And the most beautiful truck driver is…
10/03/2014
Overdrive’s Most Beautiful contest honours the hard-working, adventurous women who make up less than 7% of the United States’ 3 million truck drivers. Contestants must hold a commercial driver’s license and drive a truck full time.
Last year, the inaugural contest drew 71 contestants of diverse ages, appearance and types of haul, who shared a passion for trucks, trucking and the lure of the open road. More than 12,000 people voted, culminating in Maggie Stone, owner of MissFit Trucking, Galva, Iowa, being crowned Overdrive’s Most Beautiful during a ceremony at the Great American Trucking Show in Dallas in August.
“Trucking often has a negative image with other motorists,” says Carolyn Mason, an Overdrive contributor who organises the contests. “We want to show that behind the wheel of that big rig you just passed might be a woman who could be your mom, your sister or your best friend. We also wanted to highlight trucking as a good career choice for women with a sense of adventure.”
And truck drivers are in demand in the US. Analysts estimate that by 2022, trucking will face a shortage of 239,000 drivers due to regulatory changes and an improving economy. The nation’s carriers are eager to put qualified women to work driving their trucks.
Nominations for the 2014 Overdrive’s Most Beautiful contest will be accepted until March 20th. The winner will win a trip to The Great American Trucking Show in Dallas on August 21st-23rd, 2014, and will be featured in a story in Overdrive, a 52-year-old magazine for over-the-road truckers who own and operate their own trucks.
