‘I’ve been told this isn’t a job for women – ridiculous!’
LUCY ROSE HEWSON, 35, LIVES IN ST HELENS AND WORKS FULL-TIME AS A LORRY DRIVER
Every morning my alarm goes off at 2am and I’m excited to pull on my jeans, trainers and hoodie.
The cab has become a special place for me to think in peace. But if I’m having a bad day, it can be terribly lonely.
Women make up fewer than 1% of the industry. We have a saying – we don’t mind being in a man’s world, as long as we can be women within it. Luckily, I’ve made good female trucking friends since I started driving 16 years ago. We chat on our phones or over social media after work, not on the traditional CB radio.
The men appreciate having us around too. I’ve become a shoulder to cry on when I see them at stops, offering advice about why a girl might not be texting back.
I can be myself, but I’d never let the men see me cry or show weakness. Even on the first anniversary of my mum’s death, I retreated to the cab for a quiet sob.
There’s plenty of banter, so you need a thick skin. “Who did you have to sleep with to get the job?” they joke.
People can be surprised to see me, even getting their phones out to record me. One customer said, “This isn’t a job for women – you should be at home.” Ridiculous!
I pull 110 cages of milk on to and off my truck every day and in July
I’ll be hauling my lorry across a car park dressed as a Disney princess for charity. I want to keep breaking the stereotypes of who women should be and what we’re capable of.
My partner Dave is also a trucker – it’s how we met. Previously, I had an awful relationship. My ex couldn’t cope with me talking to other males, which is a huge part of my job. Both of my grandads, my dad, my uncles and my brothers are all in this industry. Originally I got my licence to transport animals, then realised my love for big vehicles. Many female truckers are horse riders, in fact.
WHEN TRAFFIC IS A TRIAL
Some of the female drivers produced our own charity calendar recently – not the kind where we stripped off! We wanted to show we’re not a sexual fantasy and we made more than £25,000 from the sales. We’re very proud of that.
The downsides? A bad day can be 15 hours if you hit all the traffic. The service station facilities are often grim – I even found poo in the shower once. When you’re on your period and need to regularly nip to the loo, it’s not nice.
Instead of fast food, the staple of many truckers, I take healthy snacks with me – boiled eggs, tangerines and protein yoghurts. I have a fridge, microwave and camping stove in my truck. And for safe places to sleep I ask others for tips on trucker Facebook groups.
But if the sun is out, the lorry is clean and it’s just me and the open road, there’s no better feeling.
The Girl Torque charity calendar is available at hewsoninternational.co.uk