Archive · 20 Sep 2026
Neha Thakur Swaps Air Hostess Training for Truck Driving
Neha Thakur once trained to become an air hostess.
The COVID-19 pandemic disrupted her aviation career, so she returned home.
She chose to learn truck driving, something that interested her since childhood.
Her father, who worked in trucking for more than two decades, helped her practise.
She received a Heavy Motor Vehicle licence in 2023.
Now she drives a Tata truck on mountain roads and highways.
The work can involve fog, rain, difficult roads, irregular meals and nights away from home.
She records her journeys online, where many people follow her.
Neha Thakur left air-hostess training after COVID-19 disrupted aviation employment.
The 25-year-old from Himachal Pradesh earned her Heavy Motor Vehicle licence in 2023, aged 21.
She now drives a Tata truck carrying construction materials and farm produce on local and interstate routes.
Reports differ on whether her truck weighs 12 or 16 tonnes.
Her road vlogs have attracted more than 4.5 lakh YouTube subscribers and 8 lakh Instagram followers.
- Who
- Neha Thakur, a 25-year-old from Khudla village in the Sarkaghat area of Mandi district, Himachal Pradesh.
- What
- She shifted from air-hostess training to driving a commercial Tata truck and documenting her work through social-media videos.
- When
- She obtained her Heavy Motor Vehicle licence in 2023; social-media audience figures cited in the reports are from 2026.
- Where
- She is from Himachal Pradesh and drives on mountain routes and interstate highways across India.
- Why
- The COVID-19 pandemic disrupted her aviation career, while her childhood interest in trucks encouraged her to pursue truck driving.
Supporters of Her Career Choice
Social Skeptics and Job Challenges
Women in Truck Driving
Supporters of Her Career Choice
Thakur’s story presents confidence and persistence as reasons women should pursue fields traditionally viewed as unsuitable for them.
Social Skeptics and Job Challenges
She faced criticism and scepticism because truck driving is widely described in the reports as a male-dominated or traditionally male field.
Working Conditions
Supporters of Her Career Choice
Her longer journeys demonstrate that women can handle demanding commercial driving and difficult mountain routes.
Social Skeptics and Job Challenges
The job involves narrow roads, fog, changing weather, difficult terrain, irregular meals and nights away from home.
- Age
- 25
- Home
- Khudla village, Sarkaghat area, Mandi district, Himachal Pradesh
- Licence
- Heavy Motor Vehicle licence obtained in 2023, when she was 21
- Truck
- Tata truck; reports differ on whether it weighs 12 or 16 tonnes
- Cargo
- Construction materials and farm produce
- YouTube audience
- More than 4.5 lakh subscribers
- Instagram audience
- More than 8 lakh followers
