Industry Thoughts [1] | Thoughts on the Diesel Industry, by Women in it.

​As a fellow woman diesel truck owner, I obviously had my own views about the Diesel Truck Industry. The days of only men driving a diesel truck are long over. We’re seeing more women behind the wheels of their own diesel trucks at stoplights, truck competitions, or even hauling ass down the interstate. We at Diesel Doll, LOVE IT! Though women diesel truck owners only make up a small percent of the Diesel Truck Industry, that’s not stopping women from tearing up the road or drag strips in their trucks. So, we wanted to know what these bad ass women thought about the industry they’re apart of!

​I interviewed many women around the Diesel Doll community that live in different areas in the states, but also all the way in Australia. Not to mention, I even reached out to some well-known women in the industry like Nastassja Martel, owner of 603 Diesel Truck Club in New Hampshire and even MissMaxx herself, Kelsie Epp. [[Her interview will be a part 2 to this blog post so be on the lookout for that!!]] I even decided to get a guy’s perspective from a friend from high school, Seth Montoro, a sales manager for High Altitude Trucks in Colorado. They were asked all the same questions and while I waited on their responses, I thought about what they might say. I got their interviews back rather quickly, and was shocked to see a lot of them answered the questions almost the exact same! 

​One simple question I asked was, “What do you love about your truck?” It didn’t hit me until after I read their answers, that it wasn’t a simple question, because their answers were what it means to be a part of this industry. “My truck means a lot to me. I’ve put a lot of time, money, & years into turning it into my dream truck. And have made so many memories with it. It’s def more than just a truck to me,” Kaitlyn Krajewski says about her 2000 Dodge Ram 2500 Cummins that she daily drives and competes at local truck events in. What she said is what every single one of us diesel truck owners, man or woman, know to well. It takes hard work to own a diesel truck, regardless if you’re doing all the work to it or not. We all know parts aren’t cheap, labor isn’t cheap, aftermarket wheels and tires aren’t cheap, oh hell, a plastic sensor isn’t cheap. Our trucks started out as a dream or still is our dream, so we pour our time, money, hard work, blood, sweat, and tears our trucks.

​Which leads me to the next question I asked, “What do you think the Diesel Truck Industry lacks?” Nastassja Martel answered, “I think the diesel industry is lacking unity. It’s not a competition.” Now before you make assumptions about what her answer meant, just hear me out. What Nastassja is talking about is we’ve lost what brings us all together; the passion and drive, the respect for one another’s truck. Somehow, it’s become a competition of money, accessories, or horsepower, and even knowledge. You may be asking yourself, isn’t it a competition though? It is if that’s your dream, if that’s your goal to compete in events. Just because you may have a better modification on your truck, doesn’t mean you need to be disrespectful. It takes a simple comment like, “Wow, you’ve put a lot of work into this truck. Looks good.” That isn’t “kissing ass,” it’s more or less showing someone the respect for their hard work

​“I feel like the industry lacks people who are willing to answer questions to those who many not be as educated,” Seth Montoro says, about what he thinks the Diesel Truck Industry lacks. He wasn’t the only one who answered that way, which made me think about how we see it everyday on forums or social media. I’ve seen it happen, a person asks a “simple” question, two minutes later and 40 comments later, the person somehow is getting torn apart for not knowing something so simple. I know I’ve seen the “helpful” comments, “If you don’t know that, then you shouldn’t own a diesel truck!” Ew, just writing that made me cringe. Why? Because we’ve all started from somewhere. 

​Not everyone of us went to Diesel Mechanic school, which in my personal experience, with a few that did… well, they didn’t pay attention like they should have. My point being goes back to someone’s dream, that truck they need help with… that’s their dream, regardless the year, make, model, etc. So next time you’re on social media and you see someone asking a question about their truck, don’t be an ass. Help them out. Someday you might need help too. Kinda goes back to being humble and kind? 

​Obviously, those people don’t make up all the diesel population, as I asked, “What do you love about the Diesel Truck Industry?” I couldn’t help, but smile as I read what Krystin Mottor Emmans says, “I love all the people you end up making friends with, just from a common love.” This answer hit me hard, as I remembered feeling a little lost after I got my Duramax. I wanted to connect with other women that have trucks too. That was until I found Diesel Doll. That’s where I met Krystin, just sharing the same passion. It wasn’t until I started to reach out to other women in the [Diesel Doll] community that I realized something. We haven’t completely lost our unity, it’s there... We just need to find the right club, page, or forum. Not every truck club or FB page is going to fit us, fit our goals. I think it’s important to reach out to the owners or admins and ask what their page is about. The reason why I love Diesel Doll is I finally fit in somewhere, met some incredible people already.

​So how did these women get into the Diesel Truck Industry? Well, the same as any person really. It was either in their blood, like Melissa Petersmann says, “My father is a logger, so I grew up around diesel trucks and equipment. He owned a beautiful black 2001 Cummins when I was little. I have wanted one ever since. I finally saved up enough to buy one 6 months ago. I have always owned trucks, just not a diesel.” Or you can take an answer from Leah Curtis, “It really started for me when I was 18 years old. Just the love of the sound and horse power behind the motor is what got me to fall in love with both Cummins and Powerstroke.” Many of us got started by just seeing a badass truck rolling down the road, giving a person the start of a dream

Now, what do I think of the Diesel Truck Industry? I think that at the end of the day, it really doesn’t matter how you got started and it doesn’t matter what you have… What matters is the hard work you put in for your dream. I grew up down the road for ATS in Arvada, Colorado, and that’s where my dream started. I would see some badass trucks pull out of the ATS parking lot and start tearing up Ward Road.  It was amazing and I knew one day if I worked hard, I’d get one. And that’s what I’m talking about, I think the industry has it’s “diesel politics”, but it still stands for something… a dream. Sure, I said that we need to help each other out, but also we all need to have a thick skin. Contradicting as that may be to some of you, but the Diesel Truck Industry is as tough and rugged as our trucks. What you need to think about is the way you interact with another and respond. That’s something we lost, sure you need to be able to take a joke, but also you need to have respect for one another. Just a thought. ​

So, I asked everyone to give me a piece of advice for someone that is just starting out in the industry:

Lisa Baur, from Australia, yes, Australia says, “Hold your head up high and prove you can succeed in this industry.”
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“Don’t let it intimidate you. Learn your truck. Nothing is more satisfying than being able to prove someone wrong when they don’t think you know what you’re doing.” - Kara Ziegler 

​“You have to start somewhere! Read every article you can
and watch every video you can!” –Seth Montoro

“Have thick skin and just be yourself!” - Nastassja Martel

“Don’t let anyone get you down. Keep learning about your truck and others.
It’s okay to ask questions.” - Krystin Emmanns

“If you want to do it, just do it and don’t back down no matter what people may say,
or try to talk you out of it. It’s worth it!” –Kaitlyn Krajewski

“Don't be afraid to go out and try it,
as long as you’re having fun it's all that matters.” – Melanie Foster

 “Don’t give up, stay true to yourself and have fun!” – Casey Dengler ​

Comment below, and let us know your thoughts on the industry!
Part TWO featuring MissMaxx coming soon!

Written by: Nikki Marie
​**all images are courtesy of owners**

Special THANK YOU to all who responded and helped with the blog!