For St. Albert resident Maria Musolino-Pearson, working at a job she didn’t love was never an option.
That’s why at 50 years old, Musolino-Pearson quit her full-time job to become a truck driver.
“If you’re in a job that you love, and you're good at, you will never have to work another day in your life,” she said.
Musolino-Pearson, now 63, knew she wanted to be a trucker since she was five years old. She remembers sitting at the dinner table with her dad while he showed her how to back up a trailer using a toy and a pepper and saltshaker.
That moment changed her life.
“I just thought it was so fascinating,” she explained. “It was fun, and it just never left me.”
Throughout her career, Musolino-Pearson had always worked at jobs that related to the transportation service. She would seek jobs that were challenging and move on once they became mundane.
But when her dad passed away in 2003, she decided she didn’t want to take life for granted.
“I realized (my parents) didn't live any of their dreams. I thought, 'I don't want to be like that,' ” she expressed.
Musolino-Pearson wrote down a list of her dreams, with truck driving at the top. Walking into a job fair in Nova Scotia – where she lived at the time – the middle-aged woman stumbled upon a truck driving school.
She signed up for the school, and in 2005 she was the only female to get her licence among eight other graduates. While Musolino-Pearson’s classmates and instructors treated her with the utmost respect, life on the road was different.
“There are people who really think women shouldn't be in trucking,” she said.
Sometimes when she’d make deliveries, men would make bets that she’d hit something or wouldn’t be able to back the semi truck up. They’d look at Musolino-Pearson in amazement when she successfully reversed into the dock, unscathed.
Others would offer to reverse the truck into the dock themselves, but she never backed down from a challenge.
“I used to say, ‘No, it's okay. I'm never going to learn if you do it for me.’ Because you can only learn so much in school, it's all about when you get out there,” she explained.
Life on the road
Musolino-Pearson said she was proud to be a female truck driver. She said she often felt like a celebrity, as young girls and older women would point at her as she drove past.
But it also came with its safety concerns. While many male drivers have no issue pulling off anywhere to take a rest, Musolino-Pearson always looked for somewhere safe.
“I always made sure I parked in safe places, truck stops, or picked rest areas with security,” she said.
As Stacey Nordin sits in her sister’s living room Wednesday evening, she looks at her mother with pride.
“She’s bold, strong, intelligent, amazing and our model,” she said of Musolino-Pearson.
Nordin remembers hearing her mother talk about becoming a truck driver when she was 10 years old. It came as no surprise when she found out Musolino-Pearson had quit her job at 50 years old to chase her dream.
Nordin remembers growing up being told to pursue what you love over settling for a job that pays well.
“She never cared what we did, as long as we were happy,” Nordin said.
Likewise, neice Kaylee Musolino-Pearson, 20, said she feels a sense of pride with having a grandmother who was a truck driver. She often brags about it to friends, and says she’s also inherited that love for driving.
She remembers going on a road trip with Maria when she was nine years old, and the fun she had travelling into the U.S.
“It's not something you hear very often, like, ‘Hey, I just went away for a month driving a truck,' ” she said with a laugh. “(Maria’s) super independent. And I think of her as a strong woman.”
In 2017, Maria decided to retire from the profession. Her doctor said she had high cholesterol and blood sugar levels, which is nearly impossible to manage on the road. She also wanted to spend more time with her grandchildren.
But every part of her misses the job.
“I really loved what I did – it's a very proud profession. It's challenging, it's adventurous,” she said. “Honestly, I don't know if I’m going to find something like it again.”
Now, Maria is planning on writing a book about her experiences on the road, which she wants to publish next fall. She hopes her story inspires other women to chase their dreams, regardless how old they are.
