This 25-year-old swapped her aviation dream for driving trucks in Himachal

Neha, inspired by her father's trucking background, has turned her passion into a viral online presence, encouraging others to share their authentic stories.

Neha Thakur from Himachal Pradesh’s Mandi is making waves online as the state’s first female truck blogger. This 25-year-old, who aspired to be an air hostess, is now capturing everything from navigating narrow mountain curves and dense fog to loading and unloading cargo in her Reels. These include her steering a truck along a dangerous edge that crossed 60 million views. “After it exploded, the recognition has been insane, and brand deals have started rolling in, too,” shares Thakur, who is trending after her recent interview to a digital portal.

One of Neha's reels has garered over 60M views on Instagram.

Growing up, she watched her father drive trucks and even rode with him to school. “So, love for trucks has been in my blood since I was a kid,” she tells us. But after graduation, she moved to Chandigarh to train as an air hostess, with hopes of becoming a pilot. “However, the COVID-19 pandemic occurred, and the aviation industry took a massive hit.” Thakur returned to Mandi, obtained her Heavy Motor Vehicle (HMV) licence and started driving trucks at 22.

“When my cabin crew dreams got grounded after my graduation, I decided to go back to what felt real. I got my heavy vehicle licence and never looked back. People are always shocked and ask me, ‘Out of all things, why a truck?’ But my counter question is, ‘Why on Earth not?’,” she says. Thakur’s aim was also to challenge perceptions around truck drivers: “I wanted to step into this space, own it, and completely flip that stereotypical mindset.”

Today, she documents life on the road. “The steep turns, the fog, the loading and unloading — that’s my reality. I don’t need to chase fake social media trends when my daily life itself is the story,” shares Thakur.

Her advice to aspiring creators? “Zyada kuchh nahi chahiye. Just pick up your phone and show your authentic self. Your life is already an incredible story; you just need the courage to share it.”