♪♪ ♪♪ [ Engine rumbling ] [ Truck approaching ] [ Engine rumbling ] [ Rain pattering ] [ Engine rumbling ] [ Rain pattering ] [ Engine rumbling ] [ Engine rumbling ] [ Engine rumbling ] [ Blinker clicking ] [ Engine rumbling ] [ Blinker continues clicking ] -Oh... [ Engine rumbling ] [ Truck beeping ] [ Traffic swooshing by ] [ Truck beeping ] We're gonna have to back up way more than we are to get that curve.

I'll spot you to go back.

[ Vehicles whooshing ] [ Car horn beeps ] ...you!

...you.

Idiot.

If I get in there and they tell me they gotta unload him first, I'm gonna be...pissed.

[ Blinker clicking ] [ Engine rumbling ] He's late, I'm early.

[ Engine rumbling, blinker clicking ] [ Horn blows ] Thank you.

[ Engine rumbling ] [ Air brakes whooshing ] [ Sighs ] Okay.

[ Light clicks off ] [ Dramatic music playing ] ♪♪ [ Dramatic music continues ] ♪♪ [ Dramatic music continues ] ♪♪ [ Dramatic music continues ] ♪♪ [ Dramatic music continues ] ♪♪ [ Dramatic music continues ] ♪♪ ♪♪ ♪♪ [ Cart rattling ] [ Bags rustling ] [ Bag rustling ] [ Todd Rundgren's "Hello, It's Me" playing ] -♪ Hello, it's me ♪ ♪ I've thought about us for a long, long time ♪ ♪ Maybe I think too much but something's wrong ♪ ♪ There's something here doesn't last too long ♪ ♪ Maybe I shouldn't think of you as mine ♪ ♪♪ ♪ Seeing you ♪ ♪ Or seeing anything as much as I do ♪ ♪ I take for granted that you're always there ♪ ♪ I take for granted that you just don't care ♪ ♪ Sometimes I can't help seeing all the way through ♪ [ "Hello, It's Me" fades ] ♪♪ [ Engine rumbling ] -You know, I don't look in people's cars because every time I do it's like a man jacking off or something like that.

So I try not to look at people's cars.

[ Laughing ] I've seen so many men, they got their pants down around their ankles, jacking off while they're driving.

And men that wear suits to work, nice suits, and they're not wearing their pants or whatever.

So even other male drivers will come up and do it.

So I try not to look out my side window when a car is coming by.

So sometimes when they're lingering for a long time, I'm like, oh, no, I know what they're doing, I know what they're doing, and then I see the little hand come out of the kid or the little, they're going like that, I'm like, okay.

[ Horn blows ] Okay, and then they're like, yay!

That makes you happy.

[ Engine rumbling ] If we can get something to go Friday, Saturday, Sunday, be there for a morning delivery and make $3,000 over the weekend, that's good.

This Medford, Oregon, is 5, 10, 15, 20, Friday, Saturday, Sunday.

If I delivered this on Tuesday, I'd do the Medford, Oregon, one and then get a load back to the south.

But the freight is dead in Texas right now.

All right, well, at least some loads are turning up so I'm not gonna panic.

I've already accepted the fact that I don't get a paycheck next week.

And then I'll just have to get a really big one the week after.

[ Engine rumbling ] Hello?

Hi.

Okay, well, it's a long story, but I'll try to make it short.

I saw a lot of conditions where they were exploiting people like me, homeless, middle-aged women, minorities, and then they pretty much rush them through school, rush them through training, throw 'em out on the road to pull freight in team driving situations.

For a single woman like myself, some very dangerous situations with harassment, retaliation for reporting it, and then you get your paycheck, and it's nothing.

[ Hole's "Doll Parts" playing ] -♪ I fake it so real, I am beyond fake ♪ ♪ And someday you will ache like I ache ♪ -Because I was in such a desperate life situation myself at the time I entered trucking, I really liked the driving.

I really liked being in a different place every day.

I really liked having this little space all to myself, my little mobile house and the whole idea of just ending up wherever every day.

I felt like I was ahead of the curve because our society's so based around, you know, what stuff you have.

And when you say I don't have anything, like that's like a big number on your head, too, to say I don't have anything, I don't have a car, I don't have a handbag, I don't have that kind of clothes or whatever.

Especially when you did at one time, and when I was meeting people who were having to downsize their house and feeling ashamed about it, I was already way past that where I lost everything and I was just, I was just happy that I had a truck over my head, but I really didn't have any ambition of ever having a big house again, or a lot of cars.

I was fine, I was happy not having all that...to worry about.

[ Truck beeping ] [ Engine rumbling ] -Yeah, if you sneak through the last fuel pump that's open.

-Okay.

-And then once you can see the pump, make a left and come around, I'll turn my markers on.

But then you can pull up into one of the reserved spots and back straight in next to me.

-Okay, I can only stay a few minutes.

[ Michelle chuckling ] -Ready?

-Yep, I got candy.

-Got candy?

-You look like a truck driver, can't even get out of the damn parking lot and you're already eating.

-I don't have a sack of candy though.

-[ Giggles ] Well, I was out of Twizzlers.

-Living on sugar highs.

-Listen, I was outta Twizzlers and there's only a couple places that sell these candy-coated Tootsie Rolls.

-Well, there's only a couple places you can get these at a truck stop.

-But I'm not already eating my candy 'cause I already got an open bag in the truck.

-I gotta drive.

-You got an automatic, come on, keep on.

-I don't get to go get snuggly in bed and eat my candy with my dog the rest of the night.

-That's true, 'cause that's what we're gonna do.

[ Giggles ] -Huh?

-'Cause that's what we're gonna do.

'Cause I'm not in any kind of hurry, so.

I guess this guy's just gonna run over us.

[ Hair brush clanks, product sprays ] [ Engine rumbling ] [ Metal clinking ] [ Door squeaking ] [ Engine rumbling ] Quality control was not on the ball.

Check these out.

"Dear @Twizzlers."

Oh, I just get on these guys when they don't do their...right.

What we got for hashtags going on today?

Monday vibes, Monday motivations trending.

Tweet.

[ Engine rumbling ] When I started you had to carry change for the phones, right, so you're putting dimes in and you kinda had to prearrange a phone call with them before you left.

I'm gonna call you every, every Sunday at five or whatever.

I mean, if you had to call home for like, you wanted to surprise-call somebody, you wouldn't get anybody.

And that's when people would start getting upset out here and the loneliness would kick in because you tried to call home and you were gonna surprise 'em and nobody answered.

And you don't know where they're at.

And then your brain starts going, they probably went out, they probably went to the bar.

It was hard.

It was a lot of work to maintain close friendships and family friendships and, you know what I mean, it was a lot of work.

I mean, I've never, I have never, I've always been dedicated to my job so I've never really... allowed... missing somebody or needing to miss somebody affect my job.

So...

I didn't -- No.

There you go, simple answer.

I've always been a dedicated driver.

Right?

Is it at the back?

Oh, is it?

Oh, okay, yeah.

There's your seal.

You need my help?

Thank you.

I don't see anybody coming at us.

Jess is at home.

She's at home, it looks like she's at home.

Looks like she's at home.

What the hell, people, get to work.

She's at home, she's at home.

Me, Idella, and Brita are the only ones working [ Brakes whooshing ] Mark?

-Most of the time, them harnesses burn out.

-The what?

-The harness.

-Even if just one?

-Yeah, I'll find out what we got.

Where y'all headed to?

-North Dakota.

-North Dakota?

-Yeah.

-I might go with y'all then.

[ Desiree laughing ] So you ain't getting it there either now.

-I don't need any more headaches.

This just came out of 14 days in the shop for a differential.

-Oh.

-So I'm just trying to get back to work, you know.

-Yes, ma'am.

Now you gotta get your money back right.

-Yeah.

-It takes time.

-Yeah.

-My daddy's been in this industry for years.

-Yeah?

-Mm-hmm.

-Sure was, my grandpa also.

That's all they ever done.

I've been in this for, since I was a little boy.

-Really?

-So, yeah.

So I know how it is.

-Yeah.

-Your headlight, 12 months, right out of warranty, I'm assuming, but you could run just your blinkers.

-Okay.

-I'm gonna replace this.

And you have your running lights besides your blinker, I mean besides your running lights up front, you have all your blinkers and your running lights here.

-Okay, so I can go as it is.

-Yeah, oh, yeah.

-And then just put it on the to-do list.

-Mm-hmm, it ain't a DOT violation at all.

Long as you got your bulb in there, as long as it blinks.

-Okay, all right.

-I'll be right back.

-Sounds good, thank you.

-You only had her for five minutes.

-Oh, I see.

-Instead of a half an hour.

So that changed it.

-I only charged you five minutes instead of a half hour.

I'm sorry.

-Oh, five hours?

-No, no, Five minutes.

-Okay.

I wanna take a selfie with you.

-I'm gonna break your phone.

-Okay.

-Don't we look pretty together.

-We do, salt and pepper.

-Go ahead and marry me.

[ Pair laughing ] -Y'all be careful.

Bye, y'all.

-Thank you so much.

[ Washington Phillips' "Mother's Last Word To Her Son" playing ] [ Engine rumbling ] ♪♪ ♪♪ -♪ I never can forget the day ♪ ♪ When my dear mother did sweetly say ♪ ♪ You are leavin', my darling boy ♪ [ Engine rumbling ] [ Engine rumbling ] [ Engine rumbling ] -Hello?

-Hey, is this Desiree?

-Yes, hi.

So tell me what your situation is.

There's a lot of women that have emerged from domestic violence that have come to trucking.

And it's almost like facing the monster a little bit, working along somebody that you were once afraid of and now you're not.

You will have to go on a trainer's truck between 35 and 45 days, depending on your skill level and how fast you learn.

It's just really, it's the first couple months, really tough, the first six months, it's long.

And once you get six months of experience, it starts to ease up a little bit.

And after the first year, if you can get through it with no citations and survive the money and all of that stuff, you have a lot more choices of places you could go.

But it is no cakewalk.

[ Engine rumbling ] I was raped when somebody broke into my house when I was sleeping, when my kids were little and I was in no...frame of mind to deal with a lot of men.

But that was my job and I had to do it.

So when I'm hearing somebody that's got fresh wounds like that and I'm thinking about all the...that she's gonna encounter, I'm like, a lot of this is gonna be on you, man.

This is gonna be on you, not the guys, to keep it together.

Even though you want to blow your...top, you're gonna have to forge ahead and see the light at the end of the tunnel is worth the... that you'll deal with for these couple months.

That's what you gotta focus on is pretend you're going to boot camp and there's no quitting and you will live through it and it's gonna...suck...hard.

But when you're done, you're gonna be a different person, a better person and the old person's gonna be gone, the weak person's gonna be gone.

[ Engine rumbling ] [ Water rushing ] -There you go, I'll be the president.

[ Indistinct conversations ] -I started in trucking 'cause my ex-husband didn't wanna work, so everybody goes, well, you can drive a truck.

So I went to truck driving school and, ooh, I went and started with JB Hunt.

[ Group exclaiming ] -Yeah.

I've driven flatbed, tanker, reefer, dry van.

But tanker is my favorite 'cause you get a good out, I love climbing on top of there, handling the hoses and just having a good time.

-It's the best job.

I don't have a boss over my shoulder doing this because I have a tendency of doing that.

It's a home away from home, but I'm on vacation.

I get paid to be on vacation.

They just ask me to do a little bit of work and that's pick up and deliver.

Okay, you can't get that anywhere.

-My name's Edee and I've been out here like four and a half years.

I love what I do.

I've seen all 48 states within the first year of it.

I've seen all 48 in the continental.

It's a beautiful country.

I love the fact that I get paid to see it and I just love what I do.

I can't imagine doing anything else ever, ever again.

[ Elevator beeps ] -When I sit down in the truck and then I pull my shoulders up and I'm back and I pull 'em down so the chest is out, you know, my posture's good and I'm ready to go.

I've got the power, I've got the control.

I love it, I love my driving, I don't wanna quit.

And I wouldn't wanna ever hurt anybody but I wanna die right there in that damn seat.

And I want everybody to say, oh, my God, we lost an icon.

[ Water bubbling ] [ Woman laughing ] [ Water bubbling ] -Come on, Idella, ready?

[ Woman screaming ] [ Woman continues screaming ] [ Indistinct conversations ] -Thank you everybody for coming.

I don't know if this works, hello, does this work?

-Yes.

-Okay.

The lack of unity among drivers was really something that I saw was tearing any kind of progress in this industry apart, whether it's wages or any other issue that you think is important.

I had female executives telling me I shouldn't tell anybody what happened to me even though they knew rapes were going on, even though they knew people were being assaulted, both men and women.

And they were rewarding people that would keep their mouth shut instead of talking about it and exposing it and cleaning it up.

That protects predators.

[ Ocean waves rushing ] [ Passengers murmuring ] -I guess they were hollering at me 'cause they think I'm cute.

-Yes.

-Look at that sunburnt dude.

-The what?

-Sunburnt dude.

I think these people are dumb.

-Where?

-Right there.

-Oh, the one scrouching?

-Yeah.

-They're on this big recruiting thing, but why are you recruiting people when you haven't fixed the system?

Fix the system and you won't have to recruit because people will come voluntarily.

So quit with all these recruiting lies 'cause the stuff that you offered them is not gonna happen.

When they offer 'em, oh, you can make $56,000 a year, yeah, about your fourth year, they don't tell you that.

They don't tell you you're gonna starve the first two months as a trainee.

They don't tell you, oh, we'll give you an advance but we're gonna, we'll give you a hundred dollar advance, so you're not gonna get a check next week.

They don't tell you this stuff.

They're trying to say right now that, ooh, women are an untapped gold mine.

They are, but they were an untapped gold mine 30 years ago, too.

So don't even blow glitter up my ass here.

Don't do us any favors by saying you need women now 'cause just fix your... and we'll do the job.

[ "Tequila" playing on piano ] -Yes, work it, work it, work the Pee Wee Herman.

[ Group cheering ] -Here we go.

Everybody say... ♪ Tequila ♪ [ Cheers and applause ] -♪ Left a good job in the city ♪ ♪ Working for the man every night and day ♪ ♪ But, I never lost one minute of sleep ♪ ♪ Worryin' about the way that things might have been ♪ ♪ Big wheel keep on turnin' ♪ ♪ Proud Mary keep on burnin' ♪ ♪ And you can tell everybody this is your song ♪ ♪ It may be quite simple, but now that it's done ♪ ♪ I hope you don't mind, I hope you don't mind ♪ ♪ That I put down in words ♪ ♪ How wonderful life is while you're in the world ♪ [ Rain and distant thunder ] [ Engine rumbling ] -They're good with you paying an extra quarter payment until 9/3, on 9/3, I will start billing a half payment per week until the past due balance of 12,000.

So I'm gonna have to pay 1,200 a week for my truck payment after Labor Day to get caught up on all of this stuff.

So we definitely have to move outta the house and hope this truck doesn't break down, or just turn in the truck and get a cheaper truck, or just quit trucking.

[ Sighs ]...

I don't know what I'm gonna do.

I'm not gonna be able to do this very much longer, though.

[ Truck beeping ] I've had one paycheck since the cruise in May And it's August 1st.

[ Bag rustling ] [ Engine rumbling ] [ Neil Young's "Old Man" playing ] ♪♪ ♪ Old man, look at my life, I'm a lot like you were ♪ ♪ Old man, look at my life, I'm a lot like you were ♪ ♪♪ ♪ Old man, take a look at my life, I'm a lot like you ♪ ♪ I need someone to love me the whole day through ♪ ♪ Ah, one look in my eyes, and you can tell that's ♪ -Not going there, not going there.

No, I can't do it.

[ Engine rumbling ] The load number is 270018602, er, yeah, that's the load number, uh-huh.

-Okay.

Let's see.

Looks like it is still available.

-How much does it weigh?

-It weighs, it's 44,000.

Are you able to do that or is that too, are you able to do all that?

-What is it?

-It is black beans.

-What is it?

-Black beans.

-Black beans, yeah.

I did beans before.

Ah, 44,000, I guess.

Can I put an offer in for it or are they firm?

What do you got on it?

-Let's see, let me, sorry, lemme put you on hold for one second.

I just need to check something really quick.

-Okay.

-Give me one minute.

-Welcome to C.H.

Robinson, a global logistics company committed to creating a competitive advantage for your business.

We thank you for your call and we'll be back with you shortly.

-And you have a dry van, right, 53 foot?

-Yep.

-If you're pretty sure that you can make it, we should be good to do it.

Would you like the rate on that?

-Yeah, what is the rate?

-It's 3,500.

-Can you do 36?

-Let me, yeah, we can do 36.

-Okay, when does it deliver, Monday?

-Yeah, it's Monday, it's Monday.

-Okay.

[ Engine rumbling ] [ Engine rumbling ] -Sometimes you're tired for no reason.

Sometimes you just yawn all day for no reason.

Sometimes you sneeze all day.

Sometimes you just don't have any ambition.

Sometimes you start driving, it's like, oh, no, I need to take a nap.

Sometimes you can just get and your 11 hours of driving's up and it's like, man, I could go on for another eight hours.

So, every day's... We're the same human as everybody else, we just are on a time clock.

So whether we feel good or not, if we got 11 hours on my clock and we need to go 11 hours, that's what we do... ...whether we got a stomachache or we wanna take a nap or whatever.

[ Engine rumbling ] So no, it's not really like a vacation, believe me.

Seeing the United States is awesome, but it's definitely not vacation.

-[ Grunting ] This hurts.

My knee, this knee can't be down.

This hurts.

...it... [ Truck beeping in distance ] [ Wrench clicking ] [ Metal clinks ] Whoo!

-Yeah, this is Chad at New Baden Love's.

Do you have any quarter-inch rubber airline fittings?

All righty, all right, thank you.

-Oh, boy.

-Yeah, this is Chad over at New Baden Love's.

I'm calling to see if you got any quarter-inch air hoses for the tandems.

All righty.

All right, bye.

They got two of 'em on hand but they don't sell the parts for 'em anymore.

-So, what's that... -And he closes at five, so there's no way I'm gonna be able to make it all the way to Highland from here.

-Okay, so what's that mean, I have to stay overnight if I want to get it?

Or?

[ Engine rumbling ] -You got a headlight out, oversize.

-Thank you, baby.

-You're welcome.

-What's your handle?

-Felina.

-Heard that.

They call me Daddy Rabbit.

[ Desiree laughing ] Where you heading, down into Orange City?

-Orange City?

Oh, no.

-Is you going down to Florida, sugar britches?

-Yep.

-Ooh, we might get to ride together, 10-4.

-[ Laughs ] 10-4.

-Never know, might have dinner on me.

[ Desiree laughing ] Still got that old charm, baby girl, just got the charm, baby.

[ Brakes whoosh ] [ Brakes whooshing ] -Welcome back into the Great American Trucking Show.

I'm KC Phillips coming to you from the Kay Bailey Hutchinson Convention Center.

-Shake my hand, KC, Idella.

-Hey, how you doing, Idella?

Good to see you.

-I knew you knew me.

-How you been?

Balls to the wall.

-Elbows and assholes?

[ Indistinct conversations ] [ Music playing from truck speakers ] -Oh, my God.

[ Laughing ] -♪ Really wanted to see one of those ♪ ♪ I know that's no way for a man to behave ♪ ♪♪ -Hi, Carmen, my name is Jessica.

-Hi, how are you?

-I'm with REAL Women in Trucking.

-Okay.

-And, well, I've been walking around with a petition today.

We would actually like Raymond Martinez and the FMCSA to take immediate action and demand that they put into action right away.

Instead of opening up the comments to just opinions, let's start working on a solution now for the actual misconduct and the rape culture that is actually at the mega carriers.

-And the training fleets especially.

So we're trying to collect signatures from all the booths.

So we thought we'd see if you wanted to sign.

-Yeah, on that, I guess I have, in all the years I have been out, I have never been in that, and I've worked for some of the major carriers 'cause I've been driving since the early '80s and I've never been, you know, had any problems.

-That's wonderful.

But a lot of women have problems and if we could protect them, it would be great.

-Well, some I think bring it on themselves.

I'm sorry to say, but it's all how you approach things on that.

-I do feel that if we had a solid centralized database where people can report issues and -- -I know Idella.

-This is not the enemy.

-Oh, I know, we're just -- -She's a sweetheart.

-Oh, thank you for signing that.

That's so awesome.

-I just said that in all the years I've never had any problems with that.

-I've had a few.

-Well, I had one yesterday, he's like, oh, you know, you drive that big truck, when I was fueling out here, I was like, oh, come on, guy.

-Get over it.

Get over it.

Thank you.

-You're welcome.

-In all the years she's been out here, she's never had an issue.

-But what about people that have?

-That's what Anne said.

-Yeah, that's what I said.

I said that's great.

-Let's stand up for people that may have it.

And then she said that a lot of people bring it on themselves.

-Yep.

-Hello, my name is Desiree Wood.

I'm a truck driver and I'm the president and founder of the REAL Women in Trucking organization.

Thousands of women have been impacted and we need to do something now.

We don't need to collect comments.

The world's a different place today.

We all know that.

We all see TV.

We all know that there are people that we trusted and we thought were good people and they weren't good people.

-Thank you, Ms. Wood.

-17 years ago when I trained with C.R.

England, my trainer hit me, regularly, yes.

But nobody took me seriously and I reported it.

And about a month later, he hit an overpass and that's when they took me off the truck and gave me another trainer, put me with another trainer.

Not because I was hit, but because my trainer hit an overpass.

I just wanted to say that, too.

Thank you.

[ Guitar playing "What's Up?"

] -♪ And so I wake in the morning and I step outside ♪ ♪ And I take a deep breath and I get real high ♪ ♪ And I scream, from the top of my lungs "What's going on?"

♪ -Here we go.

-♪ And I say, hey-ey-ey, hey-ey-ey ♪ ♪ I said, "Hey, what's going on?"

♪ -What's going on?

Hey!

[ Guitar continues playing "What's Up?"

] [ Water splashing ] -Happy birthday.

-I don't remember that part, okay, [ Group applauds and cheers ] We sucked.

[ Group laughing ] -Yeah, I think we should think of an easier song.

-Hey, I'm not a jukebox, there's only certain songs I know.

[ Mallet banging ] [ Engine rumbling ] -There's some things in this industry where we're being treated as second-class citizens, but oh, yeah, when the COVID broke free and you guys needed toilet paper, and medicine, and all that, then we're your heroes.

-Way to go, you stupid mother... -[ Laughing ] And then, you know, we're back to getting flipped off and stuff thrown at us 'cause we're bothering 'em again.

I mean it just took that long... ...to go from relevant back to irrelevant.

So, I mean, I think people are more aware of us because of the pandemic making us, like... besides doctors, nurses, EMTs, there was truck drivers, right, so... -Little Boy needs something to keep him awake good, 24.

-There he is, there's my 30-year-old buddy, 30-year buddy.

Getting that Go fast, selling the Go fast.

-I rest my case.

-Who is that?

-A local guy that -- -You know him?

-No, he's just been on my radio at least 30 years.

I mean, I don't know if it's him, or his kid, or his buddy, or who, but somebody in this area has been advertising... ...for years and years and years, as long as I've been trucking.

-Advertising what?

-Um, stay awake medication.

[ Laughs ] [ Man speaking indistinctly over CB ] [ Engine rumbling ] [ Dog barking ] Wow, you bunch of... [ Dog barking ] Stop.

[ Dog barking ] Dude, I was gonna hook a...U-turn, but I got this guy right in my ass.

-[ Dog barking ] -[ Grunts ] Stop.

Stop, hey, stop.

-[ Dog barks ] -Eh, eh.

[ Dog barking ] God, I don't wanna go through the fuel islands to do this 'cause I'm just wasting...time.

What a...cluster... of a cluster... [ Dog barks ] Stop.

You're aggravating me when you do that.

Did he just get off the scale and go in?

...it.

Unh-unh, I'm getting -- That's my spot, as soon as I can finagle my dumb ass in there.

[ Dog barking ] Oh, hi.

[ Cackling ] Wow, all right.

[ Dog barking ] Stop, get over here.

[ Dog barking ] You better stop 'cause he'll eat your lunch, buddy.

[ Low-pitched barking ] [ Engine rumbling ] -It's like you walk by this yard and there's these dogs behind a fence.

And the dogs are, they're all nice, they're all kind of getting along with one another.

And then you put a bowl of food back there and they all start attacking each other.

It's scarcity, there's not enough to go around, not enough attention, not enough recognition, not enough pay.

There's a certain amount of camaraderie among truck drivers but when you put a little morsel out, they'll...kill each other to be the one that gets it.

[ Engine rumbling ] And we need new people that want to come and talk and hear about what trucking is now, today, now.

It's not Teamsters, they're not all owner-operators and the American Trucking Association does not represent truck drivers.

They're not the voice of the American trucker.

So even when I saw Cher saying something, she's saying, oh, this PR thing that the ATA does every year, wreaths for all the troops, oh, I love our truckers, I'm like, those aren't truckers.

It's a...trucking lobby, ...it.

I thought that you would at least pay attention.

[ Cackling ] Know the difference between a lobby group and the workers.

[ Engine rumbling ] So, I mean, it's a nice PR stunt to put the wreaths across America, whatever, that's nice, but that doesn't fix that there's a lot of drivers out here starving that don't even have a wreath, that don't even have a home.

They're living in their truck.

They live in their truck to deliver your... 'cause they can't afford to live outta the truck.

[ Engine rumbling ] -You didn't drop any, I just gave you a little bite.

Sit.

Sit down, sit.

Uh-oh, sky raisin?

Oh, yup, I see it.

Come on down off there.

[ Engine rumbling ] [ Engine rumbling ] The brokers are killing the owner-operators because they're not giving us true cost.

They're lying, they're not transparent.

They're not all lying.

There's enough of 'em that we can see them.

[ Laughs ] There's enough of 'em that are crooked that they just need to go.

When I was an owner-operator, I would never pull freight for less than $2 a mile and that was back in the '90s, okay.

So, I mean there's freight being advertised out here for less than a dollar a mile, right now in today's world now.

-What would that look like?

-It would look like homelessness and losing your house, your family, your wife and kids, you can't eat.

And you can't -- You can only go so long on freight that pays like that.

We can't afford to have freight that's less than a dollar and survive, you just, you can't, not as an individual driver, owner-operator.

No.

[ Engine rumbling ] [ Engine rumbling ] [ Papers rustling ] [ Items rustling ] [ Water splashing ] -Here's the truth of the matter.

The truck is worth $75,000.

They're selling it for 252,000.

-Holy moly.

-So he's saying I'm in serious default because they're selling a 75, $65,000 truck for 252,000.

So I was paying over a thousand dollars a week and they lowered my payment, not me.

And then they called me and said I'm delinquent.

Well, obviously I did miss some weeks because -- -You were out, no explanation, you missed some weeks.

-Who the hell works five weeks straight without a day off?

That's how their whole model is is that you can never, ever take a day off and you still have to pay twice the payment that a normal truck would take.

They have set it up for you to fail.

-Because they want you to fail.

-They want you to fail.

That truck, I'm the fourth owner of it and it's a 2016 and other drivers that I know with a Quality truck started saying they're getting weird phone calls, too, from Quality saying they owe all this money with no documentation to back it up.

But see, so when the regular repo recovery department, they say they've got locations all across the United States for you to drop the unit.

But he's pissed, so he's like, you have to have it in Indianapolis.

I'm like, you're gonna get it in Indianapolis.

Gonna get it when I'm done.

-I didn't know we called that Indianapolis.

-Yeah, you're gonna get it in Indianapolis.

Don't worry, just wait a minute.

-I wish I could go to Indianapolis with you, kiddo.

You didn't fail.

-It does make you feel... -You couldn't win.

[ Melancholic piano music ] ♪♪ ♪♪ [ Melancholic music continues ] ♪♪ [ Melancholic music continues ] ♪♪ [ Melancholic music continues ] ♪♪ [ Melancholic music continues ] ♪♪ [ Engine rumbling ] [ Engine continues rumbling ] [ Air spraying ] [ Keys jingling ] -Desiree?

-Yes.

-Yeah, hi, I understand you were having some questions.

-Yes.

-I'm James.

-Hi, James.

Did you get my email?

-I don't think I've read it, but I get a lot of emails.

How can I help you?

-I am coming to bring the truck to you after getting your email, I have spent a year trying to get a payment reconciliation from your company of the payments that I've paid to you guys, a payment and a half that I did not ever tell anybody they could take me off.

They reduced it on their own and then told me that I'm past due.

I have had to speak to several people to say can I get a payment receipt reconciliation?

We'll get back to you.

Never hear from 'em again.

And then they call and tell you that they're gonna terminate your contract.

But if you give them this much money, they'll keep it going a little bit longer.

Then they'll call back a couple weeks later and it's double that number with no receipt, no documentation to back up anything that they're saying.

The fact that I had to get a lawyer involved is ludicrous, wouldn't you agree?

-I mean, we were trying to get this truck back for a while so at this point -- -No, you were not.

No, you were not.

-Listen, I have your contact with your attorney.

We'll be reaching out to them and we'll deal with it that way.

Is your truck pulled back and already dropped off and taken care of?

-Yes, it is.

-Have you already removed all your items from it?

-Yes, I have.

-Okay, I just want to confirm all that, so we can just put it through our inspection process and we'll be done with it.

-Okay, so I'm bringing you the keys, but I wanted to tell you in person because what you're saying is complete and total bull... -Yeah, there's obviously a lot that you don't understand.

So if you don't mind -- -No, there's a lot I do understand and that's why we wanted to meet you in person.

-This is Rayville, Louisiana.

Little short bathroom break, or you can get you a smoke break, or get you a little breakfast, or whatever.

Last stop before Jackson.

[ Soft music playing over speakers ] [ Carts rattling ] [ Scooter beeping ] -Where's the phone?

-In the beginning, I would get at least three or four calls a month.

What I found with truck drivers is they're so ashamed, especially women, they're so ashamed and they've been made to feel so dumb for being put in this situation.

And I know as a rape victim myself, you blame yourself.

You don't wanna tell anybody because hindsight's 20/20.

So you start replaying the whole thing and you're like, this is where I went wrong, this is where I went wrong, this is where I went wrong.

So you don't want to tell anybody.

A lot of times these women just wanna call and talk to me and get it off their chest and that's it.

It's like they exorcised a demon.

-So this is your first time as an expert.

The defense's whole goal will be to discredit you, to say your qualifications don't qualify you to be an expert.

-That's really the attitude in these companies.

You're just a driver.

You're an invisible non-person.

Nobody cares about you.

And they specifically look for those kinds of people to recruit because they can, they're on the margins of society, and they can erase them and nobody will ever care.

Like a lot of these people that have entered trucking, I have a past, and I know that Ellen has actually looked up my background to try to intimidate me to not continue.

And I've just kind of said, "Go ahead, mother..." -Right.

-You know, like nobody enters trucking from charm school.

I don't know where the hell you've been.

-I've Googled you.

I didn't see anything that was problematic.

But can you think of the worst thing that's out there that they could find?

-I did work in adult clubs in my 20s, and actually for a long time, and I did nude modeling.

I have been in magazines.

-You're a human.

-Yeah, it's real life.

-You've had a real life.

-And it's really one of the reasons that I decided to do this 'cause my job was sexual harassment for over 20 years.

And I never got treated like this at any of the clubs that I worked with.

If I had a problem and I went to the management 'cause somebody put their hands on me, they would be out in the street.

I didn't have to go to no HR department and get interrogated like I was a criminal.

So when people call me, I tell them, if you wanna find a lawyer, I will help you find a lawyer.

But I'm gonna tell you, it is gonna take away something from your heart you're never gonna get back.

And it is not an overnight process, this could go on for 10 years.

So you have to be in it for the principle.

-Whoo!

[ Wind blowing ] Uh-oh, Bubbles, I got water hitting me.

[ Wind blowing ] Uh-oh, big drops, bub.

[ Wind blowing ] -It's truly humbling to receive this award.

Where are you, Michelle?

You were just there, where'd you go?

-Behind you.

-There you are.

I wanna thank Michelle for nominating me for this award.

I'm truly humbled, thank you.

-Tell her where you got your fancy flip flops.

-Let's talk about my flip flops later, okay, you can't see me behind the podium.

Desiree, for all the hard work she does, I mean, I met Desiree in 2012 and what I've seen with her kicking down doors and taking names and building this team of people that bust their asses to make things like tonight happen and to change laws.

I never used to think this way, but I'm seeing it's more about encouraging one another, inspiring one another, working together as a team.

And if we keep doing this, we might eventually change that male-dominated industry and kinda level the playing field a bit.

Right?

[ Audience applauding ] And I think we can do it, you know why?

♪ 'Cause I am woman, hear me roar ♪ [ Audience laughing ] ♪ In numbers too big to ignore ♪ We're getting bigger and bigger.

So we can do this.

Keep on trucking, ladies, whoo!

[ Audience applauding and cheering ] -Oh, absolutely, anybody find my glasses, put 'em in their pocket.

Oh, for God's sakes, please.

Everybody keeps telling me I need that little chain, I am not, I am not hanging my glasses.

-You are way too glamorous for that...Idella.

-No, we give her one of those little magnetic eyeglass holders.

-There you go.

-With a snap in it.

-I have one with a little choo-choo train, you know my handle's Mama Choo-Choo, and I have one with a little choo-choo train that I absolutely love.

Do I ever wear it?

-Glamour matters.

Don't give that...up.

[ Idella laughing ] -That's just like somebody said to me, "Don't you want the motorized cart in Walmart or in the grocery store?"

-No, she says I will crawl out the door before I get in one of those carts.

-Lemme have a cigarette, please.

-I will call from pickup.

[ Idella laughing ] -Maybe I'm a little cold-hearted.

I lost my son when he was a year and a half.

And of course both my parents would come, but they were aged.

But you know, when we start getting up towards our age, we start losing friends and family.

I mean, in one weekend I lost three friends and not knowing they were even sick, but, I was sad.

But we live and we die.

-That's it.

-But evidently, she hasn't been the breadwinner in the family.

Breadwinner in the family, devastated, yes, but you got people depending on you.

-Tomorrow's still gonna come.

-My husband died on a Tuesday morning and I was back to work the next Tuesday morning because if I didn't go back to work, I was gonna lose the house.

Then where was me and the dogs gonna live?

-Starve to death.

-And I had already put us in such jeopardy by paying for his medicine that -- -Borrowing money and yeah.

-I'm going to work because he ain't coming back.

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