Iwona Blecharczyk
{{Short description|Polish lorry driver and YouTuber}}
{{Infobox YouTube personality
| name = Iwona Blecharczyk
| logo =
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| image =
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| caption =
| birth_name = Iwona Monika Blecharczyk {{Citation |title=JEDZIEMY DO NORWEGII!! WE ARE GOING TO NORWAY!!|date=5 February 2023 |time=21:34 |url=https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=RMGvpz8m0_Q |language=en |access-date=2023-02-06}}
| birth_date = {{Birth date and age|df=yes|1987|9|24}}
| birth_place = Kosztowa, Poland
| nationality = Polish
| occupation = {{ubl| international truck owner-operator,| author,| Internet personality}}
| website = https://iwonablecharczyk.com/
| pseudonym = Trucking Girl
| channels = [https://www.youtube.com/c/IwonaBlecharczyk Iwona Blecharczyk]
| years_active = 2013–present
| genre = {{ubl| Education| vlogging| travelling}}
| subscribers = 1.14 million
| views = 504.2 million
| language = {{ubl|Polish|American English}}
| network = |
| silver_button = y
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| stats_update = 29 April 2025
}}
Iwona Blecharczyk (born 24 September 1987) is a Polish lorry driver, transportation enthusiast and YouTuber. In 2013, she established the channel "Trucking Girl" on YouTube and then, in 2019, was awarded the title of "Barbie Shero" as a role model for girls. In 2021 she established an owner-operator transport company, Imagination Transport.
Biography
Blecharczyk comes from Kosztowa, Subcarpathian Voivodeship.{{Cite web |title=32-letnia Iwona Blecharczyk, kierowca tira doczekała się własnej Barbie |url=https://www.radiozet.pl/Styl-zycia/32-letnia-Iwona-Blecharczyk-kierowca-tira-doczekala-sie-wlasnej-Barbie |url-status=dead |website=Radio ZET |language=pl |access-date=2022-02-06 |archive-date=2022-01-24 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20220124143337/https://www.radiozet.pl/Styl-zycia/32-letnia-Iwona-Blecharczyk-kierowca-tira-doczekala-sie-wlasnej-Barbie }} In 2007 she took part in the Miss Polonia beauty contest{{Cite web |date=26 September 2013 |title=Seksowna Polka miała być miss, a została kierowcą tira! Iwona Blecharczyk, czyli blond trucking girl |url=https://auto.dziennik.pl/aktualnosci/galeria/438857,iwona-blecharczyk-blond-trucking-girl-czyli-dziewczyna-za-kierownica-ciezarowki-zdjecia.html |access-date=16 July 2022 |website=auto.dziennik.pl |language=pl}} and reached the finals of Miss Polonia of Podkarpacie in Mielec.{{Cite web |date=22 June 2007 |title=Kto zostanie Miss? |url=https://echodnia.eu/podkarpackie/kto-zostanie-miss/ar/8294392 |language=pl}}{{Cite web |date=25 June 2007 |title=Walczyły najpiękniejsze! |url=https://nowiny24.pl/walczyly-najpiekniejsze/ar/5983683 |language=pl}} In 2010, when she graduated from university, Iwona Blecharczyk became a qualified teacher of English as a foreign language.{{Cite web |date=24 May 2021 |title=Ku wolności – kobiety za kierownicą |url=https://zwierciadlo.pl/lifestyle/521604,1,ku-wolnosci--kobiety-za-kierownica.read |language=pl}} She worked as a minibus driver on the routes from Poland to England,{{Cite web |title=Trucking girl z Dubiecka ciężarówką przemierza Europę, Kanadę i Amerykę |date=23 January 2019 |url=https://www.biznesistyl.pl/automoto/porady-i-ciekawostki/7882_.html |language=pl}} then she worked in the clothing industry.{{Cite web |date=18 June 2021 |title=Iwona Blecharczyk - nasza Barbie Shero, która jeździ 63-tonową ciężarówką |url=https://plus.nowiny24.pl/iwona-blecharczyk-nasza-barbie-shero-ktora-jezdzi-63tonowa-ciezarowka/ar/c6-15666820 |language=pl}} In 2011, she started working as a professional lorry driver.{{Cite web |title=Kabina ciężarówki zamiast pokoju nauczycielskiego. "Ja chcę po prostu jeździć" |url=https://www.dziennikwschodni.pl/magazyn/kabina-ciezarowki-zamiast-pokoju-nauczycielskiego,n,1000282882.html |language=pl}}
In 2013, she founded the channel "Trucking Girl" on YouTube: she presents videos taken from her lorry cabin and talks on transport-related topics.{{Cite web |title=Iwona Blecharczyk - YouTube |url=https://www.youtube.com/c/IwonaBlecharczyk |website=YouTube |language=pl}} The channel is run in two languages – Polish and English. The viewers from Poland account for about half of the audience.{{Cite web |title=Iwona nagrywa filmy o swojej pracy. Jest... Kierowcą TIR-a. "Trzeba uważać podczas snu, bo mogą wpuścić gaz przez zamek" |url=https://natemat.pl/131263,truckgirl-do-autoryzacji |language=pl}} Outside Poland, the recordings are statistically most frequently watched in Germany, the United States, Canada and the United Kingdom.{{Cite web |date=3 February 2021 |title=Drobna kobieta za kierownicą wielkiej ciężarówki. Rozmowa z Iwoną Blecharczyk | Obcasy.pl Drobna kobieta za kierownicą wielkiej ciężarówki. Rozmowa z Iwoną Blecharczyk |url=https://obcasy.pl/drobna-kobieta-za-kierownica-wielkiej-ciezarowki-rozmowa-z-iwona-blecharczyk |language=pl}} She runs fan pages on Instagram and Facebook, too. In 2017 she was the face of advertising for the EuroShell fleet card.{{Cite web |title=Vlogerka Iwona Blecharczyk reklamuje karty flotowe euroShell |url=https://www.wirtualnemedia.pl/artykul/iwona-blecharczyk-reklama-karty-flotowe-euroshell |access-date=2022-07-15 |website=www.wirtualnemedia.pl |language=pl}}
For six years, Blecharczyk worked in oversize transport, conveying items such as blades for wind turbines.{{Cite web |title=About us |url=https://imaginationtransport.eu/en/about-us/ |access-date=2023-12-26 |website=IMAGINATION Iwona Blecharczyk |language=en-US}} In the period 2017–2018, she travelled to Canada and the United States, where she worked as a driver of specialized lorries, driving along, among others, the Ice Trail and the oil fields.{{Cite web |title=Rozmowa z Iwoną Blecharczyk, Trucking Girl - tylko transport mnie tak jara :: truck.pl |url=https://www.truck.pl/pl/article/1399/tylko-transport-mnie-tak-jara-rozmowa-z-iwoną-blecharczyk-trucking-girl,1 |access-date=2022-09-05 |website=TruckExpo |language=pl}}{{Cite web |date=22 October 2020 |title=Delikatna kobieta, która prowadzi po świecie najcięższe ciężarówki. Pochodząca z okolic Przemyśla Iwona Blecharczyk wydała książkę |url=https://przemysl.naszemiasto.pl/delikatna-kobieta-ktora-prowadzi-po-swiecie-najciezsze/ar/c13-7959153 |language=pl}}
In 2019, Mattel awarded her (as the second Polish woman after Martyna Wojciechowska){{Cite web |date=27 March 2018 |title=Barbie Shero: Oto wyjątkowe kobiety w roli lalek-bohaterek od firmy Mattel. Wśród nich Martyna Wojciechowska |url=https://dziennikbaltycki.pl/barbie-shero-oto-wyjatkowe-kobiety-w-roli-lalekbohaterek-od-firmy-mattel-wsrod-nich-martyna-wojciechowska/ar/c15-13044308 |language=pl}} the title of Barbie Shero.{{Cite web|url=https://plus.nowiny24.pl/iwona-blecharczyk-nasza-barbie-shero-ktora-jezdzi-63tonowa-ciezarowka/ar/c6-15666820|title = Iwona Blecharczyk - nasza Barbie Shero, która jeździ 63-tonową ciężarówką|date = 18 June 2021}}{{Cite web |title=Hammer-throwing champ joins distinguished list of 'inspirational women' after being turned into Shero Barbie doll |url=https://www.thefirstnews.com/article/hammer-throwing-champ-joins-distinguished-list-of-inspirational-women-after-being-turned-into-shero-barbie-doll-20388 |access-date=2022-07-15 |website=www.thefirstnews.com |language=en}} She has become the ambassador for the Volvo Trucks company.{{Cite web |date=2021-05-28 |title=Iwona Blecharczyk Trucking Girl została ambasadorką Volvo Trucks! {{!}} Motocaina.pl |url=https://www.motocaina.pl/artykul/iwona-blecharczyk-trucking-girl-zostala-ambasadorka-volvo-trucks-394664.html |access-date=2022-07-14 |website=www.motocaina.pl |language=pl-PL}}
She was invited to participate as a speaker at a TEDx conference{{Cite web |title=Rzuciła wszystko i kieruje TIRem: Iwona Blecharczyk na TEDx Warsaw |url=http://innpoland.pl/121119,rzucila-wszystko-i-kieruje-tirem-iwona-blecharczyk-na-tedx-warsaw |language=pl}} and has worked as a volunteer driver.{{Cite web |last=Rivero |first=Nicolás |date=2022-03-16 |title=A fleet of volunteer truckers is keeping aid flowing into Ukraine |url=https://qz.com/2142451/a-fleet-of-volunteer-truckers-is-keeping-aid-flowing-into-ukraine/ |access-date=2022-07-14 |website=Quartz |language=en}} In Poland, Discovery Channel chose Blecharczyk to present the TV series Przygody truckerki (Trucker woman's adventures).{{Cite web |title=Przygody truckerki - odcinek 1 - sezon 1 - streszczenie odcinka - Telemagazyn.pl |url=https://www.telemagazyn.pl/serial/przygody-truckerki-2769720/s1/odc1/ |access-date=2022-07-14 |website=www.telemagazyn.pl |language=pl}}{{Cite web |title=Przygody truckerki |url=https://www.discoverychannel.pl/programy,3673,n/iwona-blecharczyk-w-nowym-programie-discovery-przygody-truckerki,328907.html |access-date=2022-07-14 |website=www.discoverychannel.pl |date=16 October 2020 |language=pl}}{{Cite web |last1=WPROST.pl |last2=Frindt |first2=Magdalena |date=2020-11-03 |title="Wybór wcale nie był trudny". Iwona Blecharczyk odsłania kulisy pracy "Trucking girl" |url=https://www.wprost.pl/tylko-u-nas/10383829/wybor-wcale-nie-byl-trudny-iwona-blecharczyk-odslania-kulisy-pracy-trucking-girl.html |access-date=2022-07-15 |website=Wprost |language=pl}}
Articles on Blecharczyk have appeared in, among others, (in German) weekly Die Zeit,{{Cite news |last=Wurfel |first=Carolin |date=2019-05-13 |title=ZEIT ONLINE |url=https://www.zeit.de/entdecken/2019-05/truck-driver-heavy-transport-europe-borders/ |access-date=2022-07-15 |newspaper=Die Zeit |language=de}} Der Spiegel Panorama,{{Cite news |date=23 December 2021 |title=Das Ende einer Männerbastion: Frauen im Riesentruck – »Arte Re:«-Reportage von SPIEGEL TV |language=de |newspaper=Der Spiegel |url=https://www.spiegel.de/panorama/gesellschaft/das-ende-einer-maennerbastion-frauen-im-riesentruck-arte-re-reportage-von-spiegel-tv-a-a2237dff-5122-4822-b4db-09f514798f11}} (in French) Canadian daily La Presse from Montreal,{{Cite news |date=8 April 2019 |title=Société | À 60 ans, Barbie n'est pas prête à prendre sa retraite |newspaper=La Presse |url=https://www.lapresse.ca/societe/201904/08/01-5221313-a-60-ans-barbie-nest-pas-prete-a-prendre-sa-retraite.php |language=fr}} the website metropolitaine.fr from Bordeaux,{{Cite web |date=8 March 2019 |title=Barbie célèbre les femmes inspirantes de notre monde pour ses 60 ans |url=https://www.metropolitaine.fr/stories/barbie-celebre-les-femmes-inspirantes-de-notre-monde-pour-ses-60-ans/2019/03/08/ |language=fr}} and (in Hungarian) the website on transport (vezess.hu){{Cite web |date=2022-07-09 |title=Kamionsofőrök biztonságát szolgálja ez a fejlesztés |url=https://www.vezess.hu/haszongepjarmu/2022/07/09/kamionsoforok-biztonsagat-szolgalja-ez-a-fejlesztes/ |access-date=2022-07-14 |website=Vezess |language=hu}}
In 2020, Muza S.A. published a 320-page book by Blecharczyk titled Trucking girl. 70-metrową ciężarówką przez świat (en: Trucking girl. With a 70-meter truck through the world) ({{ISBN|978-83-287-1519-6}}), on topics similar to her internet activities.
In 2021, Blecharczyk established her company Imagination Transport, driving her Volvo FH13 truck-and-trailer set.{{Cite web |date=28 December 2022 |title=Iwona Blecharczyk wins the Volvo Trucking Adventure |url=https://www.volvotrucks.com/en-en/news-stories/stories/2022/nov/iwona-blecharczyk-win-the-volvo-trucking-adventure.html |access-date=2023-12-26 |website=Volvo Trucks |language=en}} In 2023 the company expanded into oversize transport using a Volvo FH16 and a Goldhofer seven-axle semi-low-loader trailer.{{Cite web |date=21 September 2023 |title=Goldhofer Share Success with Volvo Trucks at NordBau 2023 |url=https://www.heavyliftnews.com/goldhofer-share-success-with-volvo-trucks-at-nordbau-2023/ |access-date=2023-12-26 |website=Heavy Lift News}}
References
{{Reflist}}
External links
- {{YouTube|channel=IwonaBlecharczyk}}
- {{Official website|name=Personal website}} (in Polish)
{{Authority control}}
{{DEFAULTSORT:Blecharczyk, Iwona}}