Long, lonely hours on highways across the country, driving a lorry laden with goods are tough enough. The intrusive stares and queries at pit-stops enroute make matters worse. But nothing stops this 30-year-old as she blazes new trails in a vehicle and a vocation usually associated with men.
Jothimani Gowthaman of Kallipatti village in Gobichettipalayam, Erode district, is perhaps the only woman lorry driver in Tamil Nadu. A mother of two young children, she transports loads across States on her 16-tonne vehicle on journeys that often last days. “It was on January 1, 2009 that I first tried my hand at a lorry that my husband Gowthaman owned and drove. I pity him because he patiently taught me to ride the monster vehicle as I kept knocking about here and there,” she adds, with a laugh.
What began as a pastime turned a profession for this homemaker who offered to drive one of their lorries. “The driver we appointed for our second vehicle wasn’t committed to the job, leaving us with heavy losses. Therefore, I started to drive the lorry along with my husband and the vehicle and these long drives along highways has become my life now,” she adds. She has just returned after delivering goods to Surat.
Having made her maiden trip to Hyderabad in mid-2009, accompanied by Gowthaman, Jothimani now frequents parts of Gujarat alone, often transporting garments and returns home with cotton, wood and machine parts. A trip, which often requires non-stop driving depending on the load, takes a couple of weeks or even a month, keeping her away from her children Monik Subash (9) and Vijayabanu (7) who are being raised by her grandmother Saraswathi (78).
With over five years of experience in the field, Jothimani has turned a skilled driver although she insists she is yet to master the Ashok Leyland lorry. “In 2012, I had an accident in Maharashtra after the brakes failed. I had a lucky escape after ramming a lorry,” she reminisces.
Jothimani aims to get off the wheels on the day when she and Gowthaman earn enough money to set up a transporting agency with a fleet of heavy vehicles.
Till then, for this woman lorry driver from Kallipatti, these long trips, which though tiresome are also a source of pride, will continue.
