- All right, everybody. We are back.
And over the past three seasons we've been able
to highlight extraordinary women shattering
the glass ceiling in many fields.
Construction, aviation, sports just to name a few.
Our next guest isn't just breaking ground
in the world of trucking,
she's helping other women do the same.
Just check out her wildly popular
and awesome TikTok channel.
- I just got one question.
I keep getting a lot of women saying,
"Clarissa, you have motivated me
to become this beautiful, sexy, phenomenal, gorgeous woman
of a truck driver,
but I just can't get started."
What are you waiting for?
Look, you don't even have to have no money.
A lot of these jobs will pay you,
pay you to come get your CDL.
(audience cheering) (Kelly laughing)
- I love her.
She is a perfect guest to help us celebrate the start
of Women's History Month.
Please welcome Clarissa, y'all.
(audience cheering)
Oh my gosh.
Your vibe, your energy, like, your positivity,
it's so necessary, it's so needed right now.
And it's so inspiring. - Thank you.
(audience applauding)
Yes.
But the great part is you didn't even actually plan
on going into the trucking industry, right?
- No, girl.
- [Kelly] So how did that happen?
- First, I went to school to get my bachelor's
in criminal justice
'cause I wanted to be like a helper for,
keep people from re-offending.
I was gonna be like the superhero like that.
- [Kelly] Yeah.
- But then my husband got his CDL,
and he came out, he found a job and everything.
I had a degree and I couldn't find a job nowhere.
So I told him, I said,
"I'm going to go to school and be your broker."
A broker's who booked the loads for the driver, girl.
- [Kelly] Yeah.
- So I was like, (Kelly laughing)
I said, "I'm gonna be your broker
and we are gonna do this.
We gonna start our trucking business.
We gonna do this together."
- Yeah. - Girl, got in school,
but I didn't understand none of the lingo.
I didn't understand none of it.
So then I decided to go get my CDL.
And when I walked inside, girl, listen.
It wasn't nobody in there like me.
It wasn't nobody girl, their nails, hair and makeup galore,
it was nobody like me.
I'm like, this is not gonna work.
- I need the flavor. - It's good to stand out.
- Yes, and I was just like,
it needs some flavor in here,
so I started recording immediately,
and here I am.
- Oh my God, I love.
I was telling her I feel like you need your own show,
like literally a real full-on show.
I would watch it.
So wait, once you got your license,
was it easy to find work or was it hard?
'Cause it's kind of a man's world, like dominated by men.
- Girl, girl.
No, it was so hard because I got interviewed six times
by six different men.
All of them turned me down.
My last interview was by a woman
and I went in there with my girly suit
'cause I wasn't gonna change who I am
just to get a job. - Amen. Yeah.
- So I was like, I went, "Girl if you give me this job,
I know how to do this.
I was top of my class.
I can really drive the truck."
And she was like, "I don't care that you're a woman.
I just care if you could drive this truck back and forth
to wherever we got to go."
- Yeah.
Which is what everybody should just care about.
- Thank you, thank you.
Thank you, thank you.
Thank you.
- That's weird. - Thank you.
- Yeah. - So she said, "You're hired."
And I've been driving now for almost five years.
- Oh my god. - And she gave me
my opportunity.
- I love that. - Girl, look at me, girl.
- But I love that it wasn't a woman that hired you
just because you're a woman.
Like, she hired you
'cause you were the perfect person for the job.
That's the point.
- Highest qualified that she interviewed that day.
'Cause within that month's time
of me not getting accepted by the men,
I went and got my HAZMAT,
my triple and double endorsements, and all of that.
All within that month's time, so yeah.
- You're a go getter, I love that.
So why do you think it's important to you
to encourage other women to get into the field?
Is it 'cause you enjoy
it so much? - Yeah-
- 'Cause you can make good money.
- Girl.
Yeah. - Yeah.
- Don't get it twisted.
Yeah, Kelly. Yeah, Kelly.
But I ain't gonna quit my job now.
But yes, you can make six figures.
I came out my first year making 50,000,
now I make six figures
and it's given that,
my platform has given an opportunity to show women,
you can not be a nurse,
you can not be a-
- [Kelly] A teacher.
- Yeah, a teacher or assistant.
You could be a trucker. - Other opportunities.
- Yes! It's different opportunities
that you wouldn't even think about.
Like maintenance on a truck.
Or you can do car hauling, truck hauling,
all different kinds of things
that people wouldn't every day think about.
So I showed them as a woman, girl,
we get stuff done. Okay?
- Our next guest saw Clarissa's videos,
sharing what life is like on the road
and it's completely changed her life.
She's actually dialed in from her big rig right now.
Everybody say hi to Michelle.
- Oh, Michelle! (audience cheering)
- Hi!
- Hi, Michelle!
So Michelle, you were, you were kind of down and out
before you got into trucking, right?
- Yes, Kelly.
I was down.
My husband, you know, he started off truck driving.
I was working as an admin administrator in a local hospital
and you know, it just was down and out.
We lived in a hotel with our three children
and
yeah.
Meeting Clarissa,
being able to see her YouTube videos
and everything like that.
It changed my life.
It inspired me.
It changed my life.
The thing that stuck out and changed my life
is the video,
which was the icing on the cake,
when she was counting that money.
Baby!
(audience applauding)
You got the money!
I was like, this is for me!
- Yeah.
No, that's for real.
Especially if you're having hard times.
I grew up in a family,
we lived like pre-paycheck to pre-paycheck.
Like, and it's like, that's a real thing.
To be able to get your family and provide for them.
What's interesting is,
you know you doing these videos, Clarissa,
you not only helped Michelle, you helped her kids.
You helped her family.
You're helping, you know what I'm saying?
That domino effect.
Oh, I got domino in there.
You're welcome Eric Stonestreet.
(Clarissa laughing)
Okay, so Michelle, your life looks very different
since you became a professional truck driver.
So how is it so different now?
- So basically my life story is that I, you know,
went from rags to riches, basically.
You know, going from making $12 an hour,
now, my husband and I, we make six figures.
Being able to, you know, take care of our children.
You know, that's the best feeling.
That's the best feeling that I have,
getting, you know, what I get out of this.
And also, you know, coming from living in a hotel
with my children, with my family,
into a six bedroom home now
here in Charlotte, North Carolina.
And one last thing,
my husband and I,
we were able to purchase our first truck in December.
His name is Ghost and I'm sitting in him right now.
- Oh, I love it!
(audience applauding)
That's so cool! - Yay!
- Do you, you wanna say anything to Clarissa, Michelle?
- I do. I do.
Clarissa. I love you, girl.
I wanna thank you so much from the bottom of my heart.
I'm about to cry.
- [Clarissa] No!
- I wanna thank you so much
from the bottom of my heart,
for inspiring me,
for always being there to answer any questions I had.
When I reached out to you on your social media,
you didn't have to do that.
You know?
So many people that reached out to you all the time
and you took the time to do that
and allowed me to become a part of your family.
My family to become part of your family, like a sister.
I love you.
And also, what I wanna say is,
to the rest of the women
that are looking to get into this industry,
it is worth it.
It can change your life.
You can do it. If I can do it, you can do it.
You know why?
'Cause this truck is life, baby.
- Yes! - I love y'all so much!
(Clarissa laughing) (audience applauding)
This is the show, "Truckers Life, Baby."
I'm just saying, I would watch it.
- [Clarissa] Yes.
- Oh my God, I love you ladies!