Overdrive Magazine | Trucking Business News & Owner Operator Info
Issue link: http://read.dmtmag.com/i/135388
Overdrive's 10 lady drivers compete for honors and trips to Dallas show MOST BEAUTIFUL Trucking never be determined by popular vote and looked so good will By Carolyn Mason W omen proved their mettle on the road years ago and have continued to play an increasing role in the driving force that moves America's freight. When Overdrive launched its Most Beautiful contest to honor these hard-working women, readers responded enthusiastically. More than 70 women were nominated by family, friends and coworkers. The nominees each hold a CDL and haul freight ranging from logs to hogs. We posted their stories and photos, and more than 12,000 people voted during April, narrowing the field to 10 semi-finalists. They're diverse, but have in common a love of all things trucking. Online voting resumed June 1, this time to narrow those 10 to the three finalists, and will close June 30. The three by a team of editorial judges. The finalists will receive trips to the Great American Trucking Show Aug. 22-24 in Dallas. There they will receive makeovers and pose for photographs in front of custom trucks at Overdrive's Pride & Polish show. The grand prize winner will grace the cover of Overdrive magazine. THE TOP 10 (in alphabetical order) Ingrid Brown Company: Randall Miller Inc. Years in trucking: 31 Truck: 2007 Peterbilt 379 "Life is too short not to laugh, but it's even shorter not to have friends to laugh with." Ingrid Brown has been a longtime member of Trucker Buddy, is a charter member and adviser for Women in Trucking and is a volunteer with Trucker Charity Inc. She hauls produce from North Carolina to California, and says laughter gives her true beauty. Her laugh lines remind her of the love she has for her family, Brown says, as well as the friendship she shares with her fellow drivers. 50 | Overdrive | June 2013 Most_Beautiful.indd 50 Libby Clayton Company: Fort Worth Carrier Corp. Years in trucking: 7 Truck: 2006 Kenworth T600 "Enjoying life is everyone's best cosmetic." Some of Libby Clayton's earliest memories are of riding in her grandfather's big rig. "He's the reason why trucking is in my blood." Those memories stayed with her while she raised her two children as a military spouse. Once they had grown, she decided to ditch her desk job and pursue what she always had wanted to do: drive. From the desert roads in Arizona to the valleys and hills in the Southeast, "It's a beautiful country." Tina Comer Company: Owner-operator, Comer Trucking Years in trucking: 24 years with Comer Trucking, 6 years driving Truck: 2006 379 Peterbilt "I think that beauty is definitely from the inside out. It's how you treat people." Tina Comer, an owner-operator from Pollock Pines, Calif., is said to have a wicked sense of humor and a smile that instantly attracts people. She doesn't feel like it's a big deal to be a woman in the world of trucking, even in the logging business. "I just feel like I'm just one of the guys. I don't think about the gender role much. We're just all out doing the same job and having a good time." VOTE TODAY! Annette Dellinger Company: Con-way Truckload Years in trucking: 2 Truck: 2014 Kenworth T680 "I can always turn people around with my smile, and I'm grateful for that." Annette Dellinger and her husband drive team – dry van freight and hazmat loads throughout all 48 states and Canada – about 6,000 miles a week. "That means we are constantly running. He's sleeping, and I'm driving, or I'm sleeping, and he's driving, though we do try to make sure to spend time together every day. When we work as a team, it's a great way to watch out for each other. We count on each other." You can vote for your favorite semi-finalist through June 30, as well as read their full stories, at OverdriveOnline.com. 5/28/13 10:23 PM