At 25, Neha Thakur from Khudla village in the Sarkaghat area of Mandi district, Himachal Pradesh, has taken a very different route from the career she initially planned. After graduating, she moved to Chandigarh and trained to become an air hostess. The COVID-19 pandemic disrupted her plans, prompting her to return home and pursue truck driving, a profession she had been familiar with since childhood through her father, who drove trucks.
Neha began driving trucks in 2022 and obtained her Heavy Motor Vehicle (HMV) licence in 2023. She initially handled shorter local routes before gradually taking on longer journeys. She now drives heavy commercial vehicles across challenging routes and documents aspects of her life on the road through social media. She has been widely described as Himachal Pradesh’s first woman truck driver.
A Different Direction
Trucks were familiar to Neha long before driving became her profession. Growing up in Mandi, she was exposed to heavy vehicles through her father, a truck driver. Her childhood experiences around trucks helped develop an interest that stayed with her even as she pursued a different career.
After completing her graduation, Neha moved to Chandigarh and trained as an air hostess. Her plans changed when the COVID-19 pandemic disrupted opportunities in the aviation sector. She eventually returned home and chose to pursue truck driving.
The decision marked a significant shift from aviation training to a profession requiring technical knowledge, concentration and experience handling heavy commercial vehicles. Her father supported her decision to take up the profession.
Learning The Trade
Neha’s transition into truck driving took place over several stages. She began driving a truck in 2022 and subsequently trained to handle heavy commercial vehicles. She obtained her HMV licence in 2023, marking another important step in her journey.
She initially drove on shorter local routes before gradually taking on longer journeys. Driving in Himachal Pradesh also means dealing with mountainous terrain and changing road and weather conditions. Neha has spoken about her experiences on the road through social-media content, where she documents journeys and aspects of everyday truck driving. Her content offers a glimpse into life behind the wheel and the practical realities of travelling through mountainous areas.
The Logical Indian’s Perspective
Neha’s journey has brought attention to women entering a profession traditionally associated with men. Her story is not only about changing careers, but also about developing the skills required to operate a heavy commercial vehicle and gradually building experience through longer journeys.
Her decision was supported by her family, while her social-media presence has allowed people to see aspects of truck driving from a young woman’s perspective. Reports describe her as Himachal Pradesh’s first woman truck driver, although no formal government designation has been cited in the material reviewed.
Her journey also illustrates how an unexpected career disruption can lead someone back to an interest that began much earlier in life. As more people reconsider conventional ideas about work and career choices, what can society do to ensure that people have the freedom to pursue professions based on their interests and abilities rather than gender expectations?
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