Abstract
This research explores how women negotiate their identities when working in the male dominated field of truck driving. According to the U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics, of the over three million people who make their living as truck drivers, only six percent are female. By combining data gathered using various ethnographic research methodologies, several aspects related to women working in the truck driving industry were interpreted from the theoretical perspectives of performance theory and optimal diversification theory. A literature review revealed that little academic research has been published on the field of truck driving, and even less is written about female truck drivers. Central to the research in this paper is identification of the roles women occupy in the trucking industry, why they choose this particular career, as well as how they confront issues of gender stereotyping. Duality of identity is explored in instances where a woman must balance her identity as both a female and a truck driver. Identity markers such as CB handles and decoration of trucks further indicate ways in which women drivers assert and define their identities. Content analysis of 24 issues of The Trucker magazine compares how men and women are identified and represented in a publication geared toward truck drivers. Finally, interviews with female truck drivers were conducted as a means of understanding why these women entered this career and how they negotiate their identities.