Tareena, a professional driver for NFI, remembers the first day she walked into trucking school.
“One of the instructors said to me, ‘Hey, are you lost? What are you doing here?’” she said.
Despite that off-putting introduction to the industry, Tareena persevered in following her dream of becoming a truck driver, earning her CDL and then gaining experience over the road.
In addition to pursuing a personal dream, Tareena is building on a family tradition: Her older brother has been driving for more than 30 years.
“He taught me how to drive my first car, and in that lesson, he made sure I learned about vehicles — anything that moved,” she recalled. “He also taught me how to change tires!”
From that day forward, she says, she fell in love with driving, and with vehicles of all kinds. When she was laid off from a job during the COVID-19 pandemic, she saw an opportunity to take the leap and learn to drive big rigs.
“I’ve been driving ever since,” she said, noting that she’ll complete her third year with NFI next March.
Good training set the stage for a safe career.
“My training experience was really good,” she said, adding that her trainer had more than 30 years of experience on the road. “I had a chance to absorb all that knowledge from someone who’s been out here a long time.
“What I liked the most is that he started out by breaking those bad habits that can get you in trouble out there, and he replaced them with new — and useful — habits,” she continued.
For example, rather than allowing Tareena to rely on GPS and electronic mapping systems, he taught her to use traditional maps.
“He wanted me to think for myself rather than let the GPS think for me,” she said.
This advice has served her well in her driving career.
“For example, when you drive through New York, your GPS is gonna go bonkers — or it’s just going to lead you down a road that’s not truck-friendly,” she explained. “Taking a look at where you’re going ahead of time, just basic trip planning, will save you all that. That was one of the most useful lessons I learned from him.”
NFI provides a sense of belonging.
Tareena believes she’s found her niche at NFI, pointing to the spirit of camaraderie between the drivers, both men and women.
“When we see each other on the road, we beep our horns,” she said, adding that her fellow drivers helped show her the ropes — actually, the straps — when she first started hauling flatbed.
“I was out here in the yard one day, practicing, and one of the other female drivers walked up and started helping me,” she said. “And then, a few seconds later, pretty much all the ladies — there’s maybe four or five of us now — were out there helping me learn how to throw the straps.
“I got it, with their help,” she continued. “They were cheering me on and showing me their techniques.”
That supportive atmosphere can be found among all of NFI’s drivers, she says.
“The guys will help you too,” she noted. “They’ll give you advice. We can call each other, for example, if we’re trying to figure out the best way to get to a location.”
Driving local and OTR routes both have perks.
While many drivers love hitting the open road for days at a time (sometimes weeks, depending on the job), others prefer the predictability and added home time of local routes.
“I started out over the road, and I enjoyed it. I still love it!” said Tareena, a mother — and grandmother of three — who currently drives a local route to allow more time with her family.
Still, she says, she loved driving the long hauls.
“It was just me, the road and my music — and a peace of mind,” she explained. “It’s just you, in your own space and your own mood, just enjoying life.”
Another benefit of driving OTR is the chance to travel.
“I’ve seen the most beautiful horizons,” she said. “I’ve been to some of the most beautiful places — places that I don’t know if I would think to visit had I not been there in a truck.”
One of her favorite spots is South Portland, Maine.
“(The weather) can be brutal in the winter, but in the summertime it is absolutely perfect,” she said. “The marina is right there, and with the warm weather and the seafood, the experience is like no other.”
Now, she says, she enjoys driving a local route, even though she sometimes misses the open road.
“I get to be home more and spend time with family. It’s really good for work-life balance,” she said. “I spend a lot of time with my family. I’m very family-oriented, and me and my family pretty much do everything together. We travel together.”
With fall — and apple-picking season — on the horizon, Tareena says her family is gearing up for hayrides and a trip to the apple orchard.
Ultimately, the decision to drive local or OTR routes is a personal choice that’s impacted by several factors.
“In my opinion, it really depends on your lifestyle — where you are in life and what interests you the most,” she said, adding that she believes every driver should drive OTR at some point in their career.
“It’s a great learning experience, and it prepares you for everything else in the industry,” she said. “You see all those things that they teach you in trucking school, like pre-tripping and even trip planning — making sure you know where you’re going to park when you start your run, and having a Plan A, B and C.
“You literally live all the reasons why these things are important, and you learn to appreciate all the advice you’ve been given,” she continued.
Being a truck driver is empowering for Tareena.
“This is still a male-dominated industry,” she noted, adding that she’s proud to be taken seriously as a trucker. “Other females see me driving, and they’re motivated. I’ve had people stop me and say, ‘Hey! Wait a minute. Are YOU driving that thing?’ It just feels good to inspire other people.”
For Tareena, the best part of being a professional driver, however, is other drivers.
“The constant support among drivers is what I like the most,” she said.
Linda Garner-Bunch has been with The Trucker since 2020, picking up the reins as managing editor in 2022. Linda has nearly 40 years of experience in the publishing industry, covering topics from the trucking and automotive industry to employment, real estate, home decor, crafts, cooking, weddings, high school sports — you name it, she’s written about it. She is also an experienced photographer, designer and copy editor who has a heartfelt love for the trucking industry, from the driver’s seat to the C-suite.
