not having a rant
so dont get all defensive
until i joined trucknet i never once saw a female driver (hgv smartarse)
but over the last few months or so it seems every other trucks got a woman behind the wheel ie today in conisborough donc saw 3 in the space of 1/2 hour,
so is wagon driving gettin more popular with the ladies , is it losing its macho image,or are the trucks just easier to drive now (ducks down ),and how do they go on without an interior mirror to do their hair(ducks again )
seriously though how much harder is it for a woman to get on in this job than a man?and is it worth the hassle?.
mezzzz1211:
is it losing its macho image
Not really.
or are the trucks just easier to drive now
Yes.
and how do they go on without an interior mirror to do their hair
Just look a mess. Iāve got better things to do with a 9 hour break than worry what I look like anyway! 
seriously though how much harder is it for a woman to get on in this job than a man?
It isnāt. Itās harder in some ways but a darn sight easier in othersā¦for example, you get heckled when you turn up to tip, but youāre still last in and first outā¦another, you may have to prove yourself a little harder when you first start, but a bloke probably wouldnāt have got a foot in with no experience in the first place. 
If you get hung up on the whole sexism thing (banter aside) then youāll see it everywhereā¦but if you forget it you soon realise that itās 99% paranoia on your part. Iāve only ever had one incident of genuine sexism in 5 years driving. It does happen, but itās a lot rarer than youād think.
and is it worth the hassle?.
Ask me on a good week! (The more observant amongst you will notice Iāve been home a lot this weekā¦ 
)
Generally, yes. Couldnāt work in an office. Too many women wittering on about soaps and makeup. 
Lucy:
Couldnāt work in an office. Too many women wittering on about soaps and makeup.
so you know my mrs the lucy pmsl
Lucy:
Couldnāt work in an office. Too many women wittering on about soaps and makeup.
Is that Women in the āold womenā metaphorically speaking way ?.
Because if itās not then I would just like to add itās not female or officer worker exclusive.
shaun:
Lucy:
Couldnāt work in an office. Too many women wittering on about soaps and makeup.
did you see corry this week then,
that bloody emily bishop, taking him in and giving him a home,
and ken barlow steaming, eeeeh i tell you, i,m off to the vick, i mean rovers.
Gonna go out on a limb here as I am sure there are some die hards among us that do not, will not agree!
The only likely restriction has always been the need to hand ball or manually handle heavy items, but in this day and age of restrictive H&S manual handling is taken care of by mechanical means.
If a girl gets the licence she has been through the same training and test(s) as anyone else who holds one so has already proven herself to some degree and there are good and bad men driverās the same way as there are women.
The industry hasnāt necessarily changed, but Women have and all for the better, GO FOR IT GIRLS!
mezzzz1211:
until i joined trucknet i never once saw a female driver (hgv smartarse)
but over the last few months or so it seems every other trucks got a woman behind the wheel ie today in conisborough donc saw 3 in the space of 1/2 hour,
I saw one yesterday in Maltby driving an Amberhill tipper. She pulled up where I was unloading as the bonet/grille on her FL10 had decided to open itself while she was driving down the High Street!
I wonāt say anything against women drivers as my HGV instructor was female!
so is wagon driving gettin more popular with the ladies , is it losing its macho image,or are the trucks just easier to drive now
you seen the size of some of them woman driving now,their built like men i wouldnāt argue with some of them iāll tell you that 4 nothing
I wonder when we will start seeing the Polish women behind the wheel?.
i tipped with the same German bird twice in a matter of weeks a different Homebases last yearā¦she was working for her brother and had done the van, 7.5tonner, artic thing that a lot of us have gone thru
lol I turned up to do a shift on the docks and everyone thought I was Polish for TWO days, until I actually got talking with people.
I was in Palmer & Harveyās today (SWEETS!) and had a bit of fun in the morning cause noone had told them it was a female rdiver turning up. My intial is R so they were all waiting for a Roy or a Robert. Peopleās faces can be amusing.
But yes, it does wear thin sometimes and yes, Ive heard ALL the jokes.
Hey mezzzz1211,
Just wait until they start driving tippers with youā¦they might show you a thing or two about hanging onto your back door.
Talking of tippers I saw at least four women the other day on tippersā¦ everyone with with a smile.
Skyhook:
Hey mezzzz1211,Just wait until they start driving tippers with youā¦they might show you a thing or two about hanging onto your back door.
Talking of tippers I saw at least four women the other day on tippersā¦ everyone with with a smile.
must ve run somthing over
thats the only time tipper drivers smile
Talking of tippers I saw at least four women the other day on tippers
surely they can get more than four woman in a tipper what a waste all that spare space in the tipper
Although I have met and worked with many Lady Drivers over the years I will always remember the first one.
If ever she said she was going to Oldham, she never had a shortage of blokes offering their tackle to hold 
But Seriously. I think the French have a very old fashioned idea about women in trucks. I see quite a lot during the day, driving trucks in France, but I cannot remember ever seeing them in the restaurant in the evening.
In Holland there were probably more drivers of the fairer ā ā ā doing long distance work
Just wait until they start driving tippers with youā¦they might show you a thing or two about hanging onto your back door.
Ahem. I drive an artic bulk tipper. and i smile all the time. In my job its still very much a novelty to see a female. The farmers faces when i turn up are hysterically funny.
i tipped Rock Salt at Mountsorrell last week and while I was shutting back door the yard man went and got me a coffee. Bet he wouldnt have done it if it was a bloke 
And he let me in an hour and half early
you seen the size of some of them woman driving now,their built like men i wouldnāt argue with some of them iāll tell you that 4 nothing
I am 5ā tall and despite belief to the contrary most women driving trucks are not built like brick outhouses.
and how do they go on without an interior mirror to do their hair
the only cosmetics I use are a box of baby wipes to get the grime off my face and hands cos I am such a muck magnet. And baseball caps hide a multitude of sins as well as stopping the crap getting in your hair.
As for sexism well so far it has only worked in my favour. Like Lucy says I do tend to get away with murder. If anybody can get tipped or loaded late its me. My tm will even say you might have to bimbo this one
We had a lady driver work for us for a short time , she was built like an outhouse and batted for the other side if you know what i mean!! and the sight of her sqatting by the nearside rear wheel was not pretty and i thought i`d need counselling
royā¦
roytheboy:
We had aladydriver work for us for a short time , she was built like an outhouse and batted for the other side if you know what i mean!! and the sight of her sqatting by the nearside rear wheel was not pretty and i thought i`d need counselling
royā¦
Thereās always oneā¦just like thereās always one man who smells like a sewage farm; is more blubber than bloke; wouldnāt know a razor if it slit his throat; has no teeth left to brush; canāt utter a sentence without swearing and thinks that we all find the sight of his hairy arse hanging over his trousers truly attractiveā¦
ā¦but then no-one ever judges Truck Drivers by a ābad appleā stereotype, do theyā¦?
Mind you, Iām built fairly, er, solidly myself just now, so maybe I should keep quietā¦ 
ā¦although Iām definately and visibly NOT batting for the other side, and couldnāt squat by my rear-wheel if I tried!!!
Nessa:
As for sexism well so far it has only worked in my favour. Like Lucy says I do tend to get away with murder. If anybody can get tipped or loaded late its me. My tm will even say you might have to bimbo this one
Suffice to say I am currently enjoying the most extreme version of this oneā¦have belly, will drive - and very little else in between!!!
The lads at our place are all really sweet about it (whilst taking bets in the background as to how much longer Iāll last )ā¦they donāt say much beyond the usual banter, but itās amazing how often I book in after saying āhiā to another of ours and find my doors open/shutā¦or stop and dig out my dock references only to find my twistlocks have undone themselvesā¦or get around the other side of the unit with the pressure washer only to find someone is following me with the brush - ājust trying to get home quickerā¦Iām behind you in the queueā (yeah, which is why you never normally do it)ā¦
Bless 'em, eh?
Lucy:
Suffice to say I am currently enjoying the most extreme version of this oneā¦have belly, will drive - and very little else in between!!!The lads at our place are all really sweet about it (whilst taking bets in the background as to how much longer Iāll last
Bless 'em, eh?
It could also have something to do with the thought that if you decide to go into labour there and then then they have to deal with it. The quicker they get you off site the less chance there is of you giving birth in front of them. So not quite as you thought, more like self preservation on their part