He drives up to nine or ten hours a day, ties and unties very heavy loads, transports highly flammable goods. But if you ask her about her work she defends herself with an unbreakable modesty: "I still have a lot to learn."

Palmira Mura, 53 years old, originally from Guspini but brought to live in the North by her parents as a child, really doesn't want to admit that she is a force of nature. Being a truck driver had been a secret dream ever since her first boyfriend, who was a driver by profession, took her with him on some trips. «As a child I was terrified of these “bisons”, then I learned to love them and to want to do that job too which gave me an incredible sense of freedom».

Today she lives in the province of Piacenza and is the queen of her truck: so much so that she won the "Truck Driver/Driver of the Year" award from the Roberto Nuti Group.

And to think that life had taken her in a completely different direction: a social and health worker, she was also there in 2020 to shake the hands of dying elderly people isolated from their relatives, to accompany them on their last journey, to close their corpses in the bags "knowing that I would never know anything more about them".

When did you decide to dust off that dream in the drawer?

«Precisely in 2020. It was so traumatic that once the emergency was over I decided I couldn't take it anymore. It was a tide that overwhelmed us, months that I will never forget. But it was also a life experience that made me realize I had to try. I enrolled in a driving school and in eight months I gave theory and practice."

Did you find a job straight away?

«Yes, but it was lucky. I was a 51 year old woman just starting out. My company didn't bat an eyelid, it gave me a truck and my opportunity."

What was the first impact?

«Not simple. Never before have I realized that there is a difference between saying and doing. I cried a lot, many times I thought about giving up. But I found people who supported me and gave me the strength to carry on."

What is your typical day like?

«I work from Monday to Friday, I sleep away from home for a night or two a week. During the day I drive for nine to ten hours, consecutively as per the regulations up to four and a half. After that we are forced to stop for 45 minutes. The furthest place I've reached? Eboli".

How do you experience being a woman doing a "men's" job?

«Good because I know how to adapt, I know how to ask for help from those who I recognize as more expert than me. Even if before getting into the truck I put on make-up and dress as if I were going to the office, I'm not afraid of getting my hands dirty."

Do you still think it's a man's job?

«I believe that it is not an easy job for anyone. But I feel like encouraging women who want to try: there should be more of us. Because we are more patient, and in this profession you need a lot of patience."

How do you balance work with family life?

«I dedicate all my free time to my children and grandchildren. Actually, not really everything, because I like being alone. Both on the truck, an infinitely interesting time where you can think, reason, find yourself, and off the truck."

Would you do it again?

"One thousand times. In fact, I should have done it sooner."

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