Although the wave of change for women in the 1970s was slow to hit trucking, one Florida woman rolled in early and is still riding high.
Laura S. Kingsland was 21 years old when she first climbed behind the wheel of a truck in 1976. The petite, 5-foot-1 brunette said she did not want a traditional female job such as secretary or nurse, and instead sought an occupation that offered more of a personal challenge.
So, Kingsland spent 17 years operating a flatbed truck hauling steel and other commodities for Florida Steel Corp. in Tampa. She recalled being quite an attraction among co-workers, noting “the whole factory would come to see if the girl could back up the truck.”
Time and time again Kingsland proved to colleagues that she had the right stuff to handle a big truck.
She went on to accumulate almost 2 million miles
ithout an accident. In 1982, she was the first female driver in the state to receive the Florida Trucking Association’s Driver of the Month award.
Then, at what Kingsland called “the top of my career,” she left driving to teach others the art and skill of driving, with much encouragement from a female supervisor at Florida Steel. Seven years after making that decision, she is now the director and instructor for the Commercial Vehicle Driving program at the Withlacoochee Technical Institute in Inverness, Fla.
For the full story, see the July 17 print edition of Transport Topics. Subscribe today.
