Queens of the road

Meet three women lorry drivers in the driving seat.

With less than 1% of the UK’s lorry drivers being women (1), three women are sharing their stories on the reality of life on the road.

Former Miss England contestant Milly Everatt, finance graduate Domino Homer and England rugby league star Chantelle Crowl all have different backstories, but have excelled in their dream careers as lorry drivers.

To encourage other women to follow in their driving shoes, these women are now ambassadors for Generation Logistics, an awareness campaign highlighting the opportunities available to women within the logistics sector.

Millie Everatt

Milly Everatt swapped her high heels for hi-vis as she ditched the pageant scene to become a qualified lorry driver. Competing in professional beauty pageants since 2017, Milly was titled Miss Lincolnshire 2018 and first runner-up for Miss England 2022, before her career took a different path.

At 23, Milly undertook a series of in-depth tests and training, before achieving her HGV Driver’s Licence. Shattering stereotypes, Milly shows that it’s not just men who can operate heavy duty vehicles, as she is now enjoying a life on the open road, driving 44-tonne high tech vehicles across the country.

Milly comments: “It’s been so much fun getting behind the wheel of a big truck as part of my new day job! I love having the freedom that comes with driving, as it takes me all around the country, and the wages are great too. For any women who are thinking of getting into logistics, my best advice is just to do it. With so many roles and training opportunities available, it’s a really exciting industry to get involved with.”

Domino Homer

Domino Homer pursued a finance career since leaving school, but always yearned to live life on the road. As Domino comments: “Although I gave each job everything, it was never what I really wanted to do.”

Domino followed her dreams and left her finance career, before funding her own Class 2 licence in 2021. The following year, Domino secured her Class 1 licence to become a fully qualified HGV driver.

Domino now works for family-run company Buffaload Logistics, a member of Generation Logistics partner Cold Chain Federation, who supported her as a new pass driver.

On her role, she comments: “Working night shifts, I drive to set deliveries and collections throughout my shift, meeting new people, watching the world go by through a big widescreen and listening to my favourite podcasts.”

Domino now hopes to encourage other young women to consider a career in logistics and shift their perception on what a career in this industry looks like. Her advice? “Follow your heart; the only way you’ll know if your dream job is right for you is to give it a go. Life is too short to have regrets so go for it and don’t let anything stop you. If it turns out that you were wrong, you can always change your career in the future and that’s exactly what I did.”

Chantelle Crowl

Chantelle Crowl is known for her talent on the pitch as an England and Super League rugby star. However, when she’s not tackling her opponents, she is tackling stereotypes in her career as a HGV Driver.

Swapping the home nations for haulage, 30-year-old Chantelle hits the road when she’s away from the rugby pitch, delivering beer kegs and other vital items to pubs and clubs around the country. Chantelle loves that being a trucker keeps her “fit and strong for rugby”, because she chooses to take on some of the heavier lifting tasks that might otherwise be carried out by two or three people, or even a machine, and that she feels “extra fit if I’ve had a hard day at work”.

Chantelle is able to fit her career as HGV driver around her training, as logistics is a highly flexible career. Drivers like Chantelle often benefit from a level of control over how they work and how long for, leaving plenty of time for other commitments and interests.

Commenting on the lack of women in the industry, Chantelle comments: “My advice would be to just go for it, if it’s what you want to do. This is a free world and an equal opportunity for anyone to be part of no matter what or where.”

Bethany Windsor, Programme Director at Generation Logistics added: “Representation is so important within the logistics sector, and Milly, Domino and Chantelle all do such an incredible job at tackling stereotypes and paving the way for other young women to follow in their footsteps.

“90% of people have never considered a career in logistics and just less than 1% of all lorry drivers are female, so it may not be at the top of many women’s career considerations. However, as a diverse and inclusive sector that offers many benefits, we encourage anybody who is looking for a new career path to use these three women as inspiration – if they can do it, then you can too!”

(1) Data taken from: https://careers.lanesgroup.com/resources/what-it-being-female-truck-driver