Cover Story

Carol Pickens - U.S. Xpress

Carol Pickens knows what it’s like to be part of a small group. After all, she grew up in an Illinois town with a population of only 580. Not to mention she is one of one of the smallest minorities in the transportation industry—a lady driver.
     But Carol doesn’t mind that females make up less than 5% of America’s truck drivers, because she drives for U.S. Xpress. And so do 1,200 other women who are living their professional dream—to be treated as equals.
     “They treat [lady drivers] like the valuable employees we are,” she said of U.S. Xpress, for which she’s been driving for three years. “We’re here to do a job just like everyone else, and they respect that.”
     Carol decided to attend CDL school after being out of the workforce for 13 years, caring for her ailing mother. And she said that when she got her license and began looking for a company, U.S. Xpress stood out right away.
     “Most employers look at a woman who hasn’t been in the workforce for years as unqualified,” she said. “But U.S. Xpress made me feel welcome right away. They called me three times and let me know they really wanted me to sign on with them.”
But that wasn’t all that attracted her to U.S. Xpress.
“The pay is great,” she added.
In fact, U.S. Xpress has some of the top pay rates and benefits in the industry. Solo drivers can earn up to 43 cents per mile with sign-on bonuses of up to $1,000.
“There are drivers at other companies who tell me they’ve been driving with their companies for three years and they’re making 32 cents per mile,” Carol said. “All I can do is smile.”
U.S. Xpress also has some of the best equipment in the industry. Just ask Carol.
“These trucks are really set up for the comfort of the driver,” she said. “Plus safety features like the Sidetracker [blind spot cameras] make it a lot safer for me to go into an intersection or change lanes.”
She’s also a fan of the auto-shift transmission, which is standard on all U.S. Xpress trucks.
“I love the auto-shift transmission, even though I learned on a 10 speed,” she said. “It makes backing up a lot easier, plus I can go down the interstate in rush hour with no problem.”
And thanks to U.S. Xpress’s pet and rider policy, there’s not much of America’s interstate that she and her dog, Boomer, haven’t seen.
“The pet policy at U.S. Xpress is very good,” she said. “And Boomer loves the truck. He rides with me everywhere.”
But her favorite thing about working for U.S. Xpress, she said, is the people.
“It’s like one big family here,” she said. “If you have a question or problem they’re friendly, and they’re willing to help you. Plus they bend over backwards to get me home time whenever I ask for it.
“I would recommend U.S. Xpress to anyone, especially females,” she added. “I truly believe this is the best place for female drivers, anywhere.”
The staff of Over the Road and Pro Trucker magazines would like to wish Carol continued success with U.S. Xpress. If you would like to learn more about driving opportunities available now at U.S. Xpress, give one of their recruiters a call at (866) 483-1028, visit their Web site at xpressdrivers.com or see their ad on page 31 of this issue.