Christa Butner, Bottomley Enterprises driver, is the first deaf woman in the state of North Carolina to become certified to drive a tractor-trailer.

Butner, of Yadkinville, felt driven to be a trucker by her love of travel. She said she likes to see other town and cities and experience cultures different from her home. She hails from a family of truckers, who she said were nothing but supportive of her career choice. She did face negative input from people who thought her being deaf was insurmountable, but her current line of work handily disproves that thinking.

“My family is proud of me for being the first deaf woman driver in North Carolina,” Butner said. “They’ve been very encouraging and supportive.”

Butner’s journey to become a trucker began with acquiring a medical waiver from the Federal Motor Carrier Safety Administration. Then she had to complete truck driver training, nine weeks of eight-and-a-half hours a day of classroom learning and hands-on driving training at Surry Community College.

She used an interpreter to communicate and understand during her classes, passing with flying colors. Bottomley Recruitment Director Scott Alley recruited her and her team and driving partner Marc Cathey from SCC. Bottomley was one of at least two companies who offered her employment.

Being deaf and trucking presents its challenges, but it doesn’t put a damper on Butner’s driving ability.

She drives by sight like every truck driver and uses her sense of touch to feel vibrations. If there’s anything wrong with her rig, she’ll feel it as readily as any other trucker would hear.

“It’s a challenge to communicate, and I want to prove that I don’t need to hear to drive a rig, Butner said. “I use my vision and other senses. No one’s going to stop me.”

Day-to-day Butner uses a notepad or her partner for communication. While on the road she uses a satellite communications device installed in her rig, as well as texting and email to stay in touch.

She also sometimes has a team driver with her. She uses CAT scale app from the Cat Scale Company to weight, and communicates nonverbally with paperwork at weigh stations, looking at the directional lights to instruct the process.

“I get emails through dispatch for where to go and get loads and where to take them,” Butner said.

Butner has been with Bottomley for three months and has completed 12 runs to the West Coast for the company.

“She is responsible and dependable, and as a growing company it gives us much pride to have a topnotch professional like Christa Butner at Bottomley Enterprises,” a company press release read.

Butner’s superiors at Bottomley spoke highly of her, saying she is a talented truck driver. They said they wanted to highlight Butner and her blossoming career with them as a part of Deaf Awareness Month in September. She hauls clothes and produce for Bottomley Enterprises in her 18-wheeler rig.

“She’s made a real good driver,” Bottomley Safety Director Stan White said.

“I just want to say thanks to Scott for employing me and to my team for supporting me,” Butner said. “If I were alone, I wouldn’t be here doing this.”