Safety Tips For Women Truckers

I totally agree with the others in this thread that you should immediately stop as soon as you see the wig-wags behind you. As a former Law Enforcement Officer (Oh great here comes the jokes and hating) I also highly do not recommend you call 911 and inform the dispatcher of your intentions and keep driving until you find a “safe” place to pull over. In the western states that might be 30 - 50 miles.

First of all it depends on where you are at when you call 911 you might get a total different agency than the one that is currently attempting to conduct a traffic stop on you. The county that I worked in was 6000 square miles and depended where you were when you called 911 you might get one of about seven different agencies. So if you call and get the wrong one and get a lazy dispatcher you will be told they do not have any officers in that area. Next thing you are doing is thinking this is a fake cop with ill intentions and you continue to drive. BAD Idea. Do not be surprised if a few miles down the road you encounter another cop sitting on the side of the the road with his lights flashing. Just be aware as you pass them you will soon be hearing all of your tires going flat as you run over the "Stop - Sticks".

I know it will be very hard to see if it is a “real” cop that is pulling you over at night but be aware that the cop car will not just have the wig-wags (red and/or blue) lights. They will also have take down lights which are the very bright white lights between the red and blue flashing lights. Also it will have a spot light on the driver side of the windshield. If it is a real officer they will park in a way that their take down and spot lights are both shining into your driver side mirror. There is a reason for this but do not be surprised if the officer climbs up on your passenger door and scares the hell out of you while you are watching your driver side mirror trying to see him/her.

Second there is a Supreme Court Decision on a similar case where an underage girl was being pulled over and she called her mom and her mom told her to keep driving until she got to a business with a litghted parking lot. She continued to drive for another 20 miles at the posted speed limit and when she finally stopped the officer arrested her and impounded her vehicle. In the end the Supreme Court ruled the officer was doing what he was trained to do and there was no excuse for her not to stop.

So if you feel the need to keep driving to find a “safe” place to stop that is your personal decision but expect to be removed from your truck and taken to jail, your truck and load towed, you and your company will have to pay a hefty tow bill, and don’t expect the tow driver to make sure your refer has plenty of fuel so your load won’t spoil.

Just my 2 cents

Hmmm...maybe one could call 911, say, "Hey, I'm a lone female being pulled over. Will you stay on the line with me until the officer's identity is verified?" Then you've got someone on the line who can hear what's going on and hopefully aren't too lazy to pay attention??

If you are driving at night and see whirling lights behind you and it is a police officer trying to stop you and you are unsure if he/she is real or not; slow down, put on your flashers, and dial 911 with your location to make sure the officer is legitimate. Tell the 911 operator that you will stop at the next lighted exit if there is one close.

This is not good advice in my opinion and I wouldn't recommend anyone try this in a CMV. You must stop as soon as safely possible for law enforcement. Failing to do so is illegal and will at best lead to a hefty fine; at worst it will lead to your arrest, losing your job, etc. Note that anyone impersonating law enforcement who is targeting trucks is almost certainly not looking to hurt you; more likely they are trying to steal your load. Pulling into a well lighted area will not prevent that, if a hijacker wants to take your truck they will take it. All you will do by calling 911 and refusing to pull over is get yourself in hot water with a lot of real cops.

So you are driving out on a deserted road and then a car comes out of nowhere (especially those that cannot be easily identified as police cars), there's no one else out there but you......noooo I think I will call 911 and find out if there is a real police operating on that road. By calling 911 and reporting you are afraid to stop coz you are not sure that is a legitimate officer, you are 'covering your back'.

As well as working my way through trucking school I am also in my senior year of criminal justice and I can tell you, without a doubt, that this is a very good way to be arrested. I would not hesitate to arrest someone who did not pull over immediately unless there was a medical emergency. Even then it would have to be someone in the process of dying and you would have to be on your way to the hospital. There is no "covering your back" what you are doing is flat out breaking the law. There is no law saying that you can put on your four way flashers and call 911 for permission to stop. If you did that I would also charge you with using a cell phone while operating a commercial vehicle if it was illegal in the state you did it in.

I totally agree with the others in this thread that you should immediately stop as soon as you see the wig-wags behind you. As a former Law Enforcement Officer (Oh great here comes the jokes and hating) I also highly do not recommend you call 911 and inform the dispatcher of your intentions and keep driving until you find a “safe” place to pull over. In the western states that might be 30 - 50 miles.

First of all it depends on where you are at when you call 911 you might get a total different agency than the one that is currently attempting to conduct a traffic stop on you. The county that I worked in was 6000 square miles and depended where you were when you called 911 you might get one of about seven different agencies. So if you call and get the wrong one and get a lazy dispatcher you will be told they do not have any officers in that area. Next thing you are doing is thinking this is a fake cop with ill intentions and you continue to drive. BAD Idea. Do not be surprised if a few miles down the road you encounter another cop sitting on the side of the the road with his lights flashing. Just be aware as you pass them you will soon be hearing all of your tires going flat as you run over the "Stop - Sticks".

I know it will be very hard to see if it is a “real” cop that is pulling you over at night but be aware that the cop car will not just have the wig-wags (red and/or blue) lights. They will also have take down lights which are the very bright white lights between the red and blue flashing lights. Also it will have a spot light on the driver side of the windshield. If it is a real officer they will park in a way that their take down and spot lights are both shining into your driver side mirror. There is a reason for this but do not be surprised if the officer climbs up on your passenger door and scares the hell out of you while you are watching your driver side mirror trying to see him/her.

Second there is a Supreme Court Decision on a similar case where an underage girl was being pulled over and she called her mom and her mom told her to keep driving until she got to a business with a litghted parking lot. She continued to drive for another 20 miles at the posted speed limit and when she finally stopped the officer arrested her and impounded her vehicle. In the end the Supreme Court ruled the officer was doing what he was trained to do and there was no excuse for her not to stop.

So if you feel the need to keep driving to find a “safe” place to stop that is your personal decision but expect to be removed from your truck and taken to jail, your truck and load towed, you and your company will have to pay a hefty tow bill, and don’t expect the tow driver to make sure your refer has plenty of fuel so your load won’t spoil.

Just my 2 cents

Thanks for the tips ladies starting my new career change Any tips are great a bit leary on all of this makes me wanna buy a gun Lol

If you are driving at night and see whirling lights behind you and it is a police officer trying to stop you and you are unsure if he/she is real or not; slow down, put on your flashers, and dial 911 with your location to make sure the officer is legitimate. Tell the 911 operator that you will stop at the next lighted exit if there is one close.

This is not good advice in my opinion and I wouldn't recommend anyone try this in a CMV. You must stop as soon as safely possible for law enforcement. Failing to do so is illegal and will at best lead to a hefty fine; at worst it will lead to your arrest, losing your job, etc. Note that anyone impersonating law enforcement who is targeting trucks is almost certainly not looking to hurt you; more likely they are trying to steal your load. Pulling into a well lighted area will not prevent that, if a hijacker wants to take your truck they will take it. All you will do by calling 911 and refusing to pull over is get yourself in hot water with a lot of real cops.

So you are driving out on a deserted road and then a car comes out of nowhere (especially those that cannot be easily identified as police cars), there's no one else out there but you......noooo I think I will call 911 and find out if there is a real police operating on that road. By calling 911 and reporting you are afraid to stop coz you are not sure that is a legitimate officer, you are 'covering your back'.

As well as working my way through trucking school I am also in my senior year of criminal justice and I can tell you, without a doubt, that this is a very good way to be arrested. I would not hesitate to arrest someone who did not pull over immediately unless there was a medical emergency. Even then it would have to be someone in the process of dying and you would have to be on your way to the hospital. There is no "covering your back" what you are doing is flat out breaking the law. There is no law saying that you can put on your four way flashers and call 911 for permission to stop. If you did that I would also charge you with using a cell phone while operating a commercial vehicle if it was illegal in the state you did it in.

Amiel V, please help us out here. So you are stopped in the middle of nowhere. You stop. Policeman comes over and asks you to get out and points a gun at you, and you realize instantly he's not a real policeman. What would you do? Believe me when I say I am not asking for the sake of asking. But it would good to know one has an advantage and can protect oneself.

This is very informative and helpful. Thank you! Do any of you carry any kind of weapons with you for protection? I'm not a "gun person", but my husband has talked to me about the possibility of me getting one. I'm not sure I want to have that kind of responsibility, so I thought I'd ask what you all thought about it.

Amiel V, please help us out here. So you are stopped in the middle of nowhere. You stop. Policeman comes over and asks you to get out and points a gun at you, and you realize instantly he's not a real policeman. What would you do? Believe me when I say I am not asking for the sake of asking. But it would good to know one has an advantage and can protect oneself.

The same thing I'd do in any other robbery situation: cooperate, keep a level head, and try to commit the person's appearance to memory (for filing a police report later). The truck and the load are insured and can be replaced. My life cannot. But this is an unlikely scenario. Most trucks are stolen when the driver is away from the vehicle (just like most burglaries happen when the homeowner is away). The vast majority of thieves will avoid confrontation whenever possible. There are many dangers in trucking, but I doubt if violent crime even makes the top ten.

As to those asking about handguns or other firearms on the truck for self defense: I would not encourage it. First, most if not all major companies prohibit firearms of any kind on company property, including the truck. Most shippers and receivers also have a policy prohibiting firearms. If you were to find a company that allowed it, you'd need to educate yourself on the firearms laws in every state you'd be driving through, which can vary greatly. What is legal in one state is not necessarily legal in another. In my opinion it's too much hassle, liability and risk. If you are concerned about your safety and want a weapon for self defense why not a solid wood tire thumper? Legal everywhere, practical, no special training required and less likely to be turned against you in a defense situation.

OMG are things really this bad? This paints a depressingly dark picture. I for one would never hesitate to come to anyone's aid who was being assaulted or threatened male or female and everyone I know I believe would do the same.

These tips are very handy. I personally like the one of running your seat belts thru the door handles!!

YOUR HANDS AND FEET

Are you carrying a purse that someone can grab? Do not unless you know how to use it as a weapon. Have your keys ready to unlock the truck before you get to it. Can you hit someone effectively? If not, then find someone to teach you or take a personal defense course. What kind of shoes are you wearing? You should only wear shoes that you can run in without slipping such as: sneakers, boots, moccasins, loafers, or work shoes.

YOUR TRUCK

Always keep your doors locked. Use a device such as running your seatbelts thru the door handles or use a ratchet strap to hold your doors closed while you sleep especially in dangerous areas. Do not have things hanging in your truck windows that can identify you as female. This can alert predators that you are female and they may target you. Leave your sleeper curtains open if running solo, this way you can see if someone is hiding in there before you get in the truck. Never walk around behind your truck at night even to do a pre-trip, wait and do it later, or pull thru the fuel islands and do a walk around. Do not advertise where you are parked for the night. Do not talk on your CB at night while parked in a truck stop. Even with a small radio, someone driving around the truck stop can pin point you within a truck or two. Never allow anyone into your truck unless it is a mechanic or law enforcement officer. It is better to call information and get the local police number in a town than to get on the CB and ask for assistance. If you are broken down on the side of the road, put out your triangles, and then stay in your truck and keep the doors locked until help arrives. Avoid sleeping with your windows or vents open. If you have to park and sleep in a dangerous area, sleep with your head to the passenger side of the sleeper.

THE TRUCK STOP

Try to avoid parking on the back row. Avoid as much as possible leaving your truck after dark. Never sleep where you get your money from either cash advance or ATM. Always carry identification when out of the truck especially at a truck stop. Do not flirt with another driver while inside the truck stop, or out of it either for that matter. If another driver offers to walk you inside or back to your truck, do not allow them alongside of your truck where people cannot see. While it is ok to be pleasant if spoken to by another driver, do not engage in conversation standing in the parking lot after dark. Never get into another driver’s truck. Keep a list of the safe truck stops you run across. Always watch for suspicious activity around your truck when you are walking up to it. If you see anything suspicious return inside and alert the truck stop personnel. If you see suspicious activity while in your truck, stay in your truck and either call the truck stop or dial 911. If anyone approaches your truck, do not roll down your window, just wave them away. Walk around the ends of the parked truck rows, not between the trucks. If your clothing is dark, get some of that reflective tape and put it on when walking at night, or wear a reflective vest.

ODDS AND ENDS

If you are driving at night and see whirling lights behind you and it is a police officer trying to stop you and you are unsure if he/she is real or not; slow down, put on your flashers, and dial 911 with your location to make sure the officer is legitimate. Tell the 911 operator that you will stop at the next lighted exit if there is one close. If someone breaks into your truck while you are sleeping, try to get to the air horn lanyard and blow the horn. You can run a fishing line from the lanyard to the sleeper attaching it with fishing swivels and making a loop on the sleeper end. While many things like mace and pepper spray are illegal in some states, other things do as well as they do and are legal. Lacquer hair spray, perfume, windex, deoderant, spray air fresh- ener, and a fire extinguisher are all legal and can be used to spray in an attacker’s face to give you enough time to run. If you have a pet, walk them before dark or only in well lit areas. One of those canned fog horns sold in sporting sections of stores works well as an emergency alarm to attract help. Make a list of your common stopping places and give it to your family. Use I.C.E. (In Case of Emergency) in your cell phone to designate your emergency contacts.

No Brian things sre not that bad. As a solo driver i never felt unsafe. Threads like this one in my opinion, insinuate women drivers are helplesd and need protecting. Complete BS. Its common sense. Lock your doors when sleeping, be aware of your surroundings, etc. Real basic stuff.