Profile For TruckingMama

Thank you! Are you a flatbed driver too?? I honestly really like it, not an easy job but worth the skills and effort put into it all

Congrats! Cool, another skateboarder to the group!!!

Thank you! And I’m so grateful that even in training my driver manager was able to pull strings to get me to my kids in another state.. that says a lot about a company. Even just spending my daughter’s 4th birthday in a hotel, she was so excited just to be with me that the smaller details didn’t matter. I’m glad I was able to celebrate with her

Congrats!! Enjoy your daughter’s birthday.

Thank you! I’m super excited about starting in this industry, can’t wait to get my career going!

Congratulations!

Thank you! And yes, Paul is a great trainer, thank you for the advice on his post earlier about the backing… as you already know.. it’s something I struggle with in general so I feel bad for posing a difficult situation for Paul 😬

Awesome news! Congratulations Shantiwa! Paul is a pro; you are in good hands.

Thank you so much Anne! I didn’t think I could do the flatbed gig but I honestly love it!!! I was officially hired after passing the very demanding physical tests and the road and classroom tests in Spokane over a week ago, this company is a great company and specifically the Denver fleet is the top Fleet to be on so I’m excited for my future!

Paul is a great teacher, we’re butting heads a lot but finding out that we really need to focus on creating whatever alone time or space from each other each day to get through the training process lol Our struggle right now is that I’m struggling to learn backing and he’s struggling to know how to teach me 😂😅 He’s great at this though, a very safe and trustworthy teacher and I wouldn’t want it any other way! I’ll get your info from him! It would be nice to vent to another woman, I’m thinking I’ll just leave those other groups because it’s really not about trucking which is very unfortunate.. I’m definitely not in this industry, busting my back throwing 100lbs tarps over my head just to be treated like my only place in this industry is to look good for the guys.. I’ve got more respect for myself than that and I’m really just focused on providing for my babies anyways.

Thank you for the support!!

Hey y’all, I know I’ve not been on here much lately but for very good reason! I have been in orientation and training for System Transport! This company is amazing and treats their employees so great, no lie. The driver manager pushed to get me in a certain area here in Utah this weekend so I could spend my daughter’s birthday with her since I’ve not seen my babies for a few weeks. Paul (pianoman) posted a little bit about the training as he is the one training me. This is flatbed and I genuinely enjoy this job. I love the challenges and overcoming them. I am actually a really good driver, but really struggle with backing as many of you probably already know from previous posts when I was in CDL school lol But anyways just wanted to update y’all on my progress! Still very thankful for all the advice I’ve gotten from you guys and just a quick shoutout about this forum in general… I’m on other trucking forums and I’ll just be straight forward about it… they suck and are full of disrespectful people and women taking and posting very sexual pictures of themselves in or on their rigs… which I feel like ruins it for women such as myself who don’t want to sexualize women in this industry but that’s just my opinion and thoughts on that so honestly this is THE BEST forum I’ve been on and it’s not full of super truckers, the advice is so helpful and the posts are actually related to trucking! I love this forum and how everyone is on here! I’ll post pictures and updates when I can, and thank you again for everyone’s advice! And especially a HUGE shoutout to my boyfriend, Paul, (Pianoman) for training me and being such a great support through this entire process 😘

Big Congrats, Shantiwa!!!

We kinda heard that from Paul; some of us knew you were a 'duo' even before he posted, hahaha! I actually was thinking about 'asking you' in your other thread, why don't you just ask HIM to train you, LoL ! (Then, I thought better of it, .. oops!)

Be weary of those other forums, m'lady. The guys over at TTR have 'one' agenda, and it's never in the 'newbie's' (or the female's) favor. I know a few of those blokes; as Tom is/was a member for a bit.

I'll be looking forward to pictures, as soon as you can; and wish you well going forward. If you ever need to vent, 'female style' ... Paul has our contact information.

Quick question; are you an 'official' employee and getting paid in training already, then?!? If so, that's AWESOME! So many questions, haha... but I'll keep it simple for now, with just a huge,

You remind me a LOT of me; 25 years ago. Back then, I probably WOULD HAVE taken on flatbed, haha! Thirty years ago, I was hauling boat propellers, shafts, and zincs all over Florida, hotshot.. in a 3/4 ton Chevy, 3 on the tree, with a 28' trailer; in and out of ports, too!

You got this, girl. Listen and learn. I'm following!!

~ Anne ~

Hey y’all, I know I’ve not been on here much lately but for very good reason! I have been in orientation and training for System Transport! This company is amazing and treats their employees so great, no lie. The driver manager pushed to get me in a certain area here in Utah this weekend so I could spend my daughter’s birthday with her since I’ve not seen my babies for a few weeks. Paul (pianoman) posted a little bit about the training as he is the one training me. This is flatbed and I genuinely enjoy this job. I love the challenges and overcoming them. I am actually a really good driver, but really struggle with backing as many of you probably already know from previous posts when I was in CDL school lol But anyways just wanted to update y’all on my progress! Still very thankful for all the advice I’ve gotten from you guys and just a quick shoutout about this forum in general… I’m on other trucking forums and I’ll just be straight forward about it… they suck and are full of disrespectful people and women taking and posting very sexual pictures of themselves in or on their rigs… which I feel like ruins it for women such as myself who don’t want to sexualize women in this industry but that’s just my opinion and thoughts on that so honestly this is THE BEST forum I’ve been on and it’s not full of super truckers, the advice is so helpful and the posts are actually related to trucking! I love this forum and how everyone is on here! I’ll post pictures and updates when I can, and thank you again for everyone’s advice! And especially a HUGE shoutout to my boyfriend, Paul, (Pianoman) for training me and being such a great support through this entire process 😘

Yeah I live in the springs and have been applying from Pueblo to Denver for jobs, which DC is hiring in fountain? I’ll go knock on that door right quick lol And yeah I’m sure that’ll look better on my resume rather than all the medical field stuff. It would definitely help me with my backing because I do struggle

There's a DC right off 85 and i25 in fountain, last time I was there, they had a help wanted sign out, check with them for a yard dog slot. I think that would be a fun job and I bet it would be great experience for backing.

Also I usually see at least a couple shuttle and or yard dog positions in craigslist.

I live in the springs part time so I know the challenges we face with wether and traffic. My terminal is in Denver. It takes 4 hours in bad wether and wrecks. Think about working and trying to get back home. High of 15 today, 6 to 12 inches. Monument pass will likely close by tonight.

The weather is bad enough that I actually take my home time in Dallas and fly to Denver during the winter. It works out cheaper by far because I can't run for a week at a time due to weather shutdowns if I'm there. If I understand what others who have experience are saying, you will still have to run in that weather.

I respect your drive, I'd say take that drive and apply it to something in springs or even Pueblo. There's several DCs right down off 50 in Pueblo. I would go down there in person and beat on some doors. They Always seem to need staff.

Thank you, I know that I’ll have to be patient waiting for the job that I need. Trying to think out of the box and rolling with the punches

Of course, it’ll be great to keep track of your progress. I’m sure I speak for everyone when I say that, with patience, you will find a suitable job.

I looked for a company with that name and wasn’t able to find anything honestly, black Hawk, it kept taking me to other jobs and websites when I looked it up. Yeah I’m hoping to find a job being a yard hostler. That’s my only option at this point

Yeah that’s very true, I’m looking at warehouse and yard hockey positions and hopefully working my way up to driving. Definitely rethinking things and trying to think outside of the box. Thank you for your input, greatly appreciated

All that admiration of you being a dedicate mother is crap and was probably an easy way to let you down easy. Mother's have a tough gig and kids are the number one reason there are so few women in trucking. Women enter when the kids are grown.

Get a job in a local.warehouse for money and keep applying to companie in the mean time. If there is an internodal in your area that may be a good option. A warehouse may have their own trucks so you may be able to move later if hired for a warehouse job.

Good luck

Discretion is the better part of valor. Have you noticed two common threads in the replies you have received?

1) everyone admires your determination and attitude

2) everyone is urging caution about the commute.

Kersey’s advice is sound wisdom. Forget any job with that brutal schedule. Get something local until you can get a job without a 3 hour commute. Have you noticed that no experienced driver is saying “Great job opportunity! Go for it!” ????????)

Remember, a live dog is better than a dead lion.

Did you ever look into Black Hawk or Progress Rail ?? It's shuttling parts to & fro the rails (wherever they are, in your area!) and pays rather well. Not sure about experience level, however. The Black Hawk guy here by us does dedicated hauls for CFX (railway) and .. I forget the other one; Mansfield Ohio is a major 'commercial' rail network/hub. Awesome history & pics, if you ever want to look it up!

It'd be a 'dirty' job, but ... much of trucking tends to be!

Yard hostler (dog) jobs OFTEN involve shuttling trailers from one facility (yard) to another, and WILL include some highway driving, as well as moving stuff in a certain (home) yard. If you COULD get into something like that, IMHO it'd be awesome. The yard guy at FAB (hubby's place) LOVES his job; and Tom's probably going to grab it up, when he retires. It's really NOT a bad thing!!!

Wish you the best; keep the gang updated!

~ Anne ~

Of course, it’ll be great to keep track of your progress. I’m sure I speak for everyone when I say that, with patience, you will find a suitable job.

I left a message for the hiring manager today hoping to get a job as a dock worker here in town with OD, has the same idea. Just trying to get my foot in the door

Thank you so much for all of that insight. I just got notified that I didn’t get the job, so I’ll be looking at a yard jockey position with either OD or AFW to get my foot in the door with a company and hopefully work my way up to driving for them. Thank you for the link, I’ll definitely read that to get a better understanding of those positions

Is the OD near you hiring dock workers? If they are that would be great way to get your foot in the door. We have a bunch of drivers who came off the dock, prove yourself reliable and they will probably move you into a driving position at somepoint.