Drivers often share how the trucking industry has changed their lives and provided career opportunities beyond hauling freight. This is certainly the case for Emily Plummer, a driver for Springfield, Missouri-based Prime Inc. Born and raised in a small Arkansas town, Plummer says she always knew small-town life was not for her. In high school, she participated in JROTC and hoped to enlist in the military after graduation, believing this to be her only ticket out of town. When high-school graduation came, Plummer found herself facing a roadblock in the form of parental consent. “(My mom told me, ‘If you want to go in the military, you will have to wait until you turn 18,’” she said. Well, 18 came and went, but by then, Plummer was working in a factory and making decent money. However, she was not content. “I didn’t want that. I didn’t want to be in a small town all my life,” she said. “There had to be more out there, I just knew it.” A year or so later, Plummer moved to Texas with her father, again finding herself in a small town. That’s where a life-changing experience literally parked itself next to her. She recalls a trucker pulling up next to her and her father’s vehicle to park — and was instantly hooked on trucks. She immediately asked the truck’s owner if she could take a look inside. “From that moment on, I knew what I wanted to do. I wanted to be a truck driver,” she told The Trucker. As if it was written in the stars, soon afterward she saw an advertisement from a recruiter who was looking for truck drivers for five different carriers. “I did the application, and four companies told me no. There weren’t many female drivers. If there were, they were with their husbands,” she said. “Thinking back, I could’ve gotten a no because I was a woman, but I can’t verify that.” Losing hope, Plummer says felt she was back at square one. She was 20 years old, with no idea what she wanted to do with her life. But then, the fifth company, Prime Inc., called and advised her to get her CDL. Plummer set out to do just that. She recalls her dad helping her train for pre-trip inspections using his old Cadillac. “It helped me get an idea of what I was going to do,” she said. Once Plummer had her CDL in hand, she said, Prime sent her a bus ticket to Springfield, Missouri, to go through the carrier’s driver training program. The rest, as they say, is history. June 18 marked her 28th anniversary as a driver for Prime. One thing that has stuck with Plummer since childhood is that it’s important to find a way to give back. “My mom instilled in us to give back,” she said. “The military was something I could do to give back to the country. I realized that driving a truck is another way to give back.” In addition to “giving back” as a vital part of the nation’s supply chain, Plummer gives back to their community. She and her husband sponsor her alma mater’s football team by providing food and refreshments for the players during the games. “I had one of the young men ask me, ‘Why did you come back to make sure we were fed at football games?’” she said. “I always tell them that I didn’t have that when I was growing up. It’s always good to return to your community. As long as you have touched one person, that’s all that matters. That’s it.” The young men now call Plummer “Aunt Emily,” she said with a smile. When the COVID-19 pandemic hit in 2020, many businesses either shut down or arranged for employees to work remotely. This was not an option for trucking. As drivers continued to deliver food, merchandise, medical supplies and other necessities, a nation that had long scorned truckers suddenly saw the light. Truckers became celebrities, greeted with cheers, thank-you signs, and food for the road. “My husband and I knew this career came with being unappreciated, but we still wanted to do it. When COVID first hit, we knew that America needed us, so we couldn’t think about ourselves,” Plummer said. “I think the general public realized how important we are to them. We felt appreciated. We enjoyed all of the thank-yous we received on the road.” Unfortunately, the public’s celebration of truckers was short-lived. “Once COVID became unimportant to the public, things returned to what they were,” Plummer said. “They don’t understand the sacrifice that comes with being a trucker. We drive for five months at a time and see so many things that range from one extreme to another. They don’t see us missing the sporting events, birthdays, and graduations. They don’t see that we skip physical and mental health care.” Plummer says she and her husband have learned to cherish their downtime, trading the bunks of their Peterbilt for the comfort of their bed at home. The time is used to catch up on rest, family, friends, and as many doctor’s appointments as possible to make up for the lack of care on the road. When they have to be on the road, she uses FaceTime or Facebook Messenger to keep up to date with her family and friends. Even though she prefers to remain in the background to do her job — and do it well — Plummer’s efforts have not gone unnoticed. In the past year, she has found herself and her achievements in the spotlight not just once, but twice. Prime holds an annual Highway Diamond Gala for its women drivers and honors one driver as the company’s Highway Diva of the Year. As the presenter read the biography of the winner, Plummer says, she noticed it seemed strangely familiar — and then she heard her own name. Winning the Highway Diva of the Year award at Prime was the fuel that kept the truck rolling, so to speak. Plummer says she was asked to come in for a visit with one of the company’s media/marketing representatives. During that meeting, she was told the company planned to nominate her for TCA’s 2023 Professional Driver of the Year. She recalls being shocked and saying, “Why would you do that? I won’t win it.” Plummer knew that two Prime Inc. drivers had previously won the award — but they were both men, and both had more than 30 years of experience. Plummer says she didn’t believe the trucking industry was ready for a woman to win. She was wrong. One winter day, Plummer was navigating her way through a Nebraska snowstorm when she received a call from Prime. “He asked me what I was doing and told me I needed to pack my bags,” she said, adding that the caller told her she had won a spot as one of TCA’s Professional Drivers of the Year and would be traveling to Orlando, Florida, for the awards ceremony during the association’s 2023 convention. Shocked beyond words and emotional, Plummer could only say ‘Wow’ and start crying. That phone call made all the effort she put into both her career and her life feel worthwhile. But, she says, it didn’t feel real until she arrived at the Gaylord Palms Resort in Orlando back in March. “It was such an honor. I met the other four winners, who are all amazing people,” she said. “I know I work hard out there, but I just do my job. I don’t look for anything extra; I don’t go out of the way to put myself out there to be recognized. I just work.” Shocked beyond words and emotional, Plummer could only say ‘Wow’ and start crying. But it didn’t feel real until she arrived at the Gaylord Palms Resort in Orlando. “It was such an honor. I met the other four winners, who are all amazing people,” she said. “I know I work hard out there, but I just do my job. I don’t look for anything extra; I don’t go out of the way to put myself out there to be recognized. I just work.”
