Overdrive Magazine | Trucking Business News & Owner Operator Info
Issue link: http://read.dmtmag.com/i/634029
Voices 8 | Overdrive | February 2016 Wendy Parker chronicles her journey on the road with her owner-operator husband, George, in the George and Wendy Show blog on OverdriveOnline.com. Scan the QR to read more from her on your phone or tablet. Interesting article in December on the website of cable network CNBC. When I read it, I felt like there had been some fairly broad statements made about the safety factor and general ability of the fairer sex. (I just realized the implications of using "broad" in a sentence about female drivers. I'd like to clarify that I meant "broad" in the sense that the statements are far-reaching and that I would never refer to a fellow female as a "broad" unless I'm highly intoxi- cated or writing a fictional dialogue.) Anyway, the article made a big ol' deal about something that's really not that big a deal anymore. I am not a driver. I merely watch them and comment on their lives. I can't qualify to say if the women in the field feel singled out. So I went to our Facebook page for comments. First, a few from the ladies actually doing the job: Nicole: "This idea that trucks have to be 'female-friendly' is b.s. A truck is a truck. The more you cater to idiots, the more you're going to attract [sweethearts] instead of professionals." Jennifer: "I'm a little offended by this article. It seems they are just trying to soften the serious matter of being a professional driver. It just seemed to rub me the wrong way." Janean: "I think with only 6% of drivers being female, the data on 'safer driving' may be skewed some. I know I enjoy trucking and am defi- nitely in the minority as a flatbedder. Most believe I am not as strong as a man and can't secure my load like they can. I do make it work – I just have to be inventive and modify the techniques to fit my physique and quirks. And yes, I get double-takes all the time. … I actually kinda like it and smile and wave when they stand there with their mouths hanging open." Maura: "I've never encountered another driver shocked that I'm a driver, male or female. … They make more out of this than they should." And the men: George S.: "Women have proven themselves as welders, mechanics, etc. for decades. Women tend to have better fine motor control skills and pay attention to detail. Women have already proven that they can drive trucks. There were lady drivers in the late '80s and early '90s while I was working the fuel desk. Any job is only as difficult as you choose to make it!" Larry: "It's not gender, it's temper- ament and attitude." Finally, Walter summarizes with this: "In 32 years of riding around the country, I noticed most women were a lot more interested in getting the job done and safer. They listened to older drivers better and under- stood their suggestions better." Most professional drivers don't really care what your gender is, as long as you're out here doing the job right. Kudos to any professional, be they male or female, for representing the industry in a positive way. " I grow my hair long for donations to Locks of Love to make wigs for childhood cancer victims. In a 'male-dominated' industry, I was actually denied a job after being offered said job. When I received my Welcome Letter, I was told for the first time that my long hair disqualified me for employment as a male, even after explaining why I grow my hair long. … On a side note, the fact that carriers can afford to turn down driv- ers for something like that completely disproves the 'driver shortage' nonsense. " — Craig Vecellio, via OverdriveOnline.com I don't think people gawk at female drivers any more than they gawk at male drivers who insist on wearing shiny track suits three sizes too small. It all depends on how you present yourself, male or female. — Wendy Parker on a December CNBC report gushing over women behind the wheel CNBC late with story on female drivers