you to school. My first week in school I thought I was going to die from forearm pain in my right arm. The trainer trucks are crappy because students beat them up. That's where the "if you can't find it, grind it!" philosophy comes in. You'll have to pull and push that shifter harder at school than in any other truck you'll ever operate. And your arms will hurt. Unless you prepare ahead of time.
8) Wear flip flops in the shower. You really don't want plantar warts.
9) Don't be afraid to make some niceties for your truck. Whether it's adding tap lights to brighten it up, maybe some nice vinyls on the ceiling above your bunk, whatever it takes to make it feel less gloomy inside of there.
10) Don't waste your money on all the cool accessories at the truck stops. You'll need a fridge or cooler, maybe a CB, and definitely a laptop that plays DVD's. The little vacuums are worthless, the branded clothing is overpriced, etc. etc. When you get the urge to shop, browse a stack of catalogues instead. Your pocketbook will thank you later!
11) Practice your backing as much as you can in school - you'll be glad you did.
12) Don't waste time at school partying with other people - study what you need to study and get your rest. It's a rough two weeks (or three, depending on your school) and you're going to need all the study and practice and rest you can get. Depending on your company, you can get kicked out for drinking or gambling during school time, so don't risk it. It's only two weeks anyhow. Your CDL is for the rest of your life.
13) Avoid sugar, especially right before any BP tests. Sugar can artifically raise your BP.

This has been very "stream-of-consciousness" but I hope it is helpful! Feel free to ask any questions or PM me if you like.

~Kit

 

Lucky U I have 8 more years to go .Dream off that day to come (holds off the state of his physical limitations) just a little longer please god.

 

That was some great info. My husband and I are planning on teaming... Ill have to look into that book for sure!

 

Definition of PROSPECTIVE

1
: relating to or effective in the future

2
a: likely to come about : expected <the prospective benefits of this law>
b: likely to be or become <a prospective mother>



You probably meant 'Perspective'?

 

Interesting!!
Better half and I are considering going back OTR ourselves after a 7 year absence and was wondering what kind of "BS" to expect again.
I've got 20 plus yrs verifiable just nothing in the last 7. What are these "refresher" courses about? New laws & reg's or?

 

amscontr, its all about the insurance companies now.
You will most likely have to take a refresher course (going to school for about 40 hrs +\-, which might cost you about $500 to $2500), and then go out with a trainer for a while.
This will be to satisfy the employers insurance carrier.
After which you might be able to team then with the better half.