/ Guest Post /
Copyright Sandy Long is a guest writer for the blog. If you are not a trucker, she still has some great ideas that can help anyone!!
Being a single lady driver looking for a partner is hard in the trucking industry. The cards are stacked against us from the git go due to the perceived image of us as being tough, independent, spitting, scratching, cussing females. Add in that we are not home often as a rule, we are tired when we are home and we don’t have a lot of free time when home because of having to take care of our personal business in a short time and you have the makings of a life without love in it. All is not lost though.
Though most men/partners aren’t geared to staying home waving bye to their ladies for extended periods of time, some are. Finding them is the trick. Dating sites online is one way to seek them out. To find a dating site just type in dating into your search engine. There are some specific sites available for specific interests or lifestyles such as Christian dating sites and dating sites targeted for larger (BBW) women and men. Most charge a fee to be able to contact anyone, but you can usually do an initial search for free, and there are some free sites around. Filling out the required profile to be added to the site’s data base is hard, but most have pre set selections for some things you can make. A nice photo is not a requirement, but it enhances the profile.
There are dangers involved in dating sites though. Many players/users and abusers lurk in the shadows of these sites looking for what they can get from the misconception that a woman that goes on a dating site is desperate for a ‘man/partner’. These losers are fairly easy to spot though if you are alert to the signs.
If he/she does any of the below, pass them by:
- Talks about sex in the first contact
- Won’t give any public personal information in a short time of talking
- Won’t give you their home phone number but wants yours
- Won’t give you their last name after a couple of emails
- Says they will call but doesn’t and then makes excuses
- Gets aggressive or abusive
If you have talked/emailed with someone for awhile and want to meet them:
- Give a friend or family member the person’s name, address, description, where you are going to meet and a timeline including when you will be home
- Arrange to meet in a very public place
- Do not get in the person’s vehicle to go elsewhere
- Do not have the person pick you up at your home
- If the person acts strange or there is any sort of uncomfortable feeling, cut it short, be pleasant and appreciative of their efforts but be firm
- Arrange for an out, have a friend/family member call you after about an hour. That way if it is not going well, you can make up a reason to leave
Some other ways to find someone are singles ads in newspapers, some papers are found in rest area paper machines and have trucking segments; church, social clubs and activity centers.
Most lady drivers find someone within the industry, though this too presents some problems. There again, there are a lot of players/users/abusers behind that cb mike or sitting at that counter. The same rules apply for identifying a loser as in the dating site list. Flirting comes second nature to some drivers. They do it to pass the time and ease the boredom of the road. They don’t really mean anything by it, but some women fall for the lines thinking the driver is serious. Take any cb/truck stop Romeo Juliet with a grain of salt.
In building any relationship with a prospective partner while being a driver, take your time. Get to know the person. Talk for long hours on the phone and meet when you can for dinner, coffee or an outing before making up your mind. If possible, have them meet your family and friends, then listen to the feed back. If the person is a non driver, make sure that they know what your job entails and what your home time and home time habits are.
Living with a trucker is not an easy task and to find someone willing to deal with our lifestyle is difficult but not impossible. It takes a little creativity, imagination and a whole lot of patience…but is worth the wait.