Happy and in her element

Katja Tscherteu from Gallizien, Austria is showing everyone that she is not concerned about “men’s work” or “women’s work”. As a young driver, she is full of confidence, both behind the wheel of her 26-tonne MAN and on the construction site.

As soon as she finished her school exams in the spring of 2020, Katja gained her truck driver’s licence. Ever since, she has been working at her father’s construction business Tscherteu Bau GmbH as an all-rounder. This includes being behind the wheel of her MAN TGS 33.440, in the office where her mother also works and on the construction site.

“I started working in the field that I am passionate about.”

She has been fascinated by large and heavy-duty vehicles since she was a child, and still is to this day. And if that large vehicle happens to be an MAN: even better! “Once an MAN, always an MAN – and my dad absolutely agrees with me on that,” says Katja. She adds that the company’s fleet is made up entirely of MAN vehicles. “We trust the brand because of their durability in construction site traffic and their performance.”

Behind the wheel at last

Anyone who sees Katja in her MAN will realise that they are looking at a young woman who is in her element driving a truck. “Even when I was a child, I often travelled in the truck with my dad. I still look back fondly on those memories. Now I’m not the little girl in the passenger seat any more, but behind the wheel myself,” she says with pride. In her day-to-day routine, she likes the variety of tasks and the contact with customers and other truck drivers. “I’m still at the beginning of my career, and, of course, I still have a lot to learn and experience to gain, but I have found my place in an industry that I like.”

“These days, it’s rare for there to be anything that is purely ‘men’s work’ or ‘women’s work’,” says Katja. As far as she is concerned, everyone should do what makes them happy. From her personal experience, there have been a lot of positive reactions to her as a truck driver. When a task pushes her to her physical limits, support is on hand: “Because of my size and weight, it makes sense that I can’t do certain things as well as a grown man. Closing the side wall, for example, is an example of one of these challenges. But I’m lucky to have great co-workers and family members who are on hand if I ever need help,” says Katja. And what does she do when she receives less pleasant comments? “That happens in every job,” counters Katja, “and I don’t think about stupid comments.”

“To some people, it might just be a truck, but for me, it’s more than just a truck, and more than just a workplace – it’s a place where I feel in my element, and where I’m happy.”

Apart from the other tasks mentioned, Katja also works to help Tscherteu Bau GmbH connect with customers and potential customers via its Facebook page. Of course, this often deals with her own role as a driver: “In my last Facebook post I wrote that the best way to predict the future is to create it.” This saying reflects her own attitude towards life. In the future, Katja wants to follow in her father’s footsteps. We have seen in this interview how determined she is, meaning this wish will probably become a reality. At 19 years of age, the young Austrian has already gone a very long way towards making her dream of being a driver reality: “To some people, it might just be a truck, but for me, it’s more than just a truck, and more than just a workplace – it’s a place where I feel in my element, and where I’m happy.”