Sadie

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I have been trucking for over 35 years. I have seen a lot of changes in the trucking industry in that amount of time for sure. I started out hauling milk on farm pickup and transport to New York City and now haul gas.

When I started, there weren't many women drivers out there. But back then if you broke down, man or woman alike, your cohorts stopped to help you! Nowadays, you don't dare stop to help just anyone as you might get held up or worse, killed! It isn't like it used to be. You only stop to help those you know.

As far as being treated differently, I don't think I have been. One day not too long ago when I was loading at a rack in Canada, one of the Canadian drivers gave me a big compliment- said they all considered me " One of the guys". That means that they don't have to "tip toe" around me. I do find ,though, that they do watch their mouth around me out of respect for being " The old lady doing a very hard job".

One thing though that I do find disconcerting, is the fact that drivers are not as courteous as they used to be. Drivers (especially here in the US, I run between here and Canada) don't give you the lights like they used to or reciprocate.

Canadians always give you the lights to move over or when you give them the lights, they give back. It used to be that way here also, but no more. Also, I don't get the CB traffic like we used to. People talk on cell phones nowadays.