Behind the Wheel: Women Truckers Fight for Their Independence

Trucking is not an easy job, but it’s essential to the success of our nation—a lifeline for industries and communities alike that could all be taken away.

The stories of hardworking female truckers like Angela Masterson, Jeanette Lonergan, and Sheryl Myers illustrate the devastating impact of the Department of Labor’s 2024 Independent Contractor rule—a policy that threatens to upend industries, rob workers of their flexibility, and even compromise national security.

These women’s experiences highlight how vague and overreaching regulations reclassify essential workers against their will, forcing many to abandon careers they’ve invested in for years or accept rigid employment terms that strip away the American freedom they value.

At its heart, this is a battle for independence—not just for Masterson, Lonergan, and Myers, but for the countless small business owners, gig workers, and families who rely on these opportunities to achieve the American dream. Through expert insights and an in-depth look at the trucking industry, IW Features’s “Behind the Wheel” series examines how these changes dismantle the worker-friendly standards introduced under the Trump administration and why restoring those policies offers hope for independent workers.

With the potential for legal challenges to overturn the Biden-era rule and a new administration poised to champion fairer standards, “Behind the Wheel” shines a light on the stakes, the struggles, and the fight to preserve the independence that fuels America’s workforce.