{"id":1882,"date":"2012-03-01T07:14:05","date_gmt":"2012-03-01T12:14:05","guid":{"rendered":"http:\/\/www.tenfourmagazine.com\/?p=1882"},"modified":"2012-03-01T22:09:33","modified_gmt":"2012-03-02T03:09:33","slug":"women-at-the-wheel","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/www.tenfourmagazine.com\/content\/2012\/03\/poetry-in-motion\/women-at-the-wheel\/","title":{"rendered":"Women At The Wheel"},"content":{"rendered":"

\"\"<\/a>Over the years I\u2019ve written many poems about trucks and the drivers that run them, but a quick review of the majority of my writings reveals that the implication leans toward an understanding that all of the drivers are male (except the one called \u201cLittle Old Lady in the Rockin\u2019 Chair\u201d). However, I would like to take this opportunity to honor the women who have chosen to climb up in the driver\u2019s seat and roll the rigs as proudly as their male counterparts. Women have been involved in trucking for as long as trucks have rolled, but they have largely been under-appreciated and unnoticed. I immediately think of my own mom, who started out riding with my dad and then \u201creluctantly\u201d got her CDL so that she could run second-seat and help him as a team driver. Through the years, though, my mom has driven everything from heavy-haulers and off-road dump trucks to ultra-fancy rooster cruisers that turn the heads of even the most critical of onlookers. She has also taught driving at a truck driving school and has stacked more than her fair share of freight. She has run as a team with my dad and solo, in her own truck, as well. I\u2019m proud to say that I\u2019ve even had the opportunity to run a few team trips with my mom \u2013 those are times I will never forget. That woman knows how to drive a truck with a level of professionalism that is hard to find these days. I also think of some of the women drivers who I\u2019ve come to know and admire over the years. Mama Kim, my good friend and one of the truest old school truckers you\u2019ll ever meet, could make your head spin with her knowledge of \u201cthe way it was\u201d in the early days. I love getting deep in conversation with Kim as we take trips down memory lane to remember the nostalgic elements of the trucking lifestyle. Thanks, Kim! And then there are the women who I\u2019ve never met, but who I know represent the industry with pride since I\u2019ve seen how they do their jobs with, perhaps, more courtesy than many of us guys do. In any case, I\u2019d like to give a heartfelt \u201cthank you\u201d to all of the women who\u2019ve chosen to drive a truck for a living. But, more than that, they\u2019ve adopted it as a lifestyle and carry themselves in such a manner that we guys could all be inspired by them. With that said, this one\u2019s for the girls.<\/p>\n

 <\/p>\n

FOR THE GIRLS
\nBy Trevor Hardwick<\/strong><\/p>\n

\"\"<\/a>She\u2019s got confidence, that can roll right through a storm,
\nA stare as cold as ice, and a heart that\u2019s true and warm.<\/p>\n

She\u2019s got nerves that could challenge, a man of solid steel,
\nAnd hands that are calloused, from a firm grip on the wheel.<\/p>\n

Her love for what she does, is coursing through her veins,
\nShe\u2019s not opposed to tarping, or throwing straps and chains.<\/p>\n

She works hard, for sure, and she loves her family,
\nAnd she may not be the only trucker, in her family tree.<\/p>\n

But she\u2019s not new, to this life of jammin\u2019 gears,
\nShe\u2019s paid her dues and worn the shoes, of blood, sweat and tears.<\/p>\n

She\u2019s from the old school, she remembers bingo plates,
\nHer memories are laced with times, of better paying freight.<\/p>\n

Back when truck stops, had only showers for the men.
\nWhen truck stops weren\u2019t called plazas, she remembers when.<\/p>\n

She\u2019s a woman of the truest form, a mother and a wife,
\nShe drives because she wants to, it\u2019s her chosen way of life.<\/p>\n

She\u2019s heard her share of comments, some ignorant and cruel,
\nBut think of all the trucks that roll, with estrogenic fuel!<\/p>\n

Women who roll 18 wheels, are a rare and precious breed,
\nAnd for the job you do, with pride, I thank you all, indeed.<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"

Over the years I\u2019ve written many poems about trucks and the drivers that run them, but a quick review of the majority of my writings reveals that the implication leans toward an understanding that all of the drivers are male (except the one called \u201cLittle Old Lady in the Rockin\u2019 Chair\u201d). However, I would like<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":3,"featured_media":1915,"comment_status":"open","ping_status":"open","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"_monsterinsights_skip_tracking":false,"_monsterinsights_sitenote_active":false,"_monsterinsights_sitenote_note":"","_monsterinsights_sitenote_category":0,"ngg_post_thumbnail":0,"footnotes":""},"categories":[13],"tags":[],"class_list":{"0":"post-1882","1":"post","2":"type-post","3":"status-publish","4":"format-standard","5":"has-post-thumbnail","7":"category-poetry-in-motion"},"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.tenfourmagazine.com\/content\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/1882","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.tenfourmagazine.com\/content\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.tenfourmagazine.com\/content\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.tenfourmagazine.com\/content\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/3"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.tenfourmagazine.com\/content\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=1882"}],"version-history":[{"count":5,"href":"https:\/\/www.tenfourmagazine.com\/content\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/1882\/revisions"}],"predecessor-version":[{"id":1994,"href":"https:\/\/www.tenfourmagazine.com\/content\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/1882\/revisions\/1994"}],"wp:featuredmedia":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.tenfourmagazine.com\/content\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media\/1915"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.tenfourmagazine.com\/content\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=1882"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.tenfourmagazine.com\/content\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=1882"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.tenfourmagazine.com\/content\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=1882"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}