- Neha Thakur is Himachal Pradesh's first inspiring woman truck driver.
- COVID-19 pandemic led her from air hostess training to trucking.
- She documents her challenging mountain road journeys on social media.
Neha Thakur Truck Driver: Truck driving is a physically demanding job and has historically been seen as a man's profession. The number of women behind the wheels of heavy commercial vehicles remains very low across the world. In India, female truck drivers account for only around 1 to 4 per cent of the total heavy commercial vehicle operators.
Neha Thakur is one of them. The 25-year-old is widely known as Himachal Pradesh's first woman truck driver. She drives a 16-tonne cargo truck through the winding mountain roads of the state and documents her life behind the wheel through social media.
For Neha, truck driving is also connected to her childhood. Her father, Manoj Thakur, has been driving trucks for more than two decades. She often travelled with him as a child and even remembers being dropped at school in his truck. However, truck driving was not always her career plan.
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Left Air Hostess Training To Become Himachal's First Woman Truck Driver
After completing her graduation, Neha moved to Chandigarh to train as an air hostess. The COVID-19 pandemic brought the aviation industry to a standstill and changed her plans. She returned home and decided to follow in her father's footsteps. What started as a childhood fascination with trucks eventually became her full-time career.
In 2023, at the age of 21, Neha joined a driving school and obtained her Heavy Motor Vehicle licence. Her father, who is also in the transport business, supported her decision and helped her practise with the family truck.
The decision was not easy. Neha faced questions and criticism for choosing a profession that is still largely dominated by men. She continued with her training and eventually started driving heavy trucks on the mountain roads of Himachal Pradesh.
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"When The Vehicle Starts, My Camera Also Starts"
Neha's work does not end when she parks her truck. She also documents her daily life on social media, sharing videos of her journeys, mountain routes, and experiences on the road.
In one of her vlogs, she said, "I started driving a truck when I was 22. In the morning, when the vehicle starts, my camera also starts. Mountains, rain, fog, loads, unloading, loading- all of these are my content. I don't need trends because my everyday life itself is my content." Her videos also offer a glimpse into the routine of a truck driver, from long journeys and changing weather to irregular meals and nights spent away from home.
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"Why Not A Truck?"
Neha has often been asked why she chose truck driving when there were other career options available to her. Her answer is simple: "Why not a truck?"
She hopes her journey will change the way people look at women in the transport sector. Neha has also spoken about the way truck drivers are treated and the stereotypes associated with the profession.
"From childhood until now, I have seen people's attitudes, and people often speak very badly about drivers. But I want to change the way those same people think," she said.
Today, Neha continues to drive through Himachal Pradesh's difficult mountain routes while sharing her experiences with thousands of people online. Her journey from air hostess training to the driver's seat has made her one of the few women in India to take up truck driving as a profession.