National Tank Truck Carriers (NTTC) 2018-19 Professional Tank Truck Driver of the Year Barbara Herman, who drives for K-Limited Carrier, has been representing NTTC and tank truck drivers everywhere for nearly a year now.
She’s been showing out for women in trucking for more than 30 years.
So what advice does Herman share with young ladies who are considering a career as a tank truck driver? It’s simple: Be confident.
“You need to have the confidence,” she said. “As a woman in this industry … I have been told to go home, put on my apron and cook dinner for my husband, or I don’t need to be out here, it’s a man’s world, why are you here? I am here because I have found an industry where I can earn a decent wage, and whether I’m male or female, my pay is the same.
“So I would not let someone (who doubts me) dictate whether or not I want to go into this business.”
Herman also talked about her experiences during her year-long tour as Grand Champion and, along with Candi Coate, K-Limited’s vice president of safety and regulatory compliance, touched on industry issues ranging from workforce development to how drivers are treated at loading racks, and the latest truck equipment and technology.
“(Herman’s) a great source of pride. We’re very proud of Barb,” Coate said. “We’ve had a finalist in the competition every year, and this was our first time bringing home the trophy, so it’s just a great morale booster for all of our drivers. We’ve tried really hard to improve the image of the truck driver and encourage people to get into the industry, and this is one more thing we’re doing to be involved in that, and our mission of improving that image.”
Living large
Herman said winning driver of the year has been a “huge honor,” allowing her to meet people and go places she wouldn’t have otherwise. She also said her relationship with her peers hasn’t changed, other than receiving frequent congratulatory praise—and questions about how they, too, can reach her elite status.
Coate said having a driver help represent the industry in Washington DC is invaluable.
“It makes a big difference,” she said. “We can go in there and represent our drivers and try to get the message across, but when you have an actual driver in there, who’s on the road every day, and can really describe what the issues are to somebody who’s willing to listen, that’s what makes the impact, and that’s how we can make a change.”
Herman’s happy to help, and appreciative of the recognition—and she wants every driver to feel equally valued and respected.
“Regardless of whether you nominate them for NTTC or your neighborhood driver of the year, always give your drivers a pat on the back,” Herman said. “Even though they’re going to say, ‘You know what, that doesn’t mean anything to me,’ it really does. Just hearing, ‘Hey, good job driver,’ means the world.”
Workforce development
Herman is a certified driver trainer for K-Limited. She said she usually can tell whether somebody is cut out for driving a tank truck within three days. If they’re more interested in talking about last night than asking questions from the outset, they may not have the level of focus needed to succeed while pulling a tank full of chemicals.
Coate said K-Limited doesn’t require tank experience coming in, as many bulk carriers do, so the company gives drivers a little more time to demonstrate their potential than Herman would like to give some of the less worthy candidates. So training time is flexible, depending on experience and aptitude, but by Week 2, their appreciation for the critical nature of the products K-Limited hauls better be readily apparent.
As for allowing 18- to 21-year-olds to drive trucks across state lines, Herman’s for it, as long as they’re thoroughly trained. The younger they start, she said, the sooner they can begin preparing for truck driving as a lucrative career option, which is how trucking companies want more people to view their industry anyway.
Recruiting younger drivers also is a key piece of trucking’s goal to better target specific demographics, including women and minorities, as they try to bolster a more well-rounded workforce. Herman said it’s important for women to understand they don’t have to look or act like a man to drive a big rig and be their own boss.
“I don’t have to throw away my femininity because I’m a (driver),” Herman said. “I can still do my hair. I do not do my nails—I never have—but … there are women who, if that’s what they choose to do, they still can do it.
“(And) our trucks are a lot better than they used to be.”
Moving forward
Herman supports speed limiters. She says up to 70 mph probably is OK but K-Limited sets their governors at 65 mph. As for autonomous trucks in hazmat? Everyone on stage agreed: No, no, no, never.
Herman is a fan of air-ride suspensions, and microwaves, refrigerators and satellite TV in sleeper trucks. And she prefers brewing a fresh cup of coffee in her cozy cab over walking across a truck stop parking lot in the freezing cold. She is not, however, a fan of front-end collision systems that never stop beeping in traffic.
She also supports treating drivers better at loading racks and other places where they wait for long periods of time, especially when those considerations include a comfortable chair, and perhaps a TV and vending machines—minor concessions any company can provide to show appreciation for the folks who move America forward.
“The most important thing I’ve heard from drivers is they just want to be respected,” Coate said. “Half the time, they’re delivering a very critical product for this customer, and without it they’d shut down. However, they don’t always appreciate the fact that the driver brought it safely and made the delivery.”