Women are hitting the open road
PICTOU — King Freight Lines Ltd. has never had more women drivers on the job and Tracy Grant can’t see why they wouldn’t.
“I really enjoy it. I think more women should get onboard with it,” said Grant.
Grant is one of the seven women who drive a truck with the Pictou-based trucking company.
She said she has seen an increase just in the three years she has been there.
“It is great, it definitely makes for a more rounded environment,” Grant said. “It is good to have someone you can relate to.”
Before joining King Freight Lines Ltd., she was driving long haul and even there she noticed an increase in women drivers.
On the ferry to Newfoundland, it would be two to a lodging for commercial drivers.
She said when she started it was rare for her to have to share a room as there would be so few women onboard. But over her last five years of long haul, she saw a significant increase in women drivers.
She believes more women may be joining the industry as it is a trade with a higher pay scale than jobs in retail, for example. It also allows for a fair amount of independence as you see different places and interact with different people.
“I like the fact that you are pretty much on your own,” she said. “It is you against the world.”
Grant enjoys the challenge of truck driving. If she gets to her destination in X amount of time she wants to be faster with better fuel mileage the next day.
She currently drives local, driving to Bedford twice a day delivering rubber for Michelin Tire.
Despite the rise of women in the industry, Grant said that does not mean trucking isn’t still male dominated. But in her experience, that hasn’t presented many problems.
“The men will help you out, they really will. It is a really great industry all around, I think,” said Grant. “It is like one great big family.”
But the job still has its challenges.
She says it puts a strain on her romantic relationships and, as a mother driving long haul, she had to miss a lot — graduations, birthdays, the birth of grandchildren.
While she understands it is hard for fathers in the industry as well, it is hard to ignore the added pressure moms face to be the nurturing ones, the ones who are there for big events, she said.
As for day-to-day challenges, she said women who are sleeping in their trucks overnight also have to be a little more cautious, and sometimes when things on the truck break, they require a little more muscle.
But Grant loves her job, and for other women who are interested in getting into trucking, she suggests they have an open mind and keep a positive attitude.
“There will be times when you want to quit because you are going to say, ‘I can’t do this’ or whatever,” said Grant. “I almost quit several times but I just kept telling myself I wasn’t going to let a truck beat me. Stay with it, things do get easier.”