Documentary looks at women truckers
Date: 13 August 2007
A documentary looking at women within the freight haulage industry has been released.
'Alligator on the Zipper', an American production, profiles a number of female truckers who "heed the call of the road that speaks to their independent spirit".
One is Patsy Van Flateren, an immigrant from Belgium who survived an abusive past to go on and build a successful flatbed truck business. Another is Jackie Wheeler, who began as a trucker and went on to make a fortune selling a safety device for drivers.
"The stories of these women and five others give us a candid look into the rarely viewed lifestyle of women truckers," a spokesman said. "The open highways of America are where these independent women reinvent and transform themselves and reach for their dreams."
One of the other women profiled is Lorraina, who says: "I got into trucking because I wanted to be free! Trucking is the coolest job I've ever had.
"It's just me, music, and driving. It is a little bit of a personality change. At home I feel more quiet, more emotional. Like air - easily moved around. Behind the wheel I feel more solid, more confident. I guess I feel proud of myself."
The 'alligator on the zipper' referred to in the title is a blown out tyre in the middle of the road.
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