Meet The Viral Lady Truck Driver from Bulacan

In a country where truck driving is predominantly seen as a male-dominated profession, Mommy Ann, a remarkable lady truck driver from the Philippines, is breaking barriers and shattering stereotypes. Her journey from starting as a truck driver in a quarry to becoming a social media sensation and successful entrepreneur is something you should read and learn on.

 

Humble Beginnings and Challenging Struggles

“Syempre nakakakaba. Shacman 10 wheeler po kasi yung una kong nadrive eh,” Mommy Ann shared during an exclusive interview with us.

Even before driving big trucks, Mommy Ann was already used to driving vehicles. She was already driving small commercial vehicles for their business. Her shift from driving commercial vehicles to driving big and heavy trucks came from a bold business move of instead hiring a truck driver for her trucking business, she decided to drive the truck herself.

 “Nagstart ako mag drive sa quarry muna yung walang karga.”

Despite her initial struggle to drive the Shacman 10W, seeing how people are in awe when they see her driving the truck gives her that extra boost of confidence she needs.

“Dahil nga po malaki siya medyo nakakakaba rin talaga pero yung mga tao natutuwa sila tapos parang lumalakas rin ang loob ko ganon.”

After a year of driving the truck herself, Mommy Ann struggled and shared how she decided to hire a driver again, who eventually became her loving husband and business partner.

“Dumating sa punto gusto ko naman magpahinga din syempre babae rin naman ako tapos dalaga pa ako non kaya naghanap ako driver. Yung driver ko na yun naging asawa ko siya. Tapos kami na dalawa bumabyahe”

 

Meant to be a Vlogger

Living in today’s digital age, it’s amazing how a viral video can change the course of a person’s life and Mommy Ann not only became viral once, but twice for different contexts.

She first experienced going viral after a video of her child taking a bath went viral.

“Hindi talaga ako nagvovlog. Kaya Mommy Ann and Kobe kasi content ko talaga anak ko.”

We all can’t help but to document every moment of our children, and Mommy Anne was no exception to this. After her son went viral, Mommy Anne shared how brands started contacting her and they started receiving diapers and baby essentials wherein they just ask for product reviews in return. This also opened doors for her to become an affiliate.

Just last year, she again went viral after a short reel she made of her driving a 10W Truck went viral.

“Netong 2023, sabi ko try ko nga tong 10-Wheeler kung kaya ko. Sakto kukuha kami gulong sabi ko sasama ako. Tapos ayun gumawa po ako reel background music lang nagdadrive ako ng truck, inaangat ko yung dumbox, tapos nagviral siya kaya po pinatuloy ko nalang”

Now, she has over half a million followers on Facebook and is now more than 200K followers on TikTok. 

“Hindi pa rin ako makapaniwala na ganon. Minsan may mga nagcocomment pa na lagi akong nakasubaybay sa vlogs mo minsan nasa ibang bansa yung nagcocomment. Nakakatuwa po.”

Because of how her vlogs break gender stereotypes for truck drivers, she doesn’t fail to make other people smile and inspire everytime they encounter her on the road. She also usually would get tagged on posts wherein the driver of a truck or public transportation vehicle is a female.

“May nag tag sakin na lady driver pero sa maliit pa lang na truck. Sa pag drive ng maliliit na truck dun rin po lalakas yung loob mo kumbaga kaya ko na tong maliit subukan naman namin yung mas malaking truck.”

 

Painting the Town with Smiles

“Siguro dahil sa una nilang nakikita na hindi ako maarte kaya hindi sila nahihiya lumapit.”

Mommy Ann is known by her followers as someone who is friendly and approachable. You can easily come up to her to say hi, take a selfie, and ask for a shout out. Sometimes when people encounter Mommy Ann on the road, they would ask her to do the busina challenge, wherein you press the horn of the truck in a way that sounds like a tune, which gives them something to smile about before Mommy Anne hits the road again.

“Natutuwa talaga sila dahil bihira talaga satin dito sa Pinas yung may ganto. Nakikita ko kasi sa mukha nila yung iba kinikilig, naeexcite. Kapag nakikita nila ako masaya sila kaya nagiging masaya din ako.”

 

Balancing Motherhood and Trucking

“Ang hirap pala ng ganito kapag pipigilan ka ng anak mo eh kailangan naman mag hanap buhay.”

Wearing multiple hats as a truck driver, business-owner, and mother, Mommy Ann highly gives attention to being a mom to Kobe. She shared a recent moment with her son that made her realize how hard it is to juggle both being a mom and managing their trucking business.

“Edi kahapon nga byumahe po ako, ang kasama ko yung pinsan ko naiwan yung mister at anak ko. Hindi ako nagpaalam sa anak ko tumakas lang ako. Nakita ako [ni Kobe] nung umatras ako sabi niya ‘mommy’ tapos yun nakatingin lang siya sakin na parang paiyak. Naawa ako edi ngayon hininto ko pinark ko muna tapos binalikan ko siya. Sabi niya ‘mommy gabi na wag kana byumahe matulog nalang tayo’ sabi niyang ganon naiyak nga ako.”

We all want our families to live comfortably, that’s why we do our best to provide them everything they need. Mommy Ann also shares how she needs to strive harder and be more strong due to the recent upgrade to their trucking business.

“Nagdagdag kasi kami ng units so kailangan ko mas sipagan pa. Yung anak ko naman ayaw ako paalisin syempre titigasan ko loob”

 

Defying Expectations and Discrimination

“May isang nag comment na sabi niya dapat nasa bahay lang daw ako.”

Mommy Ann rarely receives hateful or discriminatory comments and would usually receive praises about how she inspires other people, especially women, to break stereotypes. But she was able to address in a vlog a comment from her followers saying that she should just stay at home, to which she was able to respond with grace and resilience

“Sinagot ko siya sa vlog sabi ko hindi pa kayo natutuwa na hindi lang kami sa gawaing bahay? Nakakatulong ako sa gastos namin financially saka madalang rin dito samin ang babae na driver baka mas may mainspire pa ako, mas marami pa ang lumakas ang loob na mag drive.”

 

A Promising Future for Female Truck Drivers

“Sana magkaroon ng agency na makapagtrain sa mga babae na gusto rin itry etong trabaho”

Recognizing the rarity of female truck drivers in the Philippines, Mommy Ann hopes for training agencies to support women interested in entering the field. 

To females out there who are still hesitant to enter the field of the trucking industry, Mommy Ann encourages them to just give it a try and be armed with the necessary vehicle mechanics.

“Syempre mahabang proseso pa rin. Kailangan may konting knowledge sa mga basic na mekaniko at troubleshooting. Pwede naman kasi nila din itry. Subok lang ng subok.”

She adds the importance of dedication and finding joy in one’s work. 

“Basta sipagan lang natin sa trabaho at ienjoy natin palagi yung ginagawa natin para hindi rin natin nararamdam yung pagod. Palagi lang tayo maging dedicated para mahalin ang trabaho natin.” 

 

Mommy Ann’s courage, both on the road and in the digital realm, has not only inspired her followers but has paved the way for a new narrative. Mommy Ann has become a symbol of empowerment, proving that the steering wheel is not limited by gender. 

Her story is a beacon of inspiration, proving that gender should never limit one’s aspirations. Her journey encourages women to break free from stereotypes, pursue their passions, and, most importantly, believe in their capabilities, no matter how unconventional the path may be.