MAN Truck & Bus
We keep life moving
Christina Scheib, 37, is a passionate long-distance truck driver. In this interview she explains why she has the best job in the world.
You trained as a physician assistant but now you work as a long-distance truck driver. What prompted your change of career?
CHRISTINA SCHEIB I had always dreamed of driving a truck. When I was a child, an aggregate truck used to regularly go past. It fascinated me, and the driver always gave me a nice wave too. At the end of the day though, it was just chance that I got my truck driving license. I lived as a lodger when I was training. The landlord had a breakdown recovery company and I drove their small tow truck on a part-time basis. So that’s how I grew into driving, and then at some point, I wanted a bit more.
What do you mean by “more”?
CHRISTINA SCHEIB Getting my HGV license so that I could drive articulated trucks long distance. I did that in 2011.
Committed: Christina Scheib discusses the special requirements of women on a truck with other female drivers at a MAN workshop.
Did you switch career completely straight away?
CHRISTINA SCHEIB I carried on working as a physician assistant for a while, driving trucks on the side. When I got a job offer from the logistics industry though, the decision was clear. I wanted to get out and see things. So I became a long-distance truck driver.
How was it at first?
CHRISTINA SCHEIB Driving a big truck is a bit weird at first. You have to be brave about it. The knowledge that not every day is the same also helps me. It takes away the pressure. For example, if I don’t drive up to the ramp as well as usual one day, I just call that a Bad Ramp Day. I know that I can drive – but there can also be days when I can’t even park my own car. It just happens.
By choosing this career, you have entered a very male domain...
CHRISTINA SCHEIB ...And you have to be able to deal with that. The tone of conversation is different, rougher. On top of that, we women are always exposed to sexually suggestive comments.
And yet driving excites you?
CHRISTINA SCHEIB Yes, driving is freedom. No two days are alike. No matter how many times I drive through the Brenner Pass, the sky there is always different. The light is never the same. Every day, you have different situations, different weather, a different load. You also never know whether you’ll be able to spend the night at a truck stop and what the sanitary facilities will be like there. You just have to deal with it.
What’s the camaraderie like on the road?
CHRISTINA SCHEIB When I’m in Italy, I often meet up with other drivers in a restaurant in the evening. Thanks to my mobile phone and social media, I always know if there’s a familiar face nearby. We chat amongst ourselves, sharing tips. And if I need to spend the night on the road, I park close to other trucks when I can, it makes me feel safer.
Long-distance driving isn’t a family-friendly career...
CHRISTINA SCHEIB That’s true – and that makes the decision difficult for many women. It’s different with local and factory runs. You get to sleep at home, it’s easier to go to the toilet, and you see your husband and children regularly.
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Dream job: Even as a child, Christina Scheib was fascinated by trucks.
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Aesthetics: Christina Scheib's MAN truck attracts attention. She attaches great importance to the appearance of her truck.
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Variety: Driving is freedom - and that's exactly what Christina Scheib loves about her job.
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Ambassador: Christina Scheib wants to motivate other women to get behind the wheel of a truck.
So why should more women become truck drivers?
CHRISTINA SCHEIB Because it’s one of the most important jobs. We keep life moving. That’s something women are good at.
What would be your wish?
CHRISTINA SCHEIB I’d like for the image of the job to improve. We were considered essential during the pandemic. Today, we’re back to getting honked at if a car driver thinks we’re blocking the traffic. People don’t think about how food, toilet paper or medications get into the shops. Truck drivers don’t just do it for the fun of it. It is their job to bring people the goods that they then consume.
You’ve been driving a MAN truck for a few weeks now. Why did you choose it?
CHRISTINA SCHEIB For its safety, high quality equipment and the price. What counts for me is to have space – as a professional truck driver, you live in your cab. It is important to me that there is plenty of storage space because we women don’t travel as light as men do. And it has to look right too...
