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Lisa Kelly was the first female driver to have entered the unpredictable world of hauling over frozen lands through Ice Road Truckers.
As you are all probably aware, Ice Road Truckers traces the lives of drivers in enormous trucks as they put their experience and skills to the test on the rough, icy roads of Alaska and other areas with brutal weather conditions. Their determination to arrive at their destination safely and on time is admirable.
In an industry that is dominated by males and one in which only six percent is made up of females, Lisa Kelly seemed like an unconventional trucker. Despite her successes with hauling huge loads, many people still doubted Lisa Kelly’s abilities behind the wheel because she was a part of a very intense arena full of improbabilities.
Lisa Kelly has had to work twice as hard to succeed in the unpredictable and biased trucking industry. We tell you of the lesser-known facts about Ice Road Trucker's first-ever female participant.
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Lisa Kelly was born on the 8th of December 1980 in the Grand Rapids area of Michigan. However, at the tender age of 6 years old, she moved over to Sterling, Alaska with her family. Both of Lisa’s parents were professionals in the medical field, and while her parents wanted Lisa to follow in their footsteps, Lisa had other ideas. From a very young age, Lisa knew she wasn’t going to have a career in the medical industry.
She had shown a huge interest in driving and, in particular, huge trucks. Becoming a truck driver appealed to Lisa, as it looked captivating and intriguing. Although Lisa was aware of the path she wanted to walk down, which was, of course, trucking, it didn’t stop her from taking art lessons and learning how to play the piano.
Worlds apart from her art and piano playing skills, as a youngster, Lisa held the title of state champion in freestyle motor cross. During this period of Lisa’s life, she had several driving jobs, from pizza delivery to driving school buses, in which the income was used to pay for truck driver training. Lisa also had a brief stint at college but dropped out after receiving her commercial truck license in her early 20s.
She secured a job at Carlisle Transportation in Alaska after receiving her commercial truck license. After obtaining her first trucking job, Lisa began by driving vans and, in time, gained enough experience to drive the big trucks, which she practiced every time she had the opportunity. Not long after Lisa began working for Carlisle Transportation, she achieved her dream.
Driving huge trucks and hauling big loads on the notorious Dalton Highway. This dangerous job fitted Lisa’s personality perfectly, as she was known to be an adrenaline junkie! Among her many hobbies were hand gliding, skydiving, and snowboarding, as well as motocross racing. Lisa even had a once-in-a-lifetime experience when she flew with the US Navy Blue Angels display team in a fighter jet.
Related: Here's What Happened To Lisa Kelly From 'Ice Road Truckers'
A few years later, another huge opportunity would come knocking on Lisa’s door. The History Channel reality TV show, Ice Road Truckers, was looking for a female trucker. Lisa’s application passed with flying colors, and she was cast in season 3 of the show. From season 3 up until season 5, Lisa was the only female trucker until she was joined by Maya Seiber in season 5, although Maya only stayed for one series.
After two seasons, Lisa would take a break from the show during season 6 because of personal reasons. But she returned as passionate and brave as ever and was finally joined by another female in Series 10, where she worked alongside 22-year-old Stephanie Custance. Nothing can be taken away from Lisa Kelly’s courage and fearlessness, even though during Ice Road Truckers, she accepted that she had lots to learn in the business of hauling huge loads along some of the most dangerous roads in Alaska.
Over the period in which Lisa Kelly was starring in Ice Road Truckers, her fan base grew massively, and by season 11 her Twitter fanbase had reached over 70,000 followers. Not only this but she was also cast in Ice Road Truckers' spin-off show, The Deadliest Roads. It was during her time filming The Deadliest Roads that Lisa drove huge trucks in some of the worst and most dangerous conditions.
She drove her truck along some of the deadliest roads in the world including mountain passes that had sheer drops, and at one stage, she was driving her truck at 13,000 ft through the Himalayas. The conditions were so threatening that many drivers quit the expedition before reaching their destination. Lisa would later partner with fellow trucker Darrell Ward to begin a hauling company, but unfortunately, Ward lost his life in an airplane crash in 2016.
Related: 10 Facts About Ice Road Truckers That Make No Sense
Jumping onto Lisa Kelly’s personal affairs, she married her native Alaskan partner, Travis Kelly, who was also an avid fan of dirt bikes and motor cross racing, in 2008. With the couple now living in Wasilla, Alaska, they have no children yet, although they are the proud parents of 3 horses as well as several cats and dogs.
While truckers are among the lowest-paid reality TV stars in the United States, Lisa Kelly has done well, with sources estimating her net worth to be more than $500,000 as of mid-2020. This is an impressive net worth in an industry dominated by men, whose female population is just six percent.
According to the American Association of Truckers, it is estimated that the cost of Ice Road Truckers is contracted $80,000 per season. Overall, it is safe to say that Lisa Kelly's life has been exhilarating, unpredictable, and hazardous.
Sources: History Channel, Celebrity Net Worth Via YouTube
Tom is currently working as a radio presenter, film producer and also a writer. He is a true Mancunian, with a big passion for the media industry, he feels privileged to be in so many different sectors of the industry.