Truck Driving Has Long Been A Man’s World. Meet The Women Changing That

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Pamela Williams, a driving instructor with DSC Training Academy, stands in front of one of the academy’s trucks on June 29. Williams has been driving for seven years and enjoys seeing the country from the road.

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Amalya Livingston, right, poses in front of a truck at the DSC Training Academy on June 29, along with another student. Livingston says she faces sexism on the road but it doesn’t deter her from driving.

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Why women drive trucks

But more and more women are making it work.

Tiffany Hathorn initially dismissed the idea of trucking. She had other jobs and even tried to start her own business. She also had two younger sons who would need to be taken care of, making it hard to be on the road.

But Hathorn says she kept hitting a financial ceiling and she felt she was never making enough money for her family. It was Hathorn’s mother who finally convinced her to join by volunteering to take care of the two sons.

Today, Hathorn is a truck driver, and she’s on track to make $70,000 for the year. She orders groceries from her phone while on the road, and she video chats with her two sons and her loved ones when she can.

So when Hathorn gets asked by women and men whether trucking is right for them, she tells them the good and the bad. But she always tells them to do it, not least because of the financial freedom it has provided her.

«I’m not struggling like I was before, she says. «I have more of a peace of mind now.

Tiffany Hathorn poses for a picture on June 29. She earned her trucking license a year ago and estimates she will make $70,000 this year. Hathorn says she recommends anybody who asks – men or women – to become a truck driver.

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Williams, the instructor at DSC Training who’s been driving for seven years, sees the initial hesitancy all the time.

When her students first climb into a truck — men and women — many get intimidated.

Everything is bigger — the mirrors, the wheel and even the gearbox, since most students have never driven a stick shift.

But once they turn the key, change gears and feel the subtle shift in the engine’s rumble, the atmosphere transforms.

«They feel the power, then everything changes, Williams says. «They’re like ‘Oh, oh I’m gonna be a truck driver!’

This story was produced by the Gulf States Newsroom, a collaboration between Mississippi Public Broadcasting, WBHM in Birmingham, Alabama, WWNO in New Orleans and NPR.