Attention Lady Truckers!

[scarife]

Hey there. I’m a London based photographer and photographers assistant interested in undertaking a personal photography project that explores the lives and experiences of female truck drivers.

As an assistant I have spent a fair amount of time stuck on motorways, watching the trucks and the truck stop cafes go by, wondering about the quite unseen lives of those keeping our supermarket’s and gas pumps full. Eventually this wondering turned into an idea to explore it as a photography project, but in particular from the point of view of the women drivers involved. I had the idea to do this some time ago but had issues with equipment and insurance, which is all sorted out now.

If you, or anyone you may know, would be interested in sharing your experiences and some time with a friendly female photographer please drop me a line, I can then point you across to my website so you can get an idea of the kind of work I do (which is mainly journalism, social documentation and editorial portraiture - apparently can’t post website html’s here?).

This is not associated with any particular media group, it is a personal project to build up my portfolio, if the oppurtunity did arise to publish any work it would only be with the express permission of those participating.

This request has also been ok’d by the forum moderator.

Many thanks and I look forward to hearing from you,
Amy

[Lucy]

To be honest Amy, you’ll find very few experienced female drivers who are in any way interested in the limelight. Those of us who’ve been doing it for any length of time are so heartily bored of being singled out that the last thing we would do is add to that. It simply isn’t a big enough deal any more. Myself, I’ve had 8 years of being stared at, and whilst there is nothing like the prejudice that used to exist, it still gets really old.

You may find the odd newbie or fly-by-night whose willing to do the deed, but you’re unlikely to get a true picture of any full-time experienced drivers day or life in this way.

This is, however, only one person’s opinion, and I may be proved completely wrong. Just thought I’d warn you.

[wheel_nut]

Oh dear. Its time for the silver bullet and camphor again. Another journalist on the horizon.

“The little woman leaves the house and drives a huge van to the supermarkets and waits till it is unloaded” Isn’t she brave children?

OR

“These women go for a week without showering, they sleep around and regularly do drugs” They drive trucks above the speed limits and flout the drivers hours regulations"

[hitch]

mmmmmmm shes a photo journo more likely

to be naughty girl driver breast feeds whilst reading map and doing a roll up

pos moody shot

done on eos 5 in raw and mono job to boot

[spardo]

We aren’t really that rude here Scarife, it’s just that we’ve become a bit jaded over the years after the attentions of journalists, male and female.
You may well be genuine, in which case I hope you get some genuine feedback, but don’t bank on it, and prepare for the brickbats.

[cyclicscooby]

I am well aware of the bad press we have recieved, BUT… There are still plenty of issues in our job that could be exposed to the greater public…

1. The strict regulations and complete lack of places to actually stop and comply with them…

2. Lack of facilites… Loo’s for one… The novely of wee’ing under a lorry is running thin… !!! (no photo’s please)

3. That were not all grease monkeys…

4. That our trade isn’t the dirty, hard, gut bulging job it was in the 60’s… (for some of us)

Don’t know if the company would be up for a passenger tho, as they specifically state “NO PASSENGERS” as do many others… Plus they might have issues with their badged trucks being shown in an unknown light… Of course it may go the other way, and they’d jump at the opportunity for free advertising… !!!

At the end of the day, is there actually anythig bad left to say about us, after all the previous horror stories…!!!

Luv
Chrisie…

[montana_man]

Hows about this one

Hes a LADY

[scarife]

In response to the posts so far, I’m happy to explain more about myself and the reasoning behind wanting to take these pictures.

First off, I am not some Daily Mail journalist after a sensationalist expose of gender busting druggie truckies. Breast feeding at the wheel? If I wanted to shoot naughty girls for the benefit of sweaty palmed tabloid readers I’d go be a papparazzi.

From some posts I get the feeling that there has been a lot of media attention and it hasn’t been great. Some stereotyping maybe? I would be interested to know if and how you may feel women truck drivers may have been overexposed in the media.

Stereotypes are boring and engaging in them is just plain old lazy thinking. Good photography challenges stereotypes and reminds us of the quietly beautiful, strong and real stories that exist all around us in the everyday. Everyone, everything has a story, if we could only just look up from our heat magazine (can Posh please go away now?!) and mobile phone induced stupor and see. Those stories can also exlempify issues that effect us all, like what is the real cost (social, economic and environmental) of our consumer society’s expectation that our shops must always be full of abundant and cheap goods, versus the shareholders expectations of maximum profits.

As an assistant photographer I know that having a strong, in-depth and independently undertaken project in your book is key to getting future professional commissions. As much as I do a mean wedding and my photo’s of primary school summer fete’s for my local paper are sweet, they’re not really gonna get me through the doors of Reuters. This idea appeals to me because I love portraits of regular people doing the regular things that most people completely take for granted, and while sitting up high in your cabin’s literally keeping the wheels of capitalism turning, you also have a way better view of the changing landscape. And I have a thing for truck stop cafes.

And yes, I do have a EOS5D! No intention of shooting mono though, bright colour is more my style.

Anyways, so I hope that has made my intentions clearer. So far from other sources I have had some interest, once I start shooting I will try and throw a link up so you will be able to see any work in progress.

Montana man - I didn’t know you could get steel capped heels. So pretty!

All- thanks for the feedback, brickbats and all.

[montana_man]

Montana man - I didn’t know you could get steel capped heels. So pretty!

why thank you mam, I have them in several colours to match my Hi vis collection. Coordination is my key

OOPs I may have just given myself away.

But it’s OK ady1 I won’t tell them we shop together

[mothertrucker]

To be honest Amy, you’ll find very few experienced female drivers who are in any way interested in the limelight. Those of us who’ve been doing it for any length of time are so heartily bored of being singled out that the last thing we would do is add to that. It simply isn’t a big enough deal any more. Myself, I’ve had 8 years of being stared at, and whilst there is nothing like the prejudice that used to exist, it still gets really old.

You may find the odd newbie or fly-by-night whose willing to do the deed, but you’re unlikely to get a true picture of any full-time experienced drivers day or life in this way.

This is, however, only one person’s opinion, and I may be proved completely wrong. Just thought I’d warn you.

I disagree with most of this Lucy. I have been trucking for 20 years and it was a novelty when I started out ,but I hardly get a second look now - or at least not that I notice. I dont get ‘bored’ in any way with any of it. Most of the guys take no notice of women drivers any more so I believe that it is only the women themselves who feel self conscious behind the wheel and imagine they are being stared at. (Or maybe the guys will stare at any pretty female wether she is driving a truck or walking along with a pushchair!)
I cannot see any reason why Scarife should not get help with some pics and stories. I have already pm’d her offering to help.
I cannot see that it could do any harm. I agree that a lot of so called journo’s just think women truckers are ■■■ on wheels (I should be so lucky!) but the majority, I am sure just want a different angle about trucking life so thats fine by me.

[driveroneuk]

Scarife, if and when you do this, and i’m sure you will, when you go out on the road for a day or a few, please make sure we get a link up to your stories or maybe consider writing an online diary here.

This request is from the point of view of hearing if you learn anything about your own driving & maybe change the way you view truck drivers on the road.
Most people who have never ridden in a truck before are amazed.

BTW, are you American? You refered to gas pumps and not petrol pumps.

[scarife]

Driveroneuk:
Scarife, if and when you do this, and i’m sure you will, when you go out on the road for a day or a few, please make sure we get a link up to your stories or maybe consider writing an online diary here.

This request is from the point of view of hearing if you learn anything about your own driving & maybe change the way you view truck drivers on the road.
Most people who have never ridden in a truck before are amazed.

BTW, are you American? You refered to gas pumps and not petrol pumps.

I will definitely put a link up to work as it happens, my intention is to keep an online work-in-progress photo blog. As for the ‘gas pump’ reference, I’m actually Australian, been living in London for almost 5 years now, after living in Canada and the US for almost 2 years. During my time in Canada my sister and I hitched a couple of times (I know I know, it’s not clever… my Dad was NOT HAPPY!) and we were lucky enough to catch a few lifts in some absolutely huge articulated trucks driven by always lovely guys. The experience really stayed with me… possibly that’s even where the germ of this idea originated.

[lady_p]

Sorry but I agree partly with Lucy on this 1

Have been in the transport industry for over 10 years now and still get a strange response when I turn up at some delivery points

My boss would not allow you to come with me due to insurance purposes

[malcolmj]

i’ll wear a skirt and put a wig and some make up on and im sure my boss would do the same too your welcome to a ride in my truck

[Lucy]

Mothertrucker:

To be honest Amy, you’ll find very few experienced female drivers who are in any way interested in the limelight. Those of us who’ve been doing it for any length of time are so heartily bored of being singled out that the last thing we would do is add to that. It simply isn’t a big enough deal any more. Myself, I’ve had 8 years of being stared at, and whilst there is nothing like the prejudice that used to exist, it still gets really old.

You may find the odd newbie or fly-by-night whose willing to do the deed, but you’re unlikely to get a true picture of any full-time experienced drivers day or life in this way.

This is, however, only one person’s opinion, and I may be proved completely wrong. Just thought I’d warn you.

I disagree with most of this Lucy. I have been trucking for 20 years and it was a novelty when I started out ,but I hardly get a second look now - or at least not that I notice. I dont get ‘bored’ in any way with any of it. Most of the guys take no notice of women drivers any more so I believe that it is only the women themselves who feel self conscious behind the wheel and imagine they are being stared at. (Or maybe the guys will stare at any pretty female wether she is driving a truck or walking along with a pushchair!)
I cannot see any reason why Scarife should not get help with some pics and stories. I have already pm’d her offering to help.
I cannot see that it could do any harm. I agree that a lot of so called journo’s just think women truckers are ■■■ on wheels (I should be so lucky!) but the majority, I am sure just want a different angle about trucking life so thats fine by me.

No offence, MT, but that’ll be because as you admit yourself, the very small amount of commercial driving you have done was double-manned and the rest of your industry time has been as an instructor - both situations where anyone looking will assume you are the other bloke’s missus (which is what I found when double manning, btw, so I speak from experience here). From what you’ve told me on numerous occasions, you haven’t really done the full-time solo driving thing.

When you’ve had to go into the places I go into and take the abuse I take day in day out, then maybe you will feel differently. No offence, just making sure the facts are clear, based on what you’ve told me.

I just think that the very act of highlighting female drivers as opposed to looking at drivers in general is a perpetuation of the stereotype in itself. We’re just drivers, end of.

[thebear]

I am amazed that after all these years, you still get abuse, Lucy
I am always pleased to see a lady trucker turn up somewhere where I am tipping or loading. To me they are a driver first and a female second but it is always possible to have a good laugh with a lady without getting the ‘I told the boss this’ and ‘I told him that’ that tends to be the sole topic from male drivers.
Occassionly you meet one that is a ‘little darling’ and if you strike a chat with her and have a laugh, then it is a bonus.
I was recently coming towards the Kennedy Tunnel when I caught a livestock rig up (unusual, I know lol). As i drew alongside I was looking at a ll the calves laying there quite contently ‘chewing the cud’. Rode alongside for about a mile and then pulled ahead. As I went past, all I saw was a little blonde driving it. Forgot all about it til the next morning when I parked on the Calais-Dover boat and realised I was parked alongside the same rig. Up in the restaurant was this little blonde who was very attractive. I asked her if ‘she had got rid of all her babies’ and we ended up having a damned good laugh during the crossing.

[spardo]

[
Hope Mummy Bear doesn’t read this thread Austin.

[thebear]

Dum Dee Dum pmsl She never looks on this site, thank gawd, but then she knows I am a terrible flirt and just puts it down to me advancing years lol

[Lucy]

It depends where you are in the country, to be honest.

The North is definately worse. We have one customer who shall remain nameless where I have been on the receiving end of a veritable torrent of the most vile and sexist crap you can imagine every single time I have been in there on my own for the last three years. It was even worse when I was pregnant. And woe betide me if I give as good as I get in that place - only this week I was parked up for three and a half hours for a twenty minute load with half of West Yorkshire pulled around me as a result of doing just that.

Best bit of it was that there was actually a shift change during that time, and it was the night shift doing the punishing for defending myself against the dayshift. Seriously. I mean, you go into the place and it is plastered, and I mean plastered, in ■■■■ pics. Ok, fine, it’s a lad’s workplace so they have a few girlie pics up…but it sets the tone of the whole operation.

There’s a lass works in the office there, just the one, and she’s tough as old boots. She makes me look like a pussycat with a fluffy bow round my neck. But I’ve even seen her sat outside crying her eyes out because they’ve been so awful to her.

There’s nothing you can do about any of this but get in, shut up, take it, get loaded, and get out. And it’s by no means the exception.

It happens still. Out on the road people don’t tend to bat an eyelid any more, but it’s when you go into these places, on your own and outnumbered, that the fun begins. Highlighting the fact that some drivers are female isn’t going to help that sort of thing in any way - it just reinforces the difference that is being picked on in the first place.

And no, before anyone asks, I don’t make a big deal of it, in fact I doubt our office are even aware of what goes on in that particular place. I certainly wouldn’t ever refuse to go in. I have a job to do, so I get on and do it, whatever that may entail. I put myself in the truck, so I must take the consequences.

[hammer]

Lucy:
There’s a lass works in the office there, just the one, and she’s tough as old boots. She makes me look like a pussycat with a fluffy bow round my neck. But I’ve even seen her sat outside crying her eyes out because they’ve been so awful to her.

Well, thats her bloody fault for putting up with it! She should make a complaint, they have to take it seriously and if they don’t she can take it further. If she ends up losing her job, whats the problem? Doesn’t sound like much of a job if she ends up in that state.

If no-one speaks up then nothings gonna change.