������ý

June 22, 2001 10:18 AM, EDT

Terry Brown is no stranger to 18-hour days or anything else about the trucking business, for that matter. Now owner of Allied Drivers, a Houston-based driver staffing company, the 22-year veteran driver claims she learned how to count wrench sizes before she learned how to count to 10.

“My dad owned trucks and since I didn’t have any older brothers, he taught me to drive when I was 11,” she says in a voice deep enough to cause gender confusion over the phone. “Wasn’t into dolls — just wanted to play with trucks. And loved going with my dad on overnight trips into North Dakota. Nothing better when I was a kid than pancakes and orange soda pop for breakfast.”

By the time she was 16, Brown had made up her mind. She wanted to be a professional driver, an idea her dad vehemently opposed.

For the full story, see the June 18 print edition of Transport Topics. .

7447