Becoming a Trucker

There were only two jobs that interested her where she could sit on her ass all day and she would get training. For a small fee of course, the reason for only two. Safety Inspector or truck driver. Since women are rarely taken seriously, the safety inspector was out. Convincing a guy that faulty equipment needs to be replaced and having them replace it would probably take something Karen would rather not do. Not to mention what would happen if she started writing up guys for not following safety protocols.

Truck driver however was practically a dream. She might only get paid around eighty percent of what a man would make, but still make more than what she did at President Burger.

There was also the fact that the only thing she needed to do was sit in a seat and let the auto-driver do its job. She would only be there in case of emergencies and making sure all items were accounted for.

Karen was standing in line at the DMV. They had a virtual training facility for student drivers and this would be her second visit. It wasn’t the regular line so most of those around her were mostly younger kids still in high school.

“Next.” A guy called out in a monotone voice.

“Hi. I’m here for some ACDL training.” She studied the online rule book at home.

He started typing on the computer. “Scan your hand print.” She complied and waited for him to do his thing.

“Alright Karen, pod F26, 3rd aisle on your left. Remember to store all clothing and personal property in the adjoining locker. We are not responsible if your things get stolen if you choose not to pay the lock fee.” He pointed to the left and she went in the proper direction and hearing a “Next.” Behind her.

When she came to the pod, a clear cylinder surrounded by used and unused pods, she stripped down and put her clothes and purse in the small locker next to it. Activating the pod, the clear cylinder lifted up and Karen pricked her finger on the disposable needle to feed the machine a sample of her blood, then sat in the sensor chair. She pulled down the thick black sensor headband so there was enough wire slack and then wrapped the stretchy fabric over her eyes so she was blind.

"Activate program." She spoke after pushing a button on the right side that slightly recline her chair and brought down the wide cylinder.

VR Info Dump

Contrary to what fictional stories predicted, over the centuries, there was no popular mass online vr gaming craze. The technology was used for training purposes since scientists couldn't create realistic A.I. NPCs nor an A.I. powerful enough to keep track of everything. Programmers also had trouble creating special magic abilities or created skills. So even in the 23rd century true VR gaming was still a dream.

In the simulation...

After Karen's blood, brainwaves, public and government media content were used to create an accurate representation of her body. Medium shoulder length brunette hair, lightly tanned skin, brown eyes, and Italian face. Child bearing hips on a tall five nine frame with H cup breasts.

She appeared naked a locker room of Go Road Trucking, the company she signed up with. She approached an open locker and took out a pair of light green shorts and put them on, the the pair of matching sandals. She had agreed to partial nudity clause so she could get the ninety percent pay that would kick in after her two week probation. Unfortunately she would have to be there for two years and get an actual CDL before she could sign the total nudity clause. She could forgo her shorts if she wanted, but only get the partial nudity pay.

Once dressed, she exited the room into a classroom with a single desk. Sitting down, a paper and pencil appeared before her and a male voice gave her instructions.

"You have one hour to complete the written portion of the test. Proceed." And a digital timer appeared on the wall before her counting down. Karen scored a 92.

The classroom disappeared and suddenly she was standing outside a semi truck with an attached trailer. The electric engine was below and behind, the front shaped almost like a public bus with a sleeper cab in back that was available for long haul drivers. She would be driving in the city in this exact model minus the sleeper cab.

Before opening the door, she went to a stand that had a tablet with a driving route on it, then went back to the semi and got up in the cab, taking a seat in the cab. She buckled the belt as the regulations stated before starting the vehicle. She turned on the vehicle and checked all the controls, then brought up the VR display on the front windshield which reached to her feet. There was a steering wheel coming out the floor and a computer console on this stilts giving her plenty of room to stretch out. She had a visibility the semi trucks of old did not have. She pulled up the instructions on the tablet and put in the correct route and checking it twice.

It took Karen two tries to pass the driving test, which ironically enough had little driving for her to do. She thought she did everything right, but when she pulled out of the parking lot, the simulations flashed red and an announcer failed her. Much to her chagrin, she failed to check if she had any cargo. Other than that, she passed the second time around without any negative marks.

Flying on the high of great scores, she picked up her purse, put on her shoes, socks, and pants, then strolled out of the DMV with a ACDL license, shirt in her hands, and a smile on her face.