Meet The TikTok Trucker Who Breaks Gender Stereotypes — And Makes $144K Driving A Semi

Clarissa Rankin, a professional truck driver and a TikToker, is moving past gender stereotypes while raking in a substantial six-figure salary each year. 

What Happened: Rankin, a resident of Charlotte, North Carolina, posts videos on TikTok that give a glimpse into her daily life on the road.

She has over 1.8 million followers on TikTok, while her posts have garnered over 37.8 million likes on the platform.

Rankin said about stereotypes, "People always have this image in their mind of a truck driver being a man with a big old stomach, big old beard and wearing overalls," reported CNBC.

"I love to get that expression on people's faces like, ‘Can you really drive that?' And I'm like, ‘Yes, I got this honey.'"

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Why It Matters: As of July 2022, women made up only 8% of professional truck drivers, which is still an all-time high, according to the American Trucking Association.

Rankin's trucking company, JC Rankins Transport, brought in $144,208 last year. After accounting for expenses such as maintenance and fuel, her take-home income was $73,007, noted CNBC.

The truck driver went to school for criminal justice but reportedly couldn't obtain employment in that field. Before she took to the wheel, she was making $1,900 a month as a substitute teacher.

The mother of two relies on her partner who works as a videographer to take care of her children, reported CNBC. 

A bill titled "Promoting Women in Trucking Workforce Act" was introduced in Congress by Sen. Jerry Moran (R-Kan.) in February 2021. The legislation has yet to be passed by both chambers. The bill's findings said that women hold only 24% of all transportation and warehousing jobs.

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