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Female wrecker battles stigmas in a male-dominated industry

A minority in her field, Michelle Ramirez works daily to prove her worth.

SAN ANTONIO — Every morning Michelle Ramirez climbs the steps to her office on four wheels.

She hits the San Antonio streets to help drivers on what can be one of their worst days.

“You really have to know what to do not to damage a vehicle, how to hook it up, calm the customers down. Sometimes you pick up customers on the highway that are crying hysterical, so it's not just we are tow truck drivers. We also have to be like a therapist," Michelle Ramirez said.

Ramirez has been rigging up broken down vehicles for eight years.

“There’s always that challenge and that’s what I live for," Ramirez said.

Credit: KENS 5

The challenges though don’t always come on four wheels.

Especially because she is just one of a handful of women drivers in a male-dominated industry.

“I have to prove myself every day no matter if it’s a different company or not,” Ramirez said.

Lucky for Ramirez, her boss is also a woman.

She knows the challenges some of her team faces in the field.

“It’s actually a daily issue. People don’t realize that everybody male or female can know a certain industry and be an expert at it," Pantusa Towing and Recover, owner, Dorian Pantusa said. 

At Pantusa Towing and Recover it’s an even playing field.

“It feels really good to work for a team that can work together," Ramirez said. 

Out of the office and on the roads is where Ramirez faces some of her toughest challenges.

The customers.

"I was loading a motorcycle and unfortunately you get some men who you know me being a woman [they think] I don’t know what I am doing. [The man] kept telling me how to do this and how to do that. And I just have to keep reassuring sir I do this on a daily basis," Ramirez said.

“Unfortunately we have to prove ourselves sometimes but have the confidence and get out there and prove that women can do whatever they want to do," Pantusa said. 

And despite being one of a few women in her field, Ramirez has high goals for herself.

“I’m ready to get into a heavy-duty truck and show everyone that females can do the same work as men," Ramirez said. 

Offering this advice for women in any industry.

"We all have to bind together to keep going and to keep going and to keep proving that we can do the job and we can do it better,” Ramirez said.

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