Meet 25-year-old Neha Thakur, who gave up her flight attendant dream to become Himachal’s first female truck driver | Today’s news
When the COVID-19 pandemic grounded the airline industry, a young flight attendant from Himachal Pradesh unexpectedly found herself out of a job. Instead of waiting for the sector to recover, 25-year-old Neha Thakur swapped the cockpit of a plane for the steering wheel of a 16-tonne truck.
Today, Neha navigates treacherous mountain passes and interstate highways across India. Widely recognized as the first woman truck driver in Himachal Pradesh, she has also turned her unconventional career key into social media content, drawing millions of viewers to her daily life on the road.
From aviation to highway
Hailing from Khudla village in Sarkaghat area of Mandi district, Neha initially envisioned a life in the sky. After graduation, she moved to Chandigarh to train as an air hostess. She briefly worked in the airline sector before the pandemic triggered widespread layoffs.
Neha, who returned to her hometown after losing her job, did not see the failure as the end of her career. Instead, she turned to a profession that had quietly fascinated her since childhood: truck driving.
A childhood fascination reignited
Heavy vehicles were familiar in Neh’s early life. Her father, Rajesh Thakur, worked as a truck driver for more than two decades.
In one of her viral vlogs, she recounted how her father would often drop her off at school in his truck, sparking an early fascination with massive vehicles.
However, the transition from flight attendant to truck driver required rigorous technical training. Neha had to master the mechanics of heavy commercial vehicles, including complex shifting, clutch control and air brakes.
She enrolled in a driving school and in 2023, at the age of 21, she officially obtained her Heavy Motor Vehicle (HMV) license. Her father remained a crucial pillar of support, helping her practice on the family truck and shielding her from the initial social skepticism surrounding a young woman entering a male-dominated trade.
Truck and company navigation
While her initial driving assignments were limited to local routes, Neha gradually undertook longer interstate journeys. Today, he commands a 16-tonne Tata truck that transports construction materials and agricultural products hundreds of kilometers.
Driving a heavy utility vehicle up hills is notoriously difficult.
Besides the surprise of locals seeing a young woman behind the wheel, Neha faced the harsh physical realities of the job: irregular meals, extreme changes in weather and nights spent sleeping away from home.
Cruising through narrow mountain roads, thick fog and unpredictable terrain tested her patience and focus. Still, as she drove more miles, the criticism faded and was replaced by growing respect.
Vlogging from the driver’s seat
As she conquered the highway, Neha started installing a camera in her cabin. She chronicled her travels and posted vlogs on social media, offering viewers a rare, unfiltered look at the tough profession.
Its content bypassed curatorial aesthetics to showcase the practical challenges of handling a heavy vehicle, dealing with sudden breakdowns and keeping calm in unpredictable situations.
Authenticity resonated strongly online. According to 2026 metrics, Neha Thakur has built a niche community with over 4.5 million subscribers on YouTube and over 8 million followers on Instagram.
Her journey from grounded squadron to famous truck driver is a testament to the power of rotation. For the 25-year-old, the journey eventually led back to where her fascination first began – with a mountain highway, a massive truck and the confidence to take the wheel herself.
