What do you think?
Rate this book
Driven Crazy: A Female Trucker Dishes on Fun, Danger, and Quirkiness in a Semi
Everything you wanted to know about trucking but were afraid to ask. "Driven Crazy: A Female Trucker Dishes on Fun, Danger, and Quirkiness in a Semi" is about the journey from nervous rookie to seasoned pro, by a driver who just happens to be a woman. At turns poignant or hilarious, these engaging accounts describe how a young woman overcame challenges, both physical and social. Along the way readers share the ride and learn the Truisms of Trucking, little life lessons that remain long after stepping down from a truck, and find out how their narrator grows her "trucker's backbone" of courage and tenacity in the face of whatever lies around the next bend in the road.
Website: drivencrazybook.com
Website: drivencrazybook.com
382 pages, Paperback
First published October 1, 2015
44 people are currently reading
332 people want to read
Ratings & Reviews
Friends & Following
Create a free account to discover what your friends think of this book!
Community Reviews
Displaying 1 - 8 of 8 reviews
June 15, 2022
An eye-opening story!
I've owned this book for several years, but finally read it because I have a young, female friend who has earned her CDL and just started her first job as a long-haul driver. The trucking industry is one of the largest in the United States, employing over 3.5 million truck drivers and who knows how many dispatchers, supervisors, maintenance workers, to support them. Over 90% of those 3.5 million drivers are male and a woman trucker is still an object of curiosity.
I wish the author had included more details about when her story is set. The book was published in 2015, but we are left uncertain of exactly when the action took place. All we are told is that she graduated from college with an English degree and found few jobs waiting in her field. The 2008 recession? She was (as she puts it) "bashful and bookish" and not at all the stereotypical brash female trucker. Still, she was the only girl in a large family of boys and she stands 5'10" tall. Nobody's pushover, either. Could she make it in a tough field like trucking?
Things have changed considerably since the days when trucking companies hired big oafs and handed them the keys and a map. The combined value of a semi cab and its load can be breath-takingly high. Then there's the legal liability, which means that potential drivers must be carefully winnowed out to avoid hiring the mentally or physically unfit. It's still a job that requires physical effort, but trucks and loading/unloading are mechanized. The emphasis is on intelligence, reliability, and professionalism.
Her stories of her first years in the business and how she grew into the job are fascinating. We drive beside those massive machines (all 80,000 tons of them!) and yet we know so little about the problems facing a trucker. If you don't learn a great deal from this book, you've probably either been a trucker or lived with one. I was certainly shocked at how much I DON'T know about trucks and I will forevermore be more respectful of them and their drivers.
Truck driving is a job that attracts people from a wide variety of backgrounds. The author dealt with co-drivers she liked and respected and some she couldn't get away from fast enough. And in addition to his/her co-driver, a trucker must also deal with management, dispatchers, maintenance workers, and the staffs of truck stops, terminals, and the companies they deliver to.
During the first months of the Covid Pandemic, truckers tried to keep supplies moving while staying healthy themselves and dealing with fearful people at both ends of the trip. Shortages were common, but without the heroics of truckers they would have been even worse. We owe them all a debt of gratitude.
This is a fascinating book and I can't imagine anyone not enjoying it.
I've owned this book for several years, but finally read it because I have a young, female friend who has earned her CDL and just started her first job as a long-haul driver. The trucking industry is one of the largest in the United States, employing over 3.5 million truck drivers and who knows how many dispatchers, supervisors, maintenance workers, to support them. Over 90% of those 3.5 million drivers are male and a woman trucker is still an object of curiosity.
I wish the author had included more details about when her story is set. The book was published in 2015, but we are left uncertain of exactly when the action took place. All we are told is that she graduated from college with an English degree and found few jobs waiting in her field. The 2008 recession? She was (as she puts it) "bashful and bookish" and not at all the stereotypical brash female trucker. Still, she was the only girl in a large family of boys and she stands 5'10" tall. Nobody's pushover, either. Could she make it in a tough field like trucking?
Things have changed considerably since the days when trucking companies hired big oafs and handed them the keys and a map. The combined value of a semi cab and its load can be breath-takingly high. Then there's the legal liability, which means that potential drivers must be carefully winnowed out to avoid hiring the mentally or physically unfit. It's still a job that requires physical effort, but trucks and loading/unloading are mechanized. The emphasis is on intelligence, reliability, and professionalism.
Her stories of her first years in the business and how she grew into the job are fascinating. We drive beside those massive machines (all 80,000 tons of them!) and yet we know so little about the problems facing a trucker. If you don't learn a great deal from this book, you've probably either been a trucker or lived with one. I was certainly shocked at how much I DON'T know about trucks and I will forevermore be more respectful of them and their drivers.
Truck driving is a job that attracts people from a wide variety of backgrounds. The author dealt with co-drivers she liked and respected and some she couldn't get away from fast enough. And in addition to his/her co-driver, a trucker must also deal with management, dispatchers, maintenance workers, and the staffs of truck stops, terminals, and the companies they deliver to.
During the first months of the Covid Pandemic, truckers tried to keep supplies moving while staying healthy themselves and dealing with fearful people at both ends of the trip. Shortages were common, but without the heroics of truckers they would have been even worse. We owe them all a debt of gratitude.
This is a fascinating book and I can't imagine anyone not enjoying it.
December 8, 2025
A woman truck driver is a rarity...
Karen decided to become a truck driver. She obtained her CDL (Commercial Driver License) . She was quite stressed about learning about how to drive these single- and double-trailer rigs. She had many different co-drivers... and they included "one of each type" of person... some quite nice, skilled and patient... others "whose elevators didn't go quite to the top!"
Karen did this for several years... with many experiences and opportunities along the way. A truck driver has to do a LOT of preparation before the truck and trailer(s) are ready to hit the road. You'll learn a multitude of "behind the scene" tasks and goings on in the world of trucking... it will possibly make you a better driver around big rigs when you understand many of the unsafe moves many car drivers make near trucks. I hope you enjoy this book as I did. It was certainly different than anything else I've read.
Thank you, Karen, for writing this book and sharing so many of your adventures!
Karen decided to become a truck driver. She obtained her CDL (Commercial Driver License) . She was quite stressed about learning about how to drive these single- and double-trailer rigs. She had many different co-drivers... and they included "one of each type" of person... some quite nice, skilled and patient... others "whose elevators didn't go quite to the top!"
Karen did this for several years... with many experiences and opportunities along the way. A truck driver has to do a LOT of preparation before the truck and trailer(s) are ready to hit the road. You'll learn a multitude of "behind the scene" tasks and goings on in the world of trucking... it will possibly make you a better driver around big rigs when you understand many of the unsafe moves many car drivers make near trucks. I hope you enjoy this book as I did. It was certainly different than anything else I've read.
Thank you, Karen, for writing this book and sharing so many of your adventures!
November 26, 2021
This was a very interesting, if somewhat repetitive, memoir from a woman who spent a few years in one of my (former) bucket-list jobs. I've wondered what it would be like to drive, and Karen Greenhill delivers. Her perspective on how laws can impinge on safety rather than enhancing it reflects many professions where bureaucrats who've never done a job make laws regulating it. A frank acknowledgement of those that are broken in the name of safety is refreshing.
Also thought-provoking are insights into the types of drivers one might encounter on the roads, and things to think about. My dad taught me to drive with truckers in mind, and it stood me well during my 10-hour trips between home and college - though back in the '70s, when an 18-year-old girl could stop for coffee at a truck stop and not be presumed to be soliciting.
Thanks, Karen. This was a good read.
Also thought-provoking are insights into the types of drivers one might encounter on the roads, and things to think about. My dad taught me to drive with truckers in mind, and it stood me well during my 10-hour trips between home and college - though back in the '70s, when an 18-year-old girl could stop for coffee at a truck stop and not be presumed to be soliciting.
Thanks, Karen. This was a good read.
July 9, 2021
Shorter would be better
Having been a trucker myself I'm always curious of how other truckers feel about the job. Karen does rely her experience but you get the feeling that the glad hands and brakes were the stars of the story. The tales of co drivers were the best part of the book, and you really see how the companies aren't really concerned with safety as much as the public has been lead to believe.
I was familiar with the truck stops she mentioned and it made me just a little bit sad that I can no long drive and I would have loved to have met Karen and had a meal at one of the truck stops.
Having been a trucker myself I'm always curious of how other truckers feel about the job. Karen does rely her experience but you get the feeling that the glad hands and brakes were the stars of the story. The tales of co drivers were the best part of the book, and you really see how the companies aren't really concerned with safety as much as the public has been lead to believe.
I was familiar with the truck stops she mentioned and it made me just a little bit sad that I can no long drive and I would have loved to have met Karen and had a meal at one of the truck stops.
March 9, 2022
Unfortunately not as good as I had hoped. It was a fun premise but the writing was so detailed and just seemed to catalog each experience she had when starting off, rather than the experiences that were the most interesting/influential. Overall the story itself lost my interest but I really enjoyed the idea of it.
March 29, 2019
So interesting to see trucking from a female perspective.
Having worked in logistics/customs brokerage for over 40 years , I have always enjoyed the trucking side of the industry the most. This is a good read for anyone interested in what drivers experience on a daily basis.
Having worked in logistics/customs brokerage for over 40 years , I have always enjoyed the trucking side of the industry the most. This is a good read for anyone interested in what drivers experience on a daily basis.
June 3, 2017
Loved this book!
I love reading trucking stories, fact of fiction. This book tells how it is in trucking for a woman. I used to ride with husband and loved it.
I love reading trucking stories, fact of fiction. This book tells how it is in trucking for a woman. I used to ride with husband and loved it.
December 11, 2021
Life on the highway by a driver of a big rig.
Best book on trucking I ever read. And that is many. Karen is an amazing intelligent woman. Wish I could have known her. This in spite of never been in a,big rig and never in this business. Incredibly hard job. Now respect and admire those big trucks and drivers. I hope this remarkably woman writes another book on whatever endeavor she entered. Yours is a job few can do well. Thanks for writing about your life in the trucking industry. You set highest standards and your an example of pure excellence. Thanks from a non-trucker. I now sure respect your industry. Thanks again Karen.
Best book on trucking I ever read. And that is many. Karen is an amazing intelligent woman. Wish I could have known her. This in spite of never been in a,big rig and never in this business. Incredibly hard job. Now respect and admire those big trucks and drivers. I hope this remarkably woman writes another book on whatever endeavor she entered. Yours is a job few can do well. Thanks for writing about your life in the trucking industry. You set highest standards and your an example of pure excellence. Thanks from a non-trucker. I now sure respect your industry. Thanks again Karen.
Displaying 1 - 8 of 8 reviews