kim farmer

Kim admits that as she approached high school graduation she had no direction, goals or dreams.  She went on to work a minimum wage job and became addicted to drugs soon after.  She attributes that to not having a clear direction or aspirations to what her adult life would look.  Kim says that when she was approached by This One’s for the Gals to share her journey in the construction industry, she was hesitant because her story isn’t an easy one to tell.  She knew that it would be read by young women and to be honest, she wasn’t sure how her story would fit in.  Ultimately, she decided to tell her story exactly how it is, because she knows it’s important for women to know that no matter where they are in life and no matter how far they feel they have fallen; it is never too late to pick yourself up, dust yourself off and start over! 

When asked if she has ever felt out of place being a truck driver for the construction industry, Kim says that she has had a few coworkers tell her that they aren’t sure what they are “allowed” to say around her.  There were even a couple of jobs that she knows of where before she started the company held a meeting before her first day because a “girl” was being hired.  She says that she tends to feel guilty for the way her coworkers have to navigate their workday around her and that they probably thought their days were about to get a lot less fun now that there was a woman on the team.  Eventually they came around and realized fairly quickly that they can pretty much be themselves around her. 

When asked if she could go back and give her 18-year-old self some advice, Kim says that she would tell her to consider the military as a viable option after high school graduation.  She would also tell her not to take a year off to “have fun” because that can set you up on a difficult path.  Leave high school with a plan and whatever that plan is, be the absolute best that you can be.   

Kim says that as a young girl who was freshly recovering from addiction and didn’t have any confidence in herself much less any career goals, she chose trucking because it was the quickest and most affordable way for her to start a career.  She says that she can honestly say that the blue-collar workforce saved her life and that if it wasn’t for the equal opportunity in trucking for every race, financial status, gender and overall background, she probably would not be where she is today!