Myrna Chartrand, Portage TraMyrna Chartrand, Portage Transport
By Andrea Geary, Staff Writer
Editor’s note: This article was originally published in the Spring 2025 issue of Women Driving Change. To read the full issue for free, visit https://womendrivingchangemagazine.ca/past-issues/.
No matter where long-haul trucker Myrna Chartrand drives in Canada and the U.S., she’s going to be noticed.
As well as her signature personal look of bright pink hair and colourful leggings, Myrna’s Peterbilt 389 pride and class model is eye-catching with pink lettering that spells out ‘Fight Like a Girl’ and a pink ribbon for Breast Cancer Awareness that decorates the exterior of the truck she calls, “The Brain.” The truck’s interior carries on the pink theme, and Myrna, who’s trucker nickname is Pinky, jokes that it’s like “Barbie’s Dream Truck.”
Myrna said she didn’t always want to stand out. “Trucking gave me that confidence to put myself out there over the past 15 years,” she says.
“I like the fact that every day is different. I enjoy meeting new people each day,” she says. She also enjoys seeing big cities like Los Angeles, Miami, and Nashville.
Working for Portage Transport, Myrna transports reefers filled with food products throughout North America, and she loves her work.
Growing up with parents Dave and Carol and older brother Cory in Oak Point, Man., Myrna’s passion for trucking started in her childhood. Dave drove truck for a construction company and Myrna recalls being an eight-year-old sitting between her parents in the truck’s cab watching the passing scenery. She also enjoyed family road trips, listening to music, and sightseeing.
“My mom always told me that if there was a road to the moon, I’d be on it.”
She also got an inside view into trucking life from her brother Cory who regaled the family with stories – both good and bad.
After high school graduation, Myrna completed a Chemical and Biosciences Technology diploma in 2001. She then worked at a pharmaceutical company for seven years. After awhile she realized that, while paying well, she didn’t want to make this type of job a lifelong career. She always felt trucking was in her blood.
Riding with Cory on trips to New York City sparked her desire to train as a truck driver. “I thought ‘I want to do this – this is a lifestyle I could enjoy!’”
Myrna admits she had never driven a standard transmission vehicle or a big truck before she enrolled in the Arnold Bros. Training Academy and learning to shift gears and double clutch was very challenging. She persevered, passing the road test for her Class 1 license on her first try in 2008.
She joined Cory working for Lee River Transport, where she trained on road trips with Cory’s friend, Corey.
“The ink on my license wasn’t even really dry yet when I got my first job,” she recalls, joking.
Myrna’s mom was initially hesitant about Myrna going on the road. However, she soon joined her husband in supporting their daughter’s career choice.
“I was very fortunate to have such a great support system on my entrance to the industry,” Myrna says.
She began driving solo on regular runs from Winnipeg to Minneapolis. She admits she felt anxious about driving on her own but gradually gained confidence. “All the mishaps that I experienced in the first few months were all learning experiences for me.”
“I like the fact that every day is different. I enjoy meeting new people each day.”
Myrna Chartrandnsport
Later that year, Carol was battling cancer. Myrna wanted to spend as much time with her mom as possible so she took an administrative job. Carol passed away in February 2009, and that fall Cory talked Myrna into applying to drive for Portage Transport, where he was working. She was hired and was soon on the road again. Using an atlas and GPS, she navigated routes to many locations in the States.
When she had the chance to drive a Peterbilt 389 flat top, she was excited. A few years later, she thought of asking if she could customize it, adding a girl’s touch. She got approval to change the black decal to a pink one. Her boss had seen a truck bearing the Breast Cancer Awareness pink ribbon symbol and suggested she add that to the truck’s exterior.
In her distinctive truck, Myrna has participated in the Truck Ride for Special Olympics, and the Run for the Cure event in Brandon, Man.
“If you open yourself up to opportunities, there’s so much more than sitting behind the wheel.”
She was surprised and honoured to win the Manitoba Driver of the Year Award in 2018. Proud father Dave joined her at the awards ceremony.
Overall, her experiences on the road have been positive. “I’ve been treated as an equal for the most part. Everyone’s been good.”
She encourages women to consider driving truck and working in the transportation industry as a career. “If you think you might have an interest in it, give it a go. I think there are lots of opportunities in this industry.”
Leave a Reply