Don’t like driving cars: Lisa Kelly

After scaling Himalayas, only lady participant on Ice Road Truckers: Deadliest Roads, Lisa Kelly, will compete against nine men in season 2 in South America, admires Indian drivers.

Professional trucker Lisa Kelly spent a lot of time in India last year shooting for season one of the show, Ice Road Truckers: Deadliest Roads. She scaled the Himalayas and even rescued a puppy. “Rampur Jackson’s all grown up now and lives in Hollywood with my producers,” she says. This time around, the show’s only female participant will compete against nine men.

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Currently airing on the History Channel, Ice Road Truckers takes the group to South America. The many destinations they will travel to include Peru, Bolivia and Mt Andes, where some of the world’s most dangerous roads lie.

Talking about the new terrain, Kelly reveals that the dangers lie in the dirt roads there. She says, “Unlike the narrow rock roads of Rohtang Pass in India, in South America, when it would rain, the roads would get washed away. But the one thing that India and Peru have in common are the skinny roads. There isn’t much room for other vehicles,” says Kelly, who began trucking at 23. “I don’t even like driving cars. Most of the times you’re just trying to get somewhere. But in a truck, it’s a journey. There’s a lot more going on, you’re shifting gears and watching gauges. It’s more like piloting something.” The repeat telecast of the first episode will go on air today at 9pm.

Her trip to India last year was her first out of Alaska, where she resides. “It was wildly different and I’ve gained new respect for drivers in India because what was scary for me is everyday life for you guys,” jokes the travel enthusiast.

Ask her why she chose trucking as a profession, and she laughs and says, “My mom and dad couldn’t believe what I was doing. But my husband is supportive.” Used to staying on the road for days at a stretch, Kelly understands the pressures that come with her passion. That’s why she doesn’t advice this life for anyone who doesn’t love it. “It’s the lifestyle. You’re hardly at home. It has long hours, involves living out of your truck in cramped spaces and just being alone with your thoughts for days. If you can do it, go for it. I know I love it,” she adds.