Queen of the road

Duluth woman bucks stereotypes of trucking industry

By Abigail Blonigen

What keeps Abigail Boone returning to the road is the sense of accomplishment from a job well done; she said the feeling is only comparable to what she felt when she held her son for the first time.

“Some people are just born with diesel in their veins,” said Abigail Boone, driver at Kivi Bros Trucking. “I’m one of those people.” team fill their truck, and hit the road. With a flatbed, any and all cargo must be secured tightly to the trailer with straps or chains — an entirely different process.

Boone grew up on a farm in eastern Oregon and learned how to operate heavy machinery at a young age. Her family was a “trucking family,” with her father and roughly a dozen uncles all working as drivers.

Though she was always drawn to trucking, Boone did not officially begin doing so until her son moved out of the house. She earned her commercial driver’s license about five years ago.

Before working at Kivi Bros, Boone had never thrown a strap, pulled a chain or loaded her own equipment. Along with learning this new process, Boone also had to build strength, as flatbedding is much more physical work.