At eight in the morning, Rosa parks her truck and ends a shift that has helped her earn more and be present for her daughter. Before switching to night trucking, she spent years in a textile factory, earning about 1,100 euros a month and missing much of her daughter’s childhood. She now earns between 1,700 and 2,300 euros, and her schedule fits her family.
Driving trucks in Spain is tough. The Dirección General de Tráfico (DGT) counts 193 deaths each year in truck accidents on city roads. Most of them, 85%, happen on weekdays. The risks are real, and the hours are long. In her early days, Rosa spent two weeks at a time away from home, crossing Europe with a colleague. She missed birthdays and school events for her seven-year-old daughter.
Women make up only about 2% of professional truck drivers in Spain, information from the Ministry of Transport and Sustainable Mobility.
The night shift changed Rosa’s life. She starts work at 11 p.m. and finishes around sunrise, which lets her take her daughter to school and be there for the moments that count. If something comes up at home, her boss lets her shift her hours. She never had that kind of flexibility in the factory.
"The hardest job is being a mother," Rosa says. "But I want to be there and give her the best." The truck cab is her space. She listens to music or podcasts, and sometimes calls friends. It’s quiet, nothing like the noise and stress of her old job. "I’m happy because I can do things my way," she says.
The factory was tense and loud; trucking feels different. Rosa says she hasn’t faced negative treatment as a woman. At loading docks, staff often show her extra courtesy. Sometimes they unload her truck first. "If you’re afraid, that’s when you need to push through," she says. Pay depends on how she handles the job, including her time management and care of the truck. Gender doesn’t decide your paycheck.
Industry reports for 2026 say operating costs for Spanish road carriers have risen sharply, with fuel prices up 14.4% year-on-year and total annual expenses for a heavy truck reaching more than 170,000 euros. Despite these pressures, road freight transport grew by 9.4% in the second quarter, while international shipments increased by 10.7%.
In Spain’s cities, transport and work hours shape family life. As reported earlier, changes to daily routines can leave a mark on families and neighborhoods.
Rosa’s path is unusual: she turned a tough job into a way to live on her own terms. The DGT figures show the risks of trucking, but for Rosa, the gains are worth it: money and time with her daughter.
