[EagleRiverWI]

sherelyn, I have been driving for 20 years. 2 as an expediter. I have noticed a lot more women here and expediters appear to be a much more inteligent breed of truck drivers.
Best of luck.

[morningstar55ny]

Originally Posted by sherelynn

Thanks for the welcome, Cheri. I'm busy reading threads and getting lots of information, useful and otherwise. LOL

I find I especially have a great respect for the women drivers. I try to make it a point to ask what made them get into driving. Most tell me it was to support their kids. I can relate as I was a single mom (husband died) and my daughter is a single mom (deadbeat dad). I can't imagine, tho, leaving my kids in someone else's care for long periods of time. I say that as my grandchildren just ran screaming thru the house and used my desk chair as a "safe" tag!

I see all kinds of drivers coming in and out of the plaza. It reminds me of my younger days when I would go out dancing in the nightclubs. The lines never change, only the people and faces. I've been backed into a corner in my office, I've been propositioned, stalked and even threatened. But, I still love my job. I've made a lot of good friends with drivers and received a lot of really good advice.

The women drivers always say the same thing...they never come out of their trucks after dark. And, still...I want to be an expeditor. I was in outside sales for 30 years and I guess it's that wanderlust that just takes over.

hey y sherly .....
i started this thread ....due to having strange people knock on my door a number of times..
and i been in my truck since ahhhhhhhh noonish .... i think..... lol
and its already 8 15 central time....... lol
i dont need anything..... im not in a real good area.... its ok during the day .......
but i know when it gets dark... who knows....... im parked near the door to the building here
im at a Pilot ...... in Houston off i45 ....
i can already tell when i drove in here.. this place was not a good place......
but i will b ok.
i keep a seat belt straped thru my door handle and then snaped into the seat belt lock thing..... and i have my windows covered..... i m watching im not smarter then 5th grader... and just made dinner in my truck ..... in a crok pot thingie.... heh.
made turkey wings and red skin taters and baby carots...
i also have a fridge and micro wave.
i like flying J's..... but i can not get fuel there.... due to having a comdata account.
i have parked up front at J's before..... some booted me to the back....... some left me alone....... i do like the smaller bathrooms in the bk thru the drivers lounge..... for women.
cause i know i can go there and brush my teeth and get cleaned up some. with out a public audience.... in the bigger bathrooms.
i am 53.. been an artist all my life..... took 6 yrs of grpahic design .. now i drive a truck.. go figure.. lol
good luck on ur quest for a change.

[late4dinner]

One time I was at "THE" truck stop in Road Island doing paperwork and looked over and noticed a man with his hands up over his eyes looking in the side window. He didn't seem to even notice me sitting in the drivers seat. Well the night before I was playing around with a hand held spot light, you know the type that you can almost set fire to the trees with. Well I just reached down and got the light, tossed something at the window to get his attention and shinned the spot light into his eyes. The last I saw of him he was staggering around in the lot trying to get his eyesight back.

[morningstar55ny]

Originally Posted by late4dinner

One time I was at "THE" truck stop in Road Island doing paperwork and looked over and noticed a man with his hands up over his eyes looking in the side window. He didn't seem to even notice me sitting in the drivers seat. Well the night before I was playing around with a hand held spot light, you know the type that you can almost set fire to the trees with. Well I just reached down and got the light, tossed something at the window to get his attention and shinned the spot light into his eyes. The last I saw of him he was staggering around in the lot trying to get his eyesight back.

dammm ....... how could he not see u ??? bet he never does that again....... heh
oh umm btw......... u have a cute .. nic name....... lol

[late4dinner]

Well Morningstar55, I have went by many names over the years. Candy Man, Getty up go, Lickety split, and kept running into myself, but as the old saying goes, no one wants to be called late for dinner!

[cheri1122]

Unless they're anorexic......
BTW: I love the spotlight idea! As a female who is solo, I'm always interested in effective ways to defend myself, especially with a 'weapon' that I don't need to worry about having turned on me, instead. (Or being so scared that I accidentally turn it on myself - I could see me doing that with Mace....)

[morningstar55ny]

Originally Posted by cheri1122

Unless they're anorexic......
BTW: I love the spotlight idea! As a female who is solo, I'm always interested in effective ways to defend myself, especially with a 'weapon' that I don't need to worry about having turned on me, instead. (Or being so scared that I accidentally turn it on myself - I could see me doing that with Mace....)

mawnin....... lol [_]D

u crack me up sometimes....... lol
well.... i have a tire thumper...... here a nice pretty yellow one..... says
speeeeeed co on it........ heh
ok there was a guy who knocked on my door last nite ... and while it was still daylight...
i was playing on line and trying to eat and have some ya know down time after driving for 10 hrs... whewwwwwww .... and i sat up a bit more and i could see him in my fender mirrors... he was pretty persistant about talking to me it seemed like as he kept knocking .... soo damm .... i peeked out a lil and he said he was a panther driver and had a panther hat on... soo ok.......
but the hat looked like he had it for yrs... it was white..... well was pretty worn looking
anyways... he asked me if i could show him or tell him what he has fill out for loads...
and what to hit when a load comes on over the QC ....
im thinking..... ok. well damm didnt they show u this in orientation???
he said no one showed him how to really do all this stuff.
ya know...... i know when i was starting out ... my owner showed me things..... and i learned how to use and do things at orientation and thru my my owner... if i was stuck on something i called my owner or panther.....
i have a x team driver that refuses to learn to do canada trips....
she keeps telling me she isnt ready......and is nervous about it....
ok i told i was too............but it is painless.... lol
and it helps u make more $$ ....
anyways....... bk to safty ....... my passanger door is seatbelted shut... i did that one nite parked somewhere and never unbelted it..... which thats fine. gives me a sense of security.

[pjjjjj]

Originally Posted by morningstar55ny

ok there was a guy who knocked on my door last nite ... and while it was still daylight...

Did your visitor know you were of the female variety before he came knockin? I could see people with the same carrier wanting to chat, and probably many don't have the bonus of mentorship availability via an owner. What ended up happening with him? It's sad that women have to be scared out there, but I guess any normal-ish kinda guy would understand. Then again, if the guy is so persistent about knocking, he may not get the everday social cues in life, so who knows what he would understand.

[morningstar55ny]

Originally Posted by pjjjjj

Did your visitor know you were of the female variety before he came knockin? I could see people with the same carrier wanting to chat, and probably many don't have the bonus of mentorship availability via an owner. What ended up happening with him? It's sad that women have to be scared out there, but I guess any normal-ish kinda guy would understand. Then again, if the guy is so persistent about knocking, he may not get the everday social cues in life, so who knows what he would understand.

well........ ummm...... no one really knows if i am alone in here......
and i guess. having some pretty flowers stuck in my passanger door might give it away im a female driver...... lol
i hate to take them out... i do how ever change them with the seasons..... lol
i always get nice comments from the boarder patrol about my flowers...... lol
while in houston waiting for a red light ....... a city bus driver female.... in the next lane on passnger side.. looked at my door smiled at me and waved..... LOL ..
ya should see my truck at easter time , halloween and chirstmas...... LOL

[TIMBERWOLF]

Originally Posted by morningstar55ny

dammm ....... how could he not see u ??? bet he never does that again....... heh
oh umm btw......... u have a cute .. nic name....... lol

*S*...ok...................

[morningstar55ny]

Originally Posted by TIMBERWOLF

*S*...ok...................

*s* . ok ???

do you have anything to contribute to strangers knocking on your door for staying safe out there??

[cheri1122]

Morningstar: I don't think the flowers in the passenger window indicate anything more than that there probably is a woman in the truck, not that she's alone in there. There are a few dead giveaways, though, like piling the passenger seat with stuff, or making the whole truck so 'girly' that' it's unmistakable, or putting just your name on it. (Terry wouldn't let me do that last one - when he gave me some EO stickers, he had them say "Cheri & Garcia" which still cracks me up)
I just know that if I belted the passenger door shut, I'd forget, and be really embarrassed, when I went to unload some groceries, and the dang door wouldn't open, even with the key! It's hard enough to look capable, sometimes, without doing really stupid stuff like that, ya know?

[morningstar55ny]

Originally Posted by cheri1122

Morningstar: I don't think the flowers in the passenger window indicate anything more than that there probably is a woman in the truck, not that she's alone in there. There are a few dead giveaways, though, like piling the passenger seat with stuff, or making the whole truck so 'girly' that' it's unmistakable, or putting just your name on it. (Terry wouldn't let me do that last one - when he gave me some EO stickers, he had them say "Cheri & Garcia" which still cracks me up)
I just know that if I belted the passenger door shut, I'd forget, and be really embarrassed, when I went to unload some groceries, and the dang door wouldn't open, even with the key! It's hard enough to look capable, sometimes, without doing really stupid stuff like that, ya know?

heh......... maybe i should put beware of wolf..... huh???? lol .... ok just kidding...
thought about putting morningstar on the door.... but maybe not.... if i do maybe 2 names.....

[cheri1122]

Something Sherelyn said earlier is really bothering me: "all the women said they never leave the truck at night".....If that's correct, what a sad comment it is, on the 'freedom' we enjoy. I leave the truck at night, whenever I want to - to refrain would make me feel as if I were on 'house arrest', or being punished for something.
My other concern is the implication that if it's dangerous after dark, then it's safe in the daylight - and that is not true, and just creates a false sense of security. The extra risks involved in being female exist day and night, 24/7. While we need to be always aware of them, I hope we don't need to be a prisoner to the fears. I won't, anyway.

[morningstar55ny]

Originally Posted by cheri1122

Something Sherelyn said earlier is really bothering me: "all the women said they never leave the truck at night".....If that's correct, what a sad comment it is, on the 'freedom' we enjoy. I leave the truck at night, whenever I want to - to refrain would make me feel as if I were on 'house arrest', or being punished for something.
My other concern is the implication that if it's dangerous after dark, then it's safe in the daylight - and that is not true, and just creates a false sense of security. The extra risks involved in being female exist day and night, 24/7. While we need to be always aware of them, I hope we don't need to be a prisoner to the fears. I won't, anyway.

oh i hear ya.......... i go out in the nigth only if i need too........
and just really watch for stuff.......
there was a panther van driver i met ... his son and a daughter r both driving.... in there own vans........ the son...... i think is 21 .. was going bk to his van...... and was jumped.kidnaped and robbed..... he was beat up some .. cant remember how bad...... and this happend at night....... he is going to be ok...... but wow.