Meet Neha Thakur: Himachal Pradesh’s First Woman Truck Driver, Who Left Air Hostess Training to Map The Meandering Roads of the Hilly State

Key Points

WHENEVER YOU THINK OF SOMEONE who’s switching careers, you might think of a person taking up a job in a sector which is more or less similar to their previous one. Someone who was a content creator might get into social media management; an English literature graduate may take up a job in copywriting at an advertisement agency, and so on and so on. But making a switch from air hostess to being a heavy truck driver Himachal Pradesh sounds like a far-fetched idea, right? Well, not for 25-year-old Neha Thakur, it seems. Widely known as Himachal Pradesh’s first woman truck driver, Neha left her air hostess’ training to follow in her father’s footsteps, and now documents her journey as a heavy truck driver via online vlogs. Through a video posted by Instagram Creators on July 5, 2026, Neha Thakur has shared her journey. 

From Air Hostess To Heavy Truck Driving: Neha Thakur’s Unexpected Career Journey

Hailing from Mandi city in Himachal Pradesh, Neha grew up fascinated with driving and trucks as her father, Manoj Thakur, was a truck driver by profession working in transport business. She frequently tagged along with him and went to school in his vehicle. Over the years, those childhood experiences eventually influenced her decision to pursue an unconventional career.

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After completing her graduation, Neha went to Chandigarh and commenced her training to become an air hostess. However, the aviation industry witnessed a massive slowdown during the COVID-19 pandemic, forcing Neha to return back to her hometown to take up a different career. 

Upon returning to Mandi, she commenced her driving training, her mind set on being a heavy truck driver like her father. It wasn't an easy journey, revealed Neha in one of her vlogs. In 2023, she joined a driving school and obtained her Heavy Motor Vehicle license. With the help of her father, who guided her through her learning journey and helped her practice with their family truck, Neha quickly familiarized herself with the intricacies of operating a heavier vehicle. 

In a video posted on Instagram by official Instagram creators on July 5, 2026, Thakur spoke about her childhood memories of watching her father drive. “I have watched my father drive a truck since I was a child. Sometimes, he would even drop us off at school in the truck. You see, I also drive a truck just like my father. I am Himachal Pradesh’s first female truck vlogger,” she said.

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At the age of 22, Neha formally took on heavy truck driving as her full-time career, and initially started off with traveling via local routes before transitioning to longer routes. Additionally, she maintains a consistent online presence and documents her life as a truck driver sharing videos of her journeys, mountain routes, and daily experiences behind the wheel on her social media account. 

“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,” she said.

When asked why she chose trucks out of all the vehicles she could have driven, Neha’s answer was simple: “Why not a truck?” The 25-year-old hopes to challenge the negative perception around truck drivers and said she hopes that her work can help change it. “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.

(Edited by Harsh Pandey)

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