Natchez &8212; When Linda Rice walked into the Great River Regional Job Fair, she came with a heart and a dream.

And 15 years experience as a fork lift operator and a new truck driving degree.

The one thing she didn&8217;t have was a job.

Forced to leave everything including her career in Dallas two months ago, Rice came to the job fair Tuesday to follow her desire of becoming a truck driver.

&8220;You have to search your heart and follow your dream,&8221; Rice said.

After an hour of talking to prospective employers Tuesday, Rice left with an arm-load of applications from area companies looking for driver and fork lift operators.

Two months ago, Rice started working at Swift Transportation in Dallas after graduating from trucking school. In three months she completed six weeks of training, followed by another six weeks of on-the-road experience under the guidance of a trainer.

But news of family illness forced Rice to return home.

&8220;When I left, I dropped my job and my life to support my family,&8221; Rice said.

Since then Rice has been taking care of her mother and grandmother. But she still had the dream of becoming a truck driver.

&8220;I&8217;ve always wanted to drive,&8221; Rice said.

&8220;It&8217;s in my blood.

Rice said her father, four brothers, and two of her cousins were all truck drivers.

Being one of the few women in her occupation, Rice talked about her experiences with trucking.

Even though some of the prospective employers expressed some skepticism that trucking was a hard job for a woman, Rice said that she wasn&8217;t worried about such talk.

Rice &8220;takes her hat off&8221; to women who drive.

&8220;They can do anything they put their heart to,&8221; Rice said.

She described starting out as &8220;hard and scary,&8221; but her determination helped her through.

The size of the trucks can be intimidating, she said.

&8220;You have to handle the truck, not let the truck handle you,&8221; Rice said.