I’m a trucker too I’m a man I’ve done long haul for 8 years I’m since 21 doing flatbed all over the us and I’m telling u it’s not easy it takes a very strong minded person to do long haul so I give her props and respect I know men are saying no one makes a video about us but hey I’m not gonna cry about it I did my job for my family and I respect her for doing the same be safe out there and God bless

This video gave me chills. It's an accurate portrayal of life in the Bakken. I'm a woman living in the Bakken as we speak. It's a rough life, no matter if you have a CDL or not. Companies lure you in with high hourly rates, but what they don't tell you is how extreme the cost of living is. Or generally how horrible living conditions can be in man camps. Trailer shanty towns are endless here. The highways and roads are poorly managed, with little to no snow/ice management. Highway 85 death tolls are skyrocketing. Drugs, gangs, and prostitution are unmanageable. I don't feel safe here. I won't even go to the store without my boyfriend. I've seen the bad side of the Bakken, and it's like nothing I've ever seen before. It's the modern day wild, Wild West.

Thought about being a trucker. Talked to my friends dad and he talked me out of it. He said being a trucker is "a lonely man's job."

She’s so sweet and this completely breaks my heart ☹️🥺 I pray that she is doing better now and I hope that there is an update on her!

Don't know why everyone is bashing on this young woman...She has more courage and tenacity then most people (men included) to do what she needs to do in order to have a better life!... For what she is doing and where she is at, I WISH HER THE VERY BEST!

I know a guy who went out there looking for big money, found it and then found out that for even a small crap apartment the rent was 2500 a month. Yeah, he jumped right back on the buss and came home. People seem to forget that in a area where big money is going out, big money is required to live in that area.

While I can empathize with what she said here, especially being a woman, I felt as though this interview really didn't do her justice.

If she has a CDL and at least a year of driving experience with a good driving record she could find a better job. MUCH better.

Trucking is a very hard life. You must like being by yourself. It's a 24/7 job. Where dispatchers become brain damaged. You'll be treated as something less than human. DOT is always on your back. You're expected to run like a machine regardless of the weather. You learn to live without plumbing. I could go on but I think I've made my point.

Currently reading The Grapes of Wrath and I'm at the part where the Joads are forced to leave their home and heading towards California in their truck and it's the same thing awaiting them in California what this woman found in ND, except for them their's just dust on the road. The Grapes of Wrath was published in 1939. This is history repeating itself.

She’s such a nice woman that needs to be loved ! Stay safe your very beautiful God bless you and help you succeed.

I’ve had family go to the oilfields and that is tough living. Can’t imagine what it’s like being a girl out there too.

I was up there for around 2 years. Not the oil fields but building gas plants. $1000 a week on hotel. 5 bucks a gallon on gas. 6 dollars for a gallon of milk. Working in -52 degree weather. Well you get the picture. And my feet will never touch that state again..... PERIOD

Thank you for all your encouragement and support. Much needed at this time. To friends and strangers, thanks and God Bless

I was always told how much money they were making in the shale boom. I called many companies and it turned out I would be making far less money at almost all the companies I checked out than I was making at home and I would have had to pay the high cost of living. I can see how she might have been misled.

One tuff lady, I hope you make it girl. Stay positive, stay safe, and you can achive anything.

The film failed to point to the reason that things aren't working out as planned. Is it lack of work? Is it that the compensation isn't adequate? Why doesn't she go back south? Why hasn't she talked to her parents in so long? Are they not able to buy her fuel to get back? Has she refused to go back? I don't know the purpose of this film.

All of the struggles that she faces, do men in her situation not face the same challenges? And since men and women are equal, what's the meaning of the title, "Life as a Female Trucker ..." so yeah..whatever dude. She's nothing special.

Strong woman. The world needs so much more of her.

This was made in 2014. Hopefully she's on the come up by now.

I wonder if it's occurred to her that , if she's in a town that's 99% men, she could probably meet a man and get married easily enough. Then there would be two incomes. Better standard of living. A lot less loneliness.

You won't have any problem getting a place to live in Williston now! The boom is over, just regular jobs for regular folks now. It's not like it's any surprise that North Dakota gets cold in the winter. Some jobs and locations are just tough and better suited for tough people, figure out if that's you before you go.

I like that she takes her dog everywhere with her... I did a year up there, ain't glamorous at all.

This is good journalism! If the times still had stories like this I would subscribe again!

Never seen anyone say they don't like where they are at or what they are doing with so many words. Not even the slightest tiny bit of information is given in this video... just an unhappy person unhappy with her location and choice of job, no supporting info, nothing, nada, zelch...

Where's an update on her? I really like her. I hope 4 years later she's happy in life. And has some girlfriends to gossip and get nails done with. 😊

What you're made of before you go through a challenging experiance makes for what you are after. I hope she will be a tough, independent, confident and capable person.

Small things can keep you going, I wish my job could be making documentaries. Its so interesting to see real life, and share the truth with the world.

Respect to her. She's as tough as nails and I really hope the best for her.

so this woman makes poor choices in life and blames her parents. for living in hell she has a nicer vehicle than me. unlike a lot of the man she has a place to live. it seems as though she's complaining about having a job and a place to live. Not only that but because of her crappy choices she can't find a boyfriend and she blames everything else but her own self. This is a ridiculous article

I like her dog. I have two. Like the little guys.

HAHAHA!!!! I Remember this!!!! Her and the crew stopped in a store I used to work at called RACERS in Williston. Can’t believe that was 5 years ago... back in Cali now though

Life sucks but TBO she seems like she's handling it pretty well. I lived in an 8x10 tin box out in the middle of no where for a number of years. Super hot summers and frigid winters. Bust ass all day for $50/day. Laundry mat 10 miles down the road and showers so filled with iron you have to rinse off with bottled water. I work extra side jobs on the weekends to get ahead. Things are better now but it took a long time. People see me now and probably thing, "he's lucky", and maybe I am, it hasn't always felt that way though... Hang in there people, don't let the 8ball roll over ya.

I have to hand it to her - ventured out, trying it, giving it a chance, surviving, brave. Can only imagine how lonely she is : (

She sounds like a badass, I’ll be your friend girl ❤️

Very well done to you young lady AND to all the other truckers out your side of the pond. You do a great and in many cases undervalued job, but what would most of the US do without your input...Keep up the fantastic work!

I'm so sorry for her. I hope she finds a friend to do things with.. I'm glad she has a dog, a lot of company there. I hope things get better for her.

That moment when thousands of people roast your home state

Lived in Williston Nd for four years, can confirm felt like the Wild West, met a lot of locals there too and there was this one local that I remember so vividly that I felt I knew for a long time, it was a nice old lady running this old coffee shop I occasionally went to in Alexander Montana she felt like a grandmother to me, a grandmother I never had. It was such an interesting experience meeting not only locals but people like myself moving to the state for the liquid gold, you can find so many people from different countries, cultures, and different stories.

Watching this made ma appreciate summer a little bit more, gosh I hate winter. i’m shivering just thinking about it.

It takes a special kind of person to be willing to go to North Dakota's oil fields. Hope things work out for the better for her.

I've been a trucker for 12 years. An actual truck driver. Women are generally treated like sisters. Even if you don't know them, you look out for them. Is men, on the other hand, get mugged, beaten, and constantly harrassed by prostitutes. This is probably the most disingenuous portrayal of trucking I've ever seen.

My cousins out doing the same thing rn. Havent seen him in years. I hope they give u medical

I am shocked by your story... May you both be somewhere safe today... 🇿🇦

Wish I found this video 4 years ago instead of today. I would literally drive up there from CO and go get a freaking pedicure with that woman. Kudos to her for being brave.

I am a female truck driver (I drive a Peterbilt truck with a flatbed trailer.) She could go get a better job if she wanted it. Maybe the people she works for don't drug test... From what I can tell I get paid more, I work for a great company, I get health benefits, paid vacation and more, my company DID fly me out for paid orientation and training, and I know they are not the only company who does that. The people I work for are pleasant to be around and there are many other women driving for them as well. I can't feel the sympathy because I know it's easy to get a good job if you can pass a drug test and you aren't a wimpy crybaby... Maybe she's got some sort of unpleasant record or some reason she can't get a better job. I don't feel sorry for her. There is something they aren't telling us here. She has some personal problems that have nothing to do with her job.

I love your honesty & courage. ♥️♥️🥰🥰 thank you for keeping it real for females on the road. Your a beautiful soul. I pray you find what starts your fire. And may you let you light shine bright.🙏🙏🙏♥️♥️🥰🥰😍😍

OTR driver for 27 years. I had the opportunity to drive through there twice about the time this was posted. Both times was in the summer daytime. I remember only one little grocery store in New Town, ND, and the pickup trucks were parked 3-4 deep trying to get in to buy food. Everything was crowded, traffic was horrible, rows of tiny little rent houses for goodness knows how much rent. Big machinery and oil field trucks everywhere. I had thought I might go there to work the oilfields but after seeing what a cluster **** it was, I passed. Hope this gal got out.

At least she has her cute little dog to keep her company.

"If anything were to happen to me, my parents wouldn't even know... I haven't spoken to my mom in over 3 years." - summarizes the whole dialogue of the character talking. SMH.

The only perk of being a trucker that isn't in other jobs is that you can actually get enough nectar points to buy something good as your company buys a lot of diesel.

I am a female Drilling engineer currently in Watford City, ND drilling a well. I love what I do. I’m in the field everyday; surrounded by men who respect me and care about my safety. Please stop spreading lies.

I'm not saying that she doesn't have it tough, I'm not saying that I don't think she works hard. It's apparent that it's a struggle, and that she's in a trap right now. But driving a pickup pulling a gooseneck isn't exactly like driving a truck. First off, most trucks (not the volvos or freightliners or anything with automatics) have a shitload of gears, usually 10, 13 or 18 (unless you're getting into double-stickers, which you don't see much). The gears are easy with practice. Then you've got tons of maintenance on lights, fluids, filters, paperwork, emissions standards, turbo, axles, tires, air brakes and service brakes.... being a trucker and driving a truck are very different animals. I'm just saying that maybe the New York Times doesn't have a good sense of what people out in the Dakotas, Montana, Wyoming, Colorado, Kansas, Oklahoma, Texas.... What we do to make our living compared to what they do is very different. I've been on a custom harvest crew for the last 4 years, cutting crops from Texas to Oklahoma to Kansas (home state), Colorado, and Montana. 16+ hour days, including truck driving, tractor operation, combine operation, mechanic work, equipment loading and unloading, tons of travel and not very much sleep. I'm just saying it happens everywhere out here, and driving a pickup for several hours a day wouldn't be bad, to me.

*Op-Doc: ‘Running on Fumes in North Dakota’* Since around 2006, North Dakota’s oil boom has been a beacon for recession-ravaged Americans. The oil towns in the western part of the state are a land of possibility and opportunity, a “Kuwait on the prairie,” where the American Dream is alive and well in the rural heartland. Or at least that’s the sales pitch that has lured thousands of job seekers. But Jonnie Cassens, a 38-year-old truck driver who is the subject of this Op-Doc video, offers a different perspective. Unable to find decent work on the West Coast, she moved to North Dakota carrying unpaid hospital bills, student loans and a commercial driver’s license. It was easy for her to get a job in the oil industry, as a contract “hotshot” truck driver - basically a round-the-clock special-delivery driver. When a rig or a pump jack breaks down, a hotshot is called to rush a new part out to a site, often in very remote areas. Jonnie calls it “U.P.S. on steroids.” The work is steady, but her life has been agonizing. The pay can be lower than expected (her employer says she earned $34,000 last year) and the cost of living remarkably high (a tight housing market has, in some cases, inflated rents to Manhattan levels). Her loneliness is magnified by a desolate landscape that’s dominated by men. Jonnie’s story calls into question whether hard work and courage can eventually bring a decent living in contemporary America - a longstanding promise this nation makes to its citizens. As it happens, we can’t all be winners. Not even in a boomtown.

You can come to Fall River Massachusetts there’s trucking jobs that pay very well like in the thirty five bucks per hr.

This was 6 years ago I hope she's doing well!

This explains a lot about the pay differences between men and women. We've been saying this for a long time, the average man is willing to do jobs that the average woman won't do. That can lead to a disparity in income. If this woman, or any other woman, is willing to do the exact same job as a man and do it as well she will earn, or should earn, the same money as the man. However, this is evidence to the fact that that is not usually the case.

K, at the start of the vid, the chick says that she came there to make money, isn't making any, doesn't know how to get out.....Here's a thought, get out the same way ya got there.

well done girl she should be proud shes managing to keep her head above water. bloody crying shame that life is so hard for her. and she cant even go out to socialise,when shes finished her work.

Did I, or did the NYT, miss a critical part of her story: Why did she go to ND for lesser wages, benefits, and a worse lifestyle than she had doing the same job in CA?

Well you can't make huge money in ND not because they don't pay you well, but because the cost of living has skyrocketed, she is not drving a semi, which is where good money is made from there. Going to ND without being a Rig Worker, or you go without a CDL A with Tanker, and Hazmat you might as well just stay home, the good money requires experience, and training. Just like everywhere else you either have the training and exp or you don't, and you whine about not having any money. training is hard, and getting exp is too, but its worth it to push for it.

Truck Driver??? She's not a truck driver. She's a Hot Shot driver, driving a one ton dually. That's why your not making drivers wages. Learn to drive a rig, get your Class A with endorsements then you can ask for the wages a driver makes. And nobody lured her there she went on her own accord.

I have been working in ND for 7 years and yes its life changing money.its awesome

Welcome to life outside the bubble.

If it was your daughter i want to see who would make neg comments that would upset u. Regardless of what kind of truck she has, she is still making money and not looking for a hand out. She also aint poping out kids like alot of people do knowimg they cant handle having kids.

You've heard about the two tweakers that kidnapped and killed a teacher. But did you ever hear the tale about the guy hitchhiking across America who was writing a book on the kindness of Americans....who was then shot by a Bakken field oil worker? You're welcome.

I'm now 3 years older and feel exactly the same.

I have similar struggles, but with two others to take care of 😂

Hope you make it Jonnie. All the best to you. Take care.

If this were a man and he had a sob story the New York Times wouldn't do a video on it.

"The suits don't know what it's like"....Oh they know

she's so pretty to see Her in this video makes me SAD and afraid for Her.breaks my heart watching this.

Funny that when its a woman its a big deal. Men have been dealing with this for god knows how long, now you finally get a (slight) view as to what a man has to go through and suddenly you come to realize that its not good and that no woman should ever experience it. Thats the face of equality dear. You dont like it? Cry me a river.

This lady moved to North Dakota where oil is booming and they need people to haul tankers but she decided to bring what appears to be a 3-4 car carrier trailer and she wonders why she's not making any money ?

Hope to see more videos of your journey of life on the road.

This is one hardy woman. I wish I’d watched this back when it was released - I’d have flown over there in a heartbeat to keep her company. I’m a female, I drive tractors etc. I’m 43 and have been married 20 years and my kids have grown up and left home. I’m bored outta my head and am planning to go to the USA to look for a job.

Men in those towns feel the same way too, but no one is going to make a video about them. Because they are men.

This article is titled "Life as a Female Trucker", where was the truck? A pickup truck driver does not count as a "trucker". Does this chick even have a CDL? If she did I bet she'd make a hell of a lot more money. This looks like another case of gender biased news to me............

Glad she has the lil doggo though

Hope she found another profession. My buddy worked in Williston and has been unemployed for a year

Your life is what you make it. In saying that, if your life is hell than make a change.. Don't sit there and say "I can't do it because yadda yadda" if you say I can't that's just saying you don't want to.. I am a single father taking care of 2 children with an enormous amount of debt, but I push on.. I do what I have to. If something is in my life makes my time hell I change it. This lady is choosing to stay at a shitty job.. I don't feel pity for someone who chooses to be in a shitty position.. There are many truck jobs out there.. A lot of them are waaaaaay better than what she has..

Don't sweat it Babe. Boomtowns been the same forever. Hamburger and bowl of Chili? "That'll be $19.95" They'll see to it you don't leave town with a dime more than ya showed with. Want out? Just load the car and haul ass..

I did the oilfield game. Calfrac, then sanjel, then BJ. Fun stuff

I would love to have her job.. I don't want any kind of social life and I don't have any family members. It's literally just me. I never bothered with people, even now that I work for myself. Being alone feels like the only time I can truly express myself. Scream when needed, or speak calmly, talk to the traffic around me.. I don't even turn on the radio. That's how much I love silence and isolation. Being a gamer I also have no sleep schedule whatsoever. I really hope I can find the time out of my current job to get the required licenses and get driving. I want to live on the road.

At first I was thinking, how the hell is she working in the oilfield and eating oatmeal? Then I realized she was driving a pickup. get a Class A CDL and you can live in a truck while you save up money. Man I feel sorry for her poor thing is in a fozen wasteland living in a trailer driving a pickup making less than a Swift driver probably. Poor choices.

Now interchange this job with thousands of other jobs that men do routinely and now because woman have to do it, it's something to be concerned about.....

I almost moved out there about 10 years ago. No real family at the time. No hopes of advancement where I was. Something told me to hold off though. Glad I did.

Should have stayed in California I guess. She really thought driving for an oil company in rural ND wouldn't be difficult? 😂

Buy a gun , they are perfectly legal in North Dakota , (rifles in the back window of your pickup) if it still sucks quit , the custom harvesters always need help . UPS out there needs help also.

I have some female friends that "worked" out there and they made a crapload of money. Some were Strippers, some were Escorts, some were simply Prostitutes. None of them had ever done that work before but found the money too good to pass up. Some of them cleared a couple of grand a day. They worked whenever they wanted and how much they wanted. One of them came back a year or so ago and had a $600k home built she paid for in cash. She was pulling nearly $10k a week for almost 3 years out there. She is 28 and semi-retired.

So good but super sad. Hope things got better.

I hope you are safe and happy, wherever you are.

welcome to a mans life, you strong independent women. true equality.

so what type of CDL do you need for that pickup?

Not an easy job but one that can be done if you keep your head on straight,lots of respect for real drivers, I did OTR for years.

6 years later, I hope she's okay.

I knew trampers doing the NYC/Phoenix run all their lives. Lived in the cabs. Ate at diners. Supported families. Made friends along the way. Never bitched or moaned. Just a suggestion: if you want to be happy, get a job a woman can be happy at. No woman is going to be happy as a trucker. It's a tough, isolating environment and women are not good at isolation. This is most definitely a man's job. Only.

If she had a semi truck she wouldn't be eating oatmeal and ketchup. if u have a TRADE, there's no need to be broke. trucking companies are always hiring. but u have to keep your driving record clean.

Would be nice for a follow up as to where she is now. Hope she is ok

But it's a dually pickup. It's not an 18 wheeler. Is someone who drives a Honda Ridgeline and delivers donuts for an hour a day considered a professional truck driver?