Freedom, that is what Nadia Nicolino (29) values ??most about her job, a truck driver influencer who, through her profiles on Instagram, Tiktok and her YouTube channel, shares the day-to-day life of her profession in a humorous way. , within a sector that has only 2% female presence. Likewise, 72% of truck drivers are already over 50 years old, further aggravating the difficult situation that undermines the generational change in road transport.
Catalan by birth and Galician at heart, Nicolino has the C license for truck driving, the C E for trailers and the CAP (Certificate of Professional Aptitude). In addition, she has 12.5 million followers on Instagram, for whom she opens the doors of a little-known sector in which driving takes you to the heights. She does it through featured reels and fun videos in which she tells what the life of a truck driver is like; “Always from the funny point of view of the profession,” she adds. And, Loquillo already sang it, “to be happy I want a truck.”
At what moment did you decide you wanted to be a truck driver?
I have always liked driving, especially large vehicles; And what’s bigger than a car? Well, a truck. It was something I had pending and I made the decision to do it through my last job, as a pharmacy technician. All my work has been public-facing, but after the quarantine, I felt that it was no longer the same and I needed to be alone, on my own.
And do you find that air when driving the truck?
Yes, let’s say you have, in quotes, the freedom to do whatever you want. If there are hours of waiting, which is normal in this job, and you want to have a coffee, go to the gym, read a book or watch a movie, you can do it. It is something that a normal job does not give you, in which you have to be with a computer or serving people.
What is your usual route?
It is very small and allows me to sleep at home every day. I live in Barcelona and I usually leave from the port to unload in surrounding towns, on farms. That is something that I love because I live in the center of the city and being able to go through the towns and see those landscapes and disconnect from the hustle and bustle… it is the complete opposite. Sometimes I need to leave.
This profession is usually associated more with men. How have you perceived this situation from within?
Before starting in the sector, I went with the mentality of “be prepared, it is a man’s profession, you are going to receive sexist comments…”, but when I met my colleagues, it turned out to be quite the opposite. They have me super pampered because most of them are parents, grandparents… and they see me as one more.
Have you met other female truck drivers in your daily life?
Yes, especially French women and I admire them because they take longer trips, even international ones, and that has to be hard. Plus, they have bigger trucks than mine (laughs).
Why do you think there is so little female presence?
It is a very slave job due to the number of hours and I think there is a lack of women, but also youth, in general. I am one of the youngest and, at this point, it seems that not even men want to get into truck driving.
What could be done to reverse this situation?
Maybe reduce the hours. From what my colleagues tell me, in the past they earned much more, but now they earn less for the hours they are. I think that to dedicate yourself to this you have to like it because there are many hours and a lot of downtime.
How did you make the decision to show your profession on the networks?
For me, networks were a taboo subject. I didn’t master them very much, but I started to see that there were people who went out putting on makeup or playing sports and, on the other hand, how many truck drivers? Not many of them appeared to me, much less Spanish, so I told myself: “I’m going to try it so that whoever wants to start sees that she is not alone and that she has support here.”
And from there you have managed to generate an entire community.
Yes, although the women who have told me that they have the idea of ??taking the step have been very punctual. The majority of my followers are men and it is normal because there are more in this sector, but if I can help, whether they are women or men, I help them and move forward.
What goals do you have now?
Train myself more, be more of a truck driver and not just a pedal pusher. Have more experiences, road traveled and experiences. Go learning day by day.