Her Story
About Heather
I've been in the trucking industry for about five and a half years now, and I'm currently working as a regional driver, a role I started in August of last year. My typical week has me on the road Monday through Friday, driving about 8 hours a day on average, making sure loads are completed on time, stopping at places to get loaded and unloaded, and then finding a place to shut down for the night. Sometimes I have to buy a spot to park, and sometimes if I get in early enough, there's free space available. Before I got into trucking, I actually worked as a nurse's aide for about 5 years. I've also worked in over-the-road trucking and home daily routes within the industry. In addition to my driving career, I serve in the National Guard as an intelligence analyst. I completed my AIT training in Arizona, which was 12 weeks of learning the job while also keeping physically fit and managing a lot of other responsibilities. I'm proud to say I was in the top 10 of my class, which I consider my biggest achievement. I only have to go in for National Guard duty one weekend every month, so it usually doesn't clash with my driving schedule, though occasionally I need to adjust my route to be home early for drill weekend. I'm also back in college working on a degree related to payroll, HR, and accounting because I'm a big nerd when it comes to numbers and budgets. My husband and I have a goal to become owner-operators eventually, where I would handle the accounting side and he would focus on the driving. On weekends when I'm not at drill, I spend time with my husband and his kids from a previous marriage, who we have every other weekend.
Her Interview
Ten minutes with Heather
01What advice would you give to young women entering your industry?
Take it slow and choose your school carefully. I think the hardest part about this industry is the school, because it really depends on what school you choose. I chose a 4-week course which was very fast-paced, but it was a very small class of only 4 or 5 people, and I really needed that. Most other courses, if you go through some of the big companies, you're looking at 20 or 25 people per course and only about 15 minutes of drive time. I needed more drive time because driving the truck and backing the truck is what you're going to be doing. Outside of choosing a good school, do not be afraid to speak up. I had some bad experiences when I was training because when you get into the trucking field, you have to train in a truck with a trainer before they'll let you drive your own truck. I had a male trainer and it did not go well. It took me being in a truck with him for a whole month or 10,000 miles, whichever came first, before I finally said something. I was so scared that I was going to lose the opportunity to be a driver, so I didn't speak up until I was basically physically forced to. Speaking up for yourself could be a big thing that I would tell all other women to do, because I didn't, not until it was too late.
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