Women drivers are focusing the camera lens on their work and sharing it online, offering the world a close-up view of their trucking experiences.

Samta Makkar had to step out of her comfort zone to post weekly videos on YouTube. The local driver films as she hauls containers and B-trains for Challenger Motor Freight out of its Mississauga, Ont., facility.

She gave the endeavor a lot of thought, as she started recording videos at the beginning of the year, and only started posting them on the Her Drive YouTube channel in August. “My intuition was saying I should do it, I can help people with information,” Makkar said. “If people see a woman doing it, they will feel they can do it too.”

She hopes more women and youngsters will take up trucking careers after watching her videos that provide education and information.

Documenting setbacks and triumphs

Jen Winters moved from the United Kingdom to Canada to be a truck driver. She’s been documenting her journey, setbacks and triumphs in raw, no-holds-barred videos she posts on her YouTube channel.

Initially she began vlogging to keep her family back home up to date but now is keen to use the platform to inspire more women to enter the industry.

She quickly found work at a fast-food chain restaurant and enrolled at Commercial Heavy Equipment Training in Mississauga, Ont. She earned her A/Z licence on her first attempt. A few weeks later, she began working as a cross-border, longhaul driver for Newmarket Equipment based just north of Newmarket, Ont.

Second career

Both women are pursuing trucking as a second career.

Makkar came to Canada as a student and completed her post-graduation studies in computer applications. She was working for a global e-commerce giant when the pandemic hit. The company offered to pay for her truck driving school training as part of their skills improvement initiative and Makkar grabbed the opportunity.

In 2022, she began working for Challenger Motor Freight as a longhaul driver. After a year, she decided to switch to local work.

Winters lived her whole life in Manchester, England. “I’ve always had this feeling like something was missing, this urge to go somewhere else and do something.”

For a few years she worked for six months at a time at a summer camp in Connecticut. Each time she returned home, she had to find a new job.

A conversation with a ride-share driver in the U.K. about trucking in Canada sparked her decision to change her career path. She was used to long hours behind the wheel while working as a trade plate driver, picking up four-wheelers from dealers and driving them to customers.

First steps not easy

Realizing that any experience in trucking would be welcomed, Winters decided to earn her HGV (heavy goods vehicle) licence in the U.K. She also wanted to make sure she had made the right decision. She passed on the fourth attempt, a week before moving to Canada this summer.

Their first steps in trucking were not easy for Makkar and Winters.

On her first trip by herself, Makkar said the GPS led her through downtown Maryland, N.Y. A flustered rookie driver, she got stuck on a street with no exit.

“That was the worst half an hour for me,” she said. A local driver delivering nearby helped her get out of the situation and directed her to the highway. Makkar thought about quitting that day, but decided to drive for one more day, followed by another, and then another. “I started getting better every day.”

Driving a truck by yourself is much harder than it looks. Rookie Winters had a reality check when she headed out to make her first delivery from Ontario to Ohio.

“No amount of training can prepare you for what I can only describe as fear when you’re out on that road and all that responsibility is solely on your shoulders,” she said.

Winters thinks that fear is good because it fosters safety. “I understand the opposite of fear is knowledge and I am constantly learning.” When in doubt she doesn’t make any assumptions. She seeks help from experienced staff at her employer.

Down the road, Makkar is keen to stay in trucking. “I probably won’t be driving for the rest of my life. I’d like to explore the business side of the industry.”

Winters plans to keep driving for Newmarket Equipment. She is grateful to them as they gave her an opportunity to realize her dream. In the future, she would like to become a driving instructor and help aspiring truckers.