Lifting is one thing. Thing number two is sliding the tandems on a trailer. Ask the potential company if they have air assisted sliding tandems. I am assuming you will have to scale loads for most companies. If they don't have air assisted sliding tandems, you will have to pull a rusty old handle to get the tandems to slide. It is hard work and throws your back out. I would definitely try to find a company with air assisted sliding tandems on their trailers.
I think at first getting the swing of being a driver tends to trump everything else. There's a big learning curve, so that keeps you from sweating any one thing too much. You know your job after about 30 days. Learn not to panic after 90. Start seeing the same stupid after 6 months. Then come into your own after about a year. Seven years in and a million miles down, I've learned a ton of patience and as I said in another post, frequently recite the Serenity prayer until the urge to throttle Stupid passes. You can do it. There's lots of gals out here.
OK. The reason I asked is because, realistically, age can play a factor in how physical the type of work you should end up doing, whether male or female, but potentially more for female. I work with a gal who is 49, and fairly short, but still pretty tough. She does our local LTL deliveries, liftgate and breakdown freight. She still does it just fine, and loves her work, but she'll be the first one to tell you she doesn't plan in doing it much longer. Not to dissuade you, but just something to consider..
Don't worry,you won't need to be no he-woman to do this job.Very little lifting if any you'll have to do.Now that Winter is upon us you may have trouble sliding tandems and raising the landing gear because of the ice build up but you'll find some real nice drivers that'll be more then happy to help you.But always try doing it yourself first.
Go for the money...reading other posts, drivers talk without much prior thought...u can do any job in trucking.