Lisa Kelly

Lisa Kelly was born on December 8, 1980 in Grand Rapids, Michigan. She moved with her family to a small farm in Sterling, Alaska at age six. Kelly returned to Grand Rapids to attend college at Cornerstone University for one semester before dropping out after deciding that it wasn't for her. Lisa worked as a school bus driver, at various gas stations, and for a pizza company as well as was a state freestyle motorcross champion prior to becoming a truck driver for the Alaskan haulage company Carlile Transportation in Fairbanks, Alaska. Kelly married her husband Traves Kelly, a full Aleut Native Alaskan and avid dirtbike rider, in 2008 after dating him for four years. She enjoys motorcross, hang gliding, snowboarding, and horseback riding in her spare time. Show less «

Some like [that I'm trucking], some don't. But you have to live your life, and you've got to be able...Show more »

Some like [that I'm trucking], some don't. But you have to live your life, and you've got to be able to fight back. That's the only way. If you fight back, that's the only way for the insults to become banter. Show less «

[on driving on narrow snowy highways] The road is narrow and you come within inches every time. Ther...Show more »

[on driving on narrow snowy highways] The road is narrow and you come within inches every time. There are close calls. Show less «

[on proving herself when she first started working as a truck driver] I had to work twice as hard. I...Show more »

[on proving herself when she first started working as a truck driver] I had to work twice as hard. I had to pull my weight and everybody else's and get the job done as fast, or faster. Show less «

[on deciding to become a truck driver] It seemed obvious to me. I didn't know what I wanted to do wi...Show more »

[on deciding to become a truck driver] It seemed obvious to me. I didn't know what I wanted to do with my life. I had gone to college and liked school. I started delivering pizza and decided I liked being out of the building, so I started driving a school bus to get my licensing. I'd actually never been in a truck before I worked at Carlile and I announced before they even hired me that that's what I wanted to do. Show less «

[on what she loves about being a truck driver] I like going to different places and being alone and ...Show more »

[on what she loves about being a truck driver] I like going to different places and being alone and the amazing views that I have. I can go to work in my pajamas, and sleeping is part of the job. It's amazing. Show less «

[on being a truck driver] I really enjoy it. I like the freedom of getting out and not having a boss...Show more »

[on being a truck driver] I really enjoy it. I like the freedom of getting out and not having a boss directly there. Show less «

[on being a reality TV show star] Nothing in my life is private anymore. I will always take construc...Show more »

[on being a reality TV show star] Nothing in my life is private anymore. I will always take constructive criticism, but people never really back it up with anything and they don't realize you're a person, not a character on TV. It's really hard to be taking stuff like that. People ask, "How much do you make?" And I say, "Well, how much do you make?" That's not a polite question. Show less «

[on driving a truck in India] A woman had never been seen in a truck in India before so the biggest ...Show more »

[on driving a truck in India] A woman had never been seen in a truck in India before so the biggest challenge was all the people staring. People would pull over to take pictures, but they would stop right in front of me and I had to try not to hit them. At times the police wouldn't let me go past certain spots in the road because they didn't think I would be able to get the truck through. Show less «

[on facing new challenges and driving on dangerous terrains] I think you have to be a person who enj...Show more »

[on facing new challenges and driving on dangerous terrains] I think you have to be a person who enjoys challenges. Skills are learned by making mistakes and trying new things to see what works. I think you have to have a spirit of learning to overcome new things. Mostly I love the feeling of accomplishment of being able to overcome challenges and, to top it off, I'm an adrenaline junkie. Show less «

[on being a female truck driver] I don't have to play it down. I think I've earned where I'm at. The...Show more »

[on being a female truck driver] I don't have to play it down. I think I've earned where I'm at. They just don't judge me by the cover, and I can get the job done. I don't need to fit the stereotype. I don't have to be a potty mouth, chew tobacco, and be 300 pounds to drive a truck. Show less «

[on getting her first job as a truck driver] A lot of companies wouldn't hire me, but Carlile were l...Show more »

[on getting her first job as a truck driver] A lot of companies wouldn't hire me, but Carlile were like, "Yeah, we'll give you a chance." They didn't look at what was on the outside. Show less «

Lisa Kelly

Lisa Kelly's FILMOGRAPHY

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