DATE: Sunday, November 2, 1997              TAG: 9711010305

SECTION: CHESAPEAKE CLIPPER      PAGE: 24   EDITION: FINAL 

SOURCE: BY JENNIFER C. O'DONNELL, STAFF WRITER 

                                            LENGTH:   80 lines

AS GM OF LUCIA, SHE KEEPS THE EXTRA WIDE LOADS MOVING CHESAPEAKE-BASED COMPANY SPECIALIZES IN HAULING OVERSIZE LOADS, PARTICULARLY POWER-PLANT PARTS.

KARRY A. HARRELL isn't particularly fond of traveling by tractor trailer, but she has made her career in the trucking industry.

Harrell is the general manager of operations at Lucia, a Chesapeake-based company that specializes in hauling oversized loads, particularly parts for power plants. Lucia has transported power-plant parts all over the country - and even to South America - for companies such as GE and Westinghouse.

Harrell started working for Lucia six years ago when the company's owner, Jim Golden, opened the business. Harrell had several years of dispatching experience with her previous employers, a towing company and later an ambulance service.

Now, Harrell works side-by-side with her husband, Ricky Harrell. Ricky is in charge of designing and building custom boxes to house the power-plant parts until they reach their destination. Karry and Ricky met on the job and married four years ago.

Harrell's duties at Lucia include dispatching and selecting drivers for assignments, mapping routes and ordering the necessary permits her truckers need before they hit the roads.

``Power-plant parts are over-dimensional,'' Harrell said. ``Our loads are 22 feet wide, which is wider than a lane on the interstate. The average load is only eight feet wide.''

The large loads require a special effort on Harrell's part to see that the hauling company and its drivers adhere to all state and local laws regarding oversized loads. After Harrell maps out her driver's route, she calls all the states and cities on the course and applies for the necessary permits.

``They all have their own rules,'' Harrell said. ``Some won't allow oversized loads on the roads during the lunch hour. Others require police escorts for safety, and others have very low speed limits for oversized loads.''

A few years back, Harrell's diplomacy was tested when she had to ask permission from the state of Georgia to allow Lucia to haul power-plant materials through the state to Florida.

``Georgia had just passed a bill that would allow oversized loads on their roads, but it wasn't on the books yet,'' she said. Before she knew it, Harrell was on the phone with the governor's office explaining the urgency of the situation. Permission was granted.

``I just speeded up the process a little,'' she said.

Harrell said deadlines provide constant motivation for her and her drivers.

``Our customers can be heavily penalized for not finishing a power plant on time,'' she said. ``In some cases, they can be fined hundreds of thousands of dollars a day by the states. That's why we have to make sure that the parts reach their destination when they need them.''

And that's why Harrell and her husband have to make sure they're available to help their drivers and their customers at a moments notice.

``You definitely have to live this job,'' Harrell said.

In the six years that Harrell has worked for Lucia, the company has grown from $250,000 in annual business sales to $2 million.

Harrell now manages 14 truckers, all of them male. She admits that in the past, she encountered some hostility because of her gender.

``I had a few truckers quit on me because they said they just couldn't work for a woman,'' she said. ``You have to be tough in this business. Drivers can be very difficult.''

While she knows the industry is still male dominated, Harrell said more and more women are considering careers in trucking.

``Many women are getting into the industry so that they can ride with their husbands since they are gone so much. With two at the wheel, you can get where you're going faster and move on to another project,'' she said.

Harrell enjoys the professional relationship she has with her drivers, many of whom have been with the company as long as she has. Still, she doesn't envy their positions.

``I've gone on a couple trips to see what it was like to be out there,'' she said. ``But I just couldn't sit in a truck all day.'' ILLUSTRATION: Staff photo by CHARLIE MEADS

Karry Harrell manages 14 truckers, all of them male. She admits that

in the past, she encountered some hostility because of her gender.

``I had a few truckers quit on me because they said they just

couldn't work for a woman,'' she said. ``You have to be tough in

this business. Drivers can be very difficult.''

Send Suggestions or Comments to webmaster@scholar.lib.vt.edu