‘If a girl wants to do it, she can,’ says woman driver

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Updated Jan 18, 2017
Cynthia De La Rosa stands between two ACME trucks with oversize loads. The truck on the right of the picture is hers. (Image Courtesy of Cynthia De La Rosa)Cynthia De La Rosa stands between two ACME trucks with oversize loads. The truck on the right of the picture is hers. (Image Courtesy of Cynthia De La Rosa)

After growing up around her father’s trucks, Cynthia De La Rosa immediately got her CDL when she turned 21. She detoured, however, into a career in real estate.

When the economic downturn was happening in 2008-2009, and houses weren’t selling, De La Rosa needed a new career. She turned back to trucking.

“There weren’t any more home sales and I was already holding a CDL, so that’s when I decided to get into the trucking business,” said De La Rosa, who lives in Houston.

She’s been trucking full time since then. It’s been an ideal fit for her because of the good income, and her passion for trucking. She’s an owner-operator for ACME Truck Line hauling specialized oversized loads.

“Getting out on the road, controlling the big truck and securing my loads, to me it’s just perfect. It’s not a routine job. Every load is always something different,” De La Rosa said.

De La Rosa, right, stands with a member of one of her escorts. (Image Courtesy of Cynthia De La Rosa)De La Rosa, right, stands with a member of one of her escorts. (Image Courtesy of Cynthia De La Rosa)

Each load presents its own challenges and getting those loads secured is exciting for her. She’s been doing all specialized equipment — wider loads, taller loads, heavier loads — for the last four years. She mostly hauls through Texas and Louisiana for the oil industry.

“Along with the excitement there’s a lot of responsibility that comes with it. To me, just to know that I’m doing something different, I like that. It gives me that adrenaline,” De La Rosa said.

Hauling specialized loads has let De La Rosa get to know more people in the industry. Her loads sometimes require escorts and specialized coordination, which give her the opportunity to meet people other truckers may not necessarily get to meet.

“There’s a lot of fun to just know more people in the industry who help me get through the rough roads and get to my location,” she said.

When she isn’t driving, De La Rosa is in complete mom mode.

“I have three boys at home so when I’m not driving a lot of the times I’m just at home with them either cooking or playing. Just regular mom and home work,” De La Rosa said.

De La Rosa said she has never felt like she has been denied an opportunity because she’s a woman.

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“I’ve never had a bad experience with people. It is a male-dominated industry, and most of the customers and the places where I have to go get my loads they’re mostly men, but I never, never have encountered any bad experiences with anyone,” De La Rosa said.

People may sometimes be surprised to find it’s a woman behind the wheel of the truck with the oversized load, she says, but they always give her compliments for her work.

“They’ve never tried to put me down for being a girl,” De La Rosa said.

She encourages any woman interested in trucking to pursue that passion.

“I believe that if a girl wants to do it, she can. If I’m doing it, anybody can do it,” she said.

Cynthia De La Rosa, a company driver for Acme Truck Line, stands next to her truck loaded with an oversize load. (Image Courtesy of Cynthia De La Rosa)Cynthia De La Rosa, a company driver for Acme Truck Line, stands next to her truck loaded with an oversize load. (Image Courtesy of Cynthia De La Rosa)

De La Rosa stands next to her truck loaded with an oversize load. (Image Courtesy of Cynthia De La Rosa)De La Rosa stands next to her truck loaded with an oversize load. (Image Courtesy of Cynthia De La Rosa)

De La Rosa poses for a picture with members of her escort for her oversize load. (Image Courtesy of Cynthia De La Rosa)De La Rosa poses for a picture with members of her escort for her oversize load. (Image Courtesy of Cynthia De La Rosa)

De La Rosa's truck gets loaded with an oversize load.De La Rosa's truck gets loaded with an oversize load.

De La Rosa's truck gets loaded with an oversize load. (Image Courtesy of Cynthia De La Rosa)De La Rosa's truck gets loaded with an oversize load. (Image Courtesy of Cynthia De La Rosa)

De La Rosa poses for a picture with one of her oversize loads. (Image Courtesy of Cynthia De La Rosa)De La Rosa poses for a picture with one of her oversize loads. (Image Courtesy of Cynthia De La Rosa)

De La Rosa takes a picture with one of the members of her escort. (Image Courtesy of Cynthia De La Rosa)De La Rosa takes a picture with one of the members of her escort. (Image Courtesy of Cynthia De La Rosa)

De La Rosa's truck gets loaded with an oversize load. (Image Courtesy of Cynthia De La Rosa)De La Rosa's truck gets loaded with an oversize load. (Image Courtesy of Cynthia De La Rosa)

An 'Oversize Load' banner is affixed to the front of De La Rosa's truck. (Image Courtesy of Cynthia De La Rosa)An "Oversize Load" banner is affixed to the front of De La Rosa's truck. (Image Courtesy of Cynthia De La Rosa)