Fleet Management News & Business Info | Commercial Carrier Journal
Issue link: http://read.dmtmag.com/i/592176
N o matter where I go I am noticing more and more women behind the wheel of a big rig. A lot of folks are of the opinion this is a new occupation for women. e truth is that the rst woman truck driver dates back to medieval times, when women hauled goods to local markets driving ox carts. Women might not have been called "truck drivers" and their ox carts weren't referred to as "trucks," but the concept was the same: transport the goods from a point of origin to a point of destination. During the migration of settlers going to populate the Western states, women oen took the reins of the wagons to help get their families get to a new unsettled land and establish their homestead. In more recent history one woman that stands out for her accomplishments in the trucking industry was Lillie Elizabeth Drennan in 1928. Her rst truck was a used, open-cab Model-T Ford. Without a doubt, her challenges were great in becoming a successful owner of her own trucking company in what was viewed as a male- dominated profession. I guess what I am trying to establish here is that women are not new to this kind of dicult labor, but somewhere along the line, many folks have developed the notion that a woman should get married, have children and spend their lives looking aer the children and doing the housework. e workplace meanwhile, should be male-dominated. roughout the course of human history men have consistently underrated what women can do and achieve. ere still remains opposition from unfair male competitors, dishonest shipping clerks, and others who believe trucking is a "man's world" and that women lack the fortitude to be a good truck driver. General working conditions have made it dicult for women. For example, there were no bathroom facilities designated for them. If they wanted to take a shower at a truck stop, they had to chain the door shut. ey had to nd somebody to stand guard so that they could get their privacy. When was the last time you witnessed a man enduring those types of obstacles to simply have a job and support their family? When people use the expression "male- dominated," it is oen to describe a particular sector of the workplace. ere are many jobs that are no longer exclusive to males. By the same token, many occupations that were for many years thought to be held primarily by women are now being shared by males. e roles for men and women in our society have changed in many ways over recent years. e old way of life was very rigid in terms of the gender roles and this was acknowledged as a way of life for both parties. Women today not only drive truck, many own their own truck or even a trucking company. Some are high ranking in the trucking industry. Others are involved in the oce ranging from payroll to dispatcher to mechanics to safety director. Being married to a woman that works in a historically male-dominated eld, I have personally witnessed the challenges my wife has had to meet to be successful in her job. I see in my wife something truly wonderful. You see, God made females and males in his image and yet there is something distinctive about women in that they don't have to mimic masculinity to manage well. Hats o to women truck drivers. Hats o to all truck drivers. LEARN MORE. MAKE MORE. ITS BUSINESS DEVELOPMENT WEBINAR SERIES REGISTER FOR OUR FREE WEBINARS TRUCKSTOP.COM/ WEBINARS PAT DICKARD KNOWS BY PAT DICKARD, CORPORATE TRAINER The History of Women in Trucking