Women and the Trucks that Drive Them

At 17, I dreamed of adventure, of majestic mountains and clear blue lakes. So after tossing our caps and gowns, a friend and I headed north to Canada in her new yellow Datsun "Li'l Hustler" pickup with a camper shell on the back. With a "sure to save us" huskie/shepherd-mix puppy, sleeping bags, and camping gear, we were ready to take on the world. We were self-contained, confident, and, looking back now, somewhat crazy. But driving that minitruck, we felt safe and adventurous, and my love for trucks began.

I met my husband while driving home from a ski trip in his bright-red Nissan King Cab 4x4. A petite friend of mine was sandwiched sideways on a jump seat in the back. I remember thinking, while hoisting myself into the cab (which seemed incredibly high), that this guy was cool.

Most people continue to think trucks are exclusively owned by guys. Trucks are big and powerful; they haul cargo, and it seems to take strength just to manage one. But I've noticed an increasing number of women driving trucks. AutoPacific, an automotive research firm, was recently quoted in USA TODAY, saying, "More women are buying pickups. Sure, they're still a small percentage of pickup buyers--about 11 percent--but that's up from just five percent in the mid-1980s." According to Terry Barclay, executive director of the Women's Economic Club in Detroit, "Women control or influence 80 percent of all vehicle-purchase decisions."

I normally drive a Chevy Suburban, which is built on GM's half-ton truck chassis. But I'd be the first to say that it's not the same thing. So my research began, to gain insight into the world of women and trucks. In pursuit of answers, I drove three new 2004 trucks: a Dodge Ram Hemi Quad Cab, a Ford F-150 SuperCab, and the V-8-powered Nissan Titan Crew Cab.

I chose to interview four women who have one thing in common: They're all passionate about their trucks. I also sought to discover if women carried Kleenex on board. There's nothing worse than scrambling for tissue when it's needed.