23 March 2023 , 10:24
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A woman dubbed the "smallest lorry driver in the world" said she gets asked where her dad is because of her height.
Hayley Hume, 40, overcame her fear of lorries to become one and says people are shocked to see a 4ft 9 in-person step out of a 14ft high lorry.
From Derbyshire, Hayley told Leicestershire Live: "I’m so small everyone is shocked to see a little woman climb out of a lorry. I get a lot of stares but I just laugh it off. If you’re a woman going into it, don’t let it bother you."
She added that she brushes off the comments made by people as "you've got to have a sense of humour to be a lorry driver."
Her size has led Hayley to realise she might just be the shortest lorry driver in the world and she has even sent an application for a Guinness World Record.
Inside quietest room in the world where no one can stay inside for over an hour
Hayley thinks she is probably the shortest lorry driver in the world (Anita Maric / SWNS)Hayley said: "I wear age nine to ten children’s clothes and age 13 kids boots. I get a lot of stares especially when stopped in traffic. People have asked – ‘where’s your dad?’ when I get out the truck. I just laugh. You've got to have a sense of humour to be a lorry driver."
Her fear of the road beasts came after a crash in 2008.
She explained: "I was on the motorway and a lorry starting indicating into my lane. I know now he couldn’t see me.
Hayley became a lorry driver after facing her fears (Anita Maric / SWNS)“I had to accelerate to get so he wouldn’t hit me but then had to slow down quickly because of road works. He ended up going into the back of me. I used to stay away from lorries or very quickly pass them if I had too.”
To face her fear, her lorry-driving cousin Kyle took her out in his vehicle in 2016. She enjoyed the experience so much that she went on to become a driver herself.
The Derbyshire woman says she loves the 'freedom' of life on the road (Hayley Hume / SWNS)She said: “I ended up loving it. I love the freedom of it. I do enjoy it.”
Trucking runs in the family and grandad Donald - now in his 90s - and dad Kenny, 79, both enjoyed the same job as her.
Her height is not an issue because of the adjustable nature of the vehicles she drives. Hayley now hopes to teach other women about life as an HGV driver as an instructor.
According to Logistics UK, only 1.2% of all UK drivers are female.