Truck Driver.
Writer.
Author of Clutch.
Available now.
From the Ohio State University Press:
Driving a concrete mixer throughout graduate school, Linda Pawlenty became accustomed to being the odd one out: as a working-class laborer in academia and as a woman and an academic in the construction industry. But from the moment she became a truck driver, Pawlenty loved the satisfaction of proving herself, the thrill of coaxing large machines into place with precision and care. Similarly, when beginning a PhD program in literature, she maneuvered her way through the strange territory of the university, proud to be the first in her family to attempt the degree. In Clutch, she recounts her time shuttling between worlds, delivering with bracing clarity a rare perspective on gender, class, labor, and whiteness—and how the implications of each shift according to context. From enduring sexual harassment at construction sites and classist comments from professors, to the joys of driving a truck and finding academic fulfillment—Pawlenty takes stock of her disparate experiences to ask hard questions about power and acceptance, providing a beacon for those fighting for presence in places they are not expected—and not always welcome—to be.
Photo by Mick S.
Linda is the winner of the 2024 Nebraska Truck Driving Championships (Mixer Class) and holds a PhD in English from the University of Nebraska Lincoln. Her university work includes a focus in literary studies, the Spanish language, ethnic studies, “American” literature, and creative writing.
After earning a commercial driver’s license almost twenty years ago (how?!?), Linda’s had some pretty cool trucking jobs over the years: hauling cattle feed to feedlots and dairies, hauling corn and soybeans from the field to grain elevators, teaching twenty-year olds how to drive a semi-truck (right?), and hauling concrete for every type of construction project you might (reasonably) imagine.
Although she’s no longer a concrete mixer truck driver, Linda’s still a trucker (always will be!) in the construction industry, piloting a “truck and pup” and hauling sand and gravel. What’s a “truck and pup,” you ask…? It’s a dump truck that hauls a separate dump trailer behind it: those things that say “Long vehicle - pass with caution” or something to that effect.
Trucking note! A loaded truck and pup can weigh up to 95,000 pounds. NINETY FIVE THOUSAND pounds. A fully loaded concrete mixer weighs about 70,000 pounds. The average car or pickup weighs between 4,000 and 6,000 pounds. In other words, they can’t stop on a dime. Please give trucks their space!
Most importantly, perhaps, is that Linda lives with one Siberian Husky named Agatha. Agatha is obviously in charge and beloved by all, and has given up dog food (who can blame her?) for a diet of bagels, animal crackers, chicken breast, plantains and corn tortillas. She appears none the worse for this.
