I am a firm believer that there is nothing to stop women from jumping behind the wheel of a truck and doing just as good a job as any bloke could. That’s a big part of why I started the Chicks Chat podcast with Morgan Peteresen.

I spend a lot of time on the road in my job. Thames to Auckland to Tauranga to Hamilton, over the Kopu Hikuai, down the Kaimais, up the Express Way … I could go on. I say without hesitation that one of the most stressful parts of my intrepid travels is trying to find somewhere to go to the bathroom that does not inherently risk my personal safety. For this reason, I spend more time than I care to admit in pullovers, crouched between the passenger doors, and guarding myself from the view of oncoming traffic.

Earlier this week, on my way back from Auckland, I was pulled over, jumping out of the car to relieve myself, when a passer-by began honking the horn. I looked up just in time to see New Zealand Trucking magazine’s editor Gavin Myers, driving past me. There’s nothing like seeing your boss/‘uncle’ while you’re on the side of the road preparing to pee to send your self-esteem down the toilet – or, in this case, the roadside culvert. It was at this point that I decided that for the mental health of me and my fellow transport chicks, I needed to write an editorial.

This issue has come up in Chicks Chat a few times with different guests. Each time, we ask, ”What’s the worst thing?” The answer is regularly the same, “There are no facilities for me.” The amenities for the girls are just not there – in the yards or the truck stops. Yes, we cannot tar everyone with the same brush, but I could count on one hand the stops I’ve been to that have somewhere to relieve myself with dignity. No one is asking here for a five-star luxury spa; we would just be happy with a real-life toilet.

For anyone sitting reading this editorial and thinking, “Just use the public toilets,” I would like to thank you for your excellent idea and kindly ask you to come and park my truck and trailer in the main street of town. Easier said than done.

If we are being honest, facilities are an issue across the board. The amount of truck stops I pass in my travels that seem to lack the bare minimum is concerning – particularly for an industry that is screaming out for workers. A truck stop should have enough room for a truck to park (feels obvious) and at least a room for any driver to have a peaceful moment to themselves. If drivers may need to use a stop for their 10-hour break, then these things become needs, not wants – whether you’re a girl or a guy.

So, with my rant concluding, I say this … I have a dream that one day, I will not have to rely on a shrub, my car, or a dodgy side road to shield me from the prying eyes of passing traffic when all I want to do is pee … particularly when those eyes are those of my unsuspecting ‘uncle’.

And to the girls … I hope you all get ‘shewees’ for Christmas.

Maddy McCoid
Business development manager