The haulage industry has a shortage of drivers, so the government is urging companies to encourage more women to get behind the wheel. But what's life on the road like for a female trucker?

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'I've never been out on a job by myself before,' says Leonie John, as she smoothly pulls her 44-tonne truck out of a tight junction.

The 22-year-old former hairdresser now works for C M Downton, a haulage company with its headquarters in Gloucester and depots around Britain.

She started her apprenticeship in February, has gained the necessary qualifications and soon she'll be driving HGVs on her own all the time.

Leonie always wanted to be a lorry driver - she says she hates being 'stuck in one place' - but she thinks at least one aspect of her former life has helped with her new one.

'When I was a hairdresser I had to keep to appointment times and not keep people waiting. Now I'm a lorry driver, I have to keep to a delivery schedule and not be late. So it was useful practice.'

Haulage associations estimate there's a current shortfall of 45,000-60,000 drivers, with another 40,000 due to leave the industry by 2017.

MPs on the Commons Transport Select Committee have urged companies to expand their female workforce, which currently makes up just 8% of the 400,000 qualified drivers.

They also want the industry to come up with plans to attract more people from ethnic minority backgrounds.

Driver shortages

• 92% of the 400,000 people holding both an LGV licence (also known as HGV) and a Driver Certificate of Professional Competence are men
• More than 60% of LGV drivers are aged 45 years or over (compared with 35% in the general working age population)
• About 1% of LGV drivers are under 25
• It was reported in 2010 that only 3% of the road haulage workforce in England was from a Black, Asian or minority ethnic background

At Downton's Gloucestershire base there are 210 drivers - six are women.

Leonie describes the job as 'quite active', as there are many vehicle checks to be made - she finds a blown bulb at the back of the trailer before she sets off.

Straps have to be tightened to ensure the loads are secured, and the surrounding curtains have to be pulled open and closed, which takes a bit of heaving.

'I would recommend being a driver,' she says. 'You get to go out and see the world. And it's nice knowing you've delivered something that's going to appear in the shops for people to buy.'

But with day shifts being anything from 11 to 14 hours, life on the road can take its toll.

'My partner has a five-year-old daughter and there was a period where I didn't see her much. It is tough and the hours are long.'

Her initial apprenticeship period paid £180 a week. During her training, when she drives alongside a mentor, she says she'll get £4.50 an hour. Whenever she is out on her own, that rises to £9.

Leonie says it 'is a struggle for women in the industry' because it is so dominated by men.

'I told my dad I wanted to become a lorry driver and he wondered if there was something about the job that meant it wasn't for women, because so few of them did it.'

She thinks having better facilities would help.

'Some of the facilities at service stations and depots where we deliver to can be awful. There'll be one toilet for all drivers to use, and it won't have been cleaned enough. It's not nice for women to deal with that.'

Lorry life

• Prospective lorry drivers must be over 18 and have a full UK or EU driving licence
• The cost of training depends on where you live, how long you've had your basic licence and which new licence you require
• Cat C licences are for vehicles with a rigid-based body weighing more than 7.5 tons - such as fire engines and rubbish trucks. Starting salaries are about £24,000 per year
• Cat C+E licences are for any vehicle over 7.5 tons that has a detachable or separate trailer. Starting salaries for these are about £28,000 per year

In a recent survey of nearly 2,000 people, the Freight Transport Association found a common belief that lorry drivers were mostly older, overweight males and that the job involved long hours and was expensive to train for.

James Hookham, the FTA's deputy chief executive, also says there is a wrongful perception that it is very physical.

'Modern cabs are like spaceships these days, with automatic gears and steering and lots of creature comforts.'

He says the industry does, though, need to offer women more flexible hours in order to fit with family life, and he agrees that poor roadside facilities are a problem.

Annette Stagg, 53, of Elton in Cheshire, grew up in the haulage business as her father ran a company, but only became a driver for C M Downton later in life.

She agrees women 'don't need to be Superman' to deal with the physical aspects of the job: 'If you have a puncture you pull over, call the depot and a specialist team come out to change the tyre.

'The lorry cabs are all high-spec and quite secure. Once you're locked inside at night, then the only way in would be through smashing a window. And there's a phone in the cab with a direct line to the police. So I feel quite safe sleeping in one.'

The mother-of-two says she has generally been well accepted by male drivers.

'There's a hell of a lot of camaraderie and banter among the drivers. As soon as they see the hi-vis jacket they start chatting to you and we have a laugh. They don't really give a damn if you're a woman or not.

'They call me a pup in training, because I haven't been doing it 30 years. But I'm glad I got into it, because I love my job.'

Why do we tend to read trucker magazines on a daily basis? Which are the best trucker magazines in US that are providing the most amazing news from the trucking industry?

To be sincere, there are multiple answers to these questions, and it all depends from each persons’ point of view. But in general from a psychological point of view we can see that by reading these magazines we are feeling more inspired, and at the same time we hope that in the middle of an ordinary day we can find something that can lead us to improving our trucking business. Isn’t that so?On the other hand when it comes to the second question- Which are the best trucker magazines in US- I can give you a more precise answer, because unlike the first question this one can be answered more equitably.After going through a variety of strategies and surveys, I came up with the ranking of the following 10 best trucker magazines in US, all of these magazines that I have chosen are providing the best and most reliable news from the trucking industry.Let’s take a look!

1. Overdrive Magazine

Overdrive Magazine is one of the 10 best trucker magazines in US. This magazine is the premier provider of the latest trucking news.

Besides being one of the best trucker magazines in US, Overdrive Magazine has remained to be a free business publication- providing important and latest information to qualified owner operators.An amazing fact about this top US magazine is that- Overdrive Magazine has remained to attract new readers and to attain the loyal ones for more than 50 years so far.The main topics that this magazine covers mostly include:

• New Truck Information;
• Gear Reviews;
• Regulation News, as well as
• Industry News, and many more….

If you want to keep up with the latest news that this trucking magazine provides you can subscribe to their newsletter, or to get connected with them via: Twitter, Facebook, YouTube, Google+, Linked In.Believe me when I say that there ain’t a person who is engaged in the trucking industry and is not amazed by the topics and trucking information that this magazine provides. Not to forget, Overdrive Magazine is supported by The Chamber of Commerce of West Alabama.

2. Road King Magazine

Road King Magazine is ranked as one of the 10 best trucker magazines in US. For more than 50 years Road King Magazine has been and has remained to be the top read choice of the people that are operating in the trucking industry.

This trucker magazine is mainly focused of delivering the best reads to their loyal readers, it is mostly focused on the truckers’ lifestyle, their issues, as well as their stories. Mostly the readers of Road King Magazine comprise owner-operators, and fleet truck drivers.Hence, Road King Magazine is an award winning magazine and not only that it is also nationwide recognized magazine- thanks to its reliable, truthful, and useful content. This magazine also features Locations and Amenities Guide that include more than 230 TA and Petrol locations.Maybe one of the reasons why truck drivers and the other people that are engaged in the trucking industry enjoy reading Road King Magazine is the fact that this magazine spotlights the men and women that are operating on the roads every day- including their story, and the main motivation that keeps them in this industry.

3. Trucker’s Connection Magazine

Trucker’s Connection is one of the best trucker magazines in US, it is part of the Trucking Division of Target Media Partners.

In fact, Target Media Partners represent digital and print advertising solution providers, serving mostly the private parties of all kinds of businesses. Therefore, this trucker magazine is helping truck drivers to find new job opportunities.Get FREE White Paper With 10 Secret Tips To Get Free Subscription To Trucker Magazine
Moreover, as a market leader in the long-haul trucking businesses- Trucker’s Connection is representing one of the best truck driver recruiting market.Henceforth, this trucker magazine has six national sister publications.In the latest monthly issue Trucker’s Connect has included the following trucking companies:

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• Celadon;
• Marten;
• Schuster;
• Heart Land Express;
• Min Star Transport;

Additional useful tip for the truckers that are operating on the road- On the website of this trucker magazine you can find few quick links like:

• Job Search at www.TruckJobSeekers.com ;
• Weather Information;
• Trucking News;
• National News;
• Celebrity Gossips, and so on.

It is my recommendation that you stay connected with Trucker’s Connection.

4. Truckers News Magazine

Trucker News Magazine is ranked as one of the 10 best trucker magazines in US, and there is no reason for you to wonder why. It is more than crystal clear that Trucker News Magazine is providing the best trucker news and information in the most time-efficient manner.

Thereupon, Trucker News Magazine is providing information about:

• Trucks;
• Trucking News;
• Features;
• Fun In The Trucking Industry;
• Truckers Health;
• Job Opportunities for truck drivers;
• Trucking Gear;

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This trucker magazine is also featuring newsletter, so that their readers can be updated with the latest trucking news- that are concerning them for sure.If you are a truck driver, who is driving on the road on a constant basis, and you don’t have time to keep track of the latest trucking updates- than Trucker News Magazine is the perfect choice for you. With this leading US trucker magazine you will stay connected with the latest happenings.

5. 10-4 Magazine

10-4 Magazine was incorporated in 1993 in Southern California, since its establishment it has become one of the best reads for the people in the trucking industry. Their most loyal readers are:

• Company Drivers;
• Owner-Operators;
• Small Fleet Owners;

Moreover, 10-4 Magazine can be found on places where the truck drivers go frequently, such as:

• Truck Stops;
• Restaurants;
• Truck Washes;
• Repair Facilities;

Although this trucking magazine straight after its incorporation has started to write mostly about particular advertisements, nowadays it is way more developed and its topics cover almost all topics that concern the people in the trucking industry.Henceforth, 10-4 Magazine occasionally makes humanitarian events- they are raising money for all kinds of charities.Since its incorporation this trucker magazine is improving as a publication. One more interesting feature that 10-4 Magazine allows on its official website is- providing links to other sites that are related to the trucking industry.Furthermore, in almost every edition of this magazine its readers can find a truck-related cartoon, which is being drawn by the truck driver and cartoonist Vic Vasselin.10 Best Trucker Magazines In US was last modified: February 20th, 2018 by Jurica Magoci

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