Neha Thakur wanted to fly.
She trained as a flight attendant in Chandigarh, India, hoping to work for an airline. But the pandemic closed that door: mass layoffs in the sector left her without the job she had dreamed of. She was 25 years old and had no backup plan.
Her father had been a truck driver all his life, and amid criticism from people in her town in Sarkaghat, Mandi, she decided to get in the truck with him. In 2023, at 21 years old, she obtained her license to drive heavy vehicles. Today she drives a truck of up to 16 tons on interstate roads and mountain passes, and became the first female truck driver in Himachal Pradesh.
Now she documents every trip on video, and millions of people watch her cross routes that few would dare to drive.