Himachal Pradesh’s roads have long been dominated by male drivers, especially in the heavy commercial vehicle segment. Trucking in hill terrain demands technical skill and physical endurance, and the profession has rarely attracted women. That pattern saw a shift with Neha Thakur, a 25-year-old from Mandi district, who left an aviation career to drive a 16-tonne truck. Her move, prompted by pandemic-era job losses in aviation, has since grown into a wider public story, aided by her own social media documentation of life on the highway.
Neha, who hails from Khudla village in Sarkaghat area of Mandi district, is recognised as the first woman truck driver in Himachal Pradesh. Her father, Rajesh Thakur, spent over 20 years driving trucks and remains her main source of training support.
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Having shifted her career from aviation trainee to commercial truck driver, Neha now operates a 16-tonne Tata truck, carrying construction material and farm produce across long interstate routes. Alongside driving, she films and posts vlogs from her cabin, building a large online following around her daily work.
The pivot began after the COVID-19 pandemic disrupted the aviation sector, ending Neha’s brief stint as an air hostess trainee. She obtained her Heavy Motor Vehicle licence in 2023, at age 21. Her online following has grown steadily since, currently more than 4.5 lakh subscribers on her YouTube channel and more than 8 lakh Instagram followers.
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Neha trained in Chandigarh for her aviation role, possibly an air hostess, before returning to Himachal Pradesh. Her trucking work now covers mountain passes in the state and interstate highways across India, routes known for narrow roads, fog and steep gradients.
The pandemic left Neha without aviation work, forcing an early career decision. Rather than wait for the sector to recover, she turned to a field she had known since childhood. Her father’s decades behind the wheel meant heavy vehicles were a familiar part of her upbringing; she has spoken about being driven to school in his truck as a child, an experience she credits with shaping her interest in driving.
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Moving from cabin crew to commercial trucking required Neha to learn an entirely different skill set: gear control, clutch handling, and air brake systems among them. She trained formally at a driving school before her father, Rajesh Thakur, took over the practical side, letting her practise on the family truck. He also helped her manage early scepticism from people unused to seeing a woman drive a heavy vehicle in the region.
Neha’s first assignments were local and short. Longer, interstate routes came later, once she had built confidence and experience. The work brought its own hardships: unpredictable weather, irregular meals, nights away from home, and roads that leave little room for error. Over time, local reactions shifted from surprise to acceptance, and in some cases, open support.
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Neha’s decision to document her routes on camera added a second dimension to her story. Her videos show the day-to-day reality of the job, including breakdowns and difficult stretches of road, without heavy editing or polish. That approach set her apart from more curated travel or lifestyle content and helped her build a large, engaged audience across platforms.
Neha Thakur’s case reflects a broader, still uncommon pattern of women entering India’s commercial trucking sector, an industry where structural and social barriers for women remain high. Her visibility, driven largely by her own content rather than institutional promotion, has given her account credibility with viewers looking for a first-hand look at the profession rather than a produced narrative about it.
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Her story also illustrates how sudden disruption, in this case the pandemic’s effect on aviation jobs, can push people toward paths they might not have otherwise pursued. For Neha, that path led back to something she had been around since childhood, this time from the driver’s seat rather than the passenger side.
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Neha Thakur continues to drive active routes and post regularly on her vlog, with her online numbers rising through 2026. Local response to her work, once marked by scepticism, has largely settled into recognition of her as a known figure in the region’s trucking and creator communities alike. 
