Housewife-Turned-Trucker: Jalaja’s Inspirational Journey Across India’s Highways

But on their wedding anniversary, she surprised him with a wish to see the country with him, especially Kashmir. Ratheesh, however, set a condition: she could accompany him only if she drove the truck herself. Despite having a heavy vehicle license since 2018, Jalaja had never considered driving a truck—until now. Motivated, she climbed into the driver’s seat, and ten days later, the couple’s fully loaded truck arrived in Kashmir. 

What began as an anniversary adventure has since transformed into a way of life. Since her first trip on February 2, 2022, Jalaja has driven across 22 Indian states and numerous union territories, including Ladakh, as well as neighboring countries like Nepal and Bhutan. With each trip, she’s not only transporting goods but discovering the diversity of the subcontinent.

Jalaja’s courage has inspired her family: her sister-in-law Soorya and her daughter Devika both earned their heavy vehicle licenses, making three licensed female truck drivers in the Puthett family. The family business, Puthettu Travels, now operates 27 trucks crisscrossing India and beyond, with Jalaja and her family playing key roles in daily operations. “Our trips take us from Kanyakumari to Nepal, Gujarat to Assam,” she shared. “We’ve seen India’s beauty and challenges from the driver’s seat.”

Driving a massive 12-wheeler truck through challenging routes, Jalaja has had her share of adventures. “Once, on the Jammu-Srinagar highway, a landslide held us up for six days,” she recalled. “With transport authorities halting traffic in dangerous areas, we waited with a long line of other trucks. I even had to walk two kilometers to freshen up at a hotel.” 

Jalaja and Ratheesh drive in shifts, one sleeping in the cabin while the other steers through the night. They cook their meals on a portable stove, using rest stops along the way. Among Jalaja’s most memorable journeys was a trip to Nepal, inspired by the Malayalam movie *Yoddha*. “We embarked on our first load from Hyderabad to Nepal, and it truly fulfilled our dreams,” she remarked.

Since then, she has returned to Kashmir to see the famed apple orchards and glaciers, taking detours to visit the Golden Temple in Amritsar and the Taj Mahal in Agra. On another trip, she took her mother-in-law Leela along, covering 11 states over 23 days and visiting holy sites in Haridwar and Rishikesh.

With a few northeastern states remaining on her map, Jalaja is on track to become the first Indian woman to drive a truck in every state. Her story has captivated audiences on YouTube, where her channel “Puthettu Travel Vlog” now has over 425,000 subscribers. Jalaja’s daughters have followed her lead, with Devika, a BCom student, earning her license at 20. A video of Devika’s first drive went viral on Women’s Day, and her younger sister Gopika, currently studying BBA, plans to get her license soon.

For Jalaja, what started as a journey with her husband has grown into an incredible exploration of India, one highway at a time.