In this intimate documentary, Ashleigh, a transgender woman and third-generation truck driver, forges a new path for herself, finding freedom on the open road she couldn’t find elsewhere.

Truck drivers are often likened to the American cowboy, traversing the countryside, cargo in tow, with a stoic and hardened demeanor. As the stereotype goes, these “red blooded American men” embody the conservative ideal of a working class hero with traditional values. It is because of this reputation that many are often surprised at the large number of transgender Americans who embrace the career, who make up as much as 3% of the drivers in the U.S. according to experts.

The Trans Trucker Project (working title) will allow audiences to explore the unforgiving but rewarding world of trucking, by hopping into the passenger seat with Ashleigh, a seasoned trans woman long haul trucker. Through intimate and honest vérité moments, the film will show how the same freedom and allure of truck driving that has inspired countless movies and songs offers vast appeal to trans workers. Hours of undisturbed solitude where drivers can be themselves free of harassment along with the accessibility of training for the career creates ideal conditions for many trans people.

But with the freedom of the open road comes perils. In a still heavily cis male-dominated industry where only about 8% of drivers are women, places like truck stops and remote depots have long been dangerous places for female drivers (and trans women statistically face disproportionate levels of violence on a national scale).

Such existing violence is exacerbated by the onslaught of anti-trans policy targeting access to public facilities. Over 100 anti-trans bills have already passed in states across the U.S. in the last two years alone. Constantly crossing state lines as part of their job, trans truck drivers are on the frontlines of the dangerous web of legislation that makes stopping in certain states, for something as mundane as using the bathroom, an ever-present risk.

The Trans Trucker Project dispels the harmful and intentionally divisive myth that trans rights, working-class labor, and economic issues are at odds with each other. Offering a new avenue to engage with dialogues concerning (trans)gender justice, labor, and political polarization, this film depicts genuine connections of working-class solidarity across lines of difference. Rarely do we see trans women working everyday jobs, a part of industries like logistics, manufacturing, and transportation which keep society running. And while the documentary genre has historically utilized trauma and suffering as defining factors of trans experience, this film is a refreshing departure in its unique vision of rural, working-class trans people who experience immense pride and joy in their unconventional work. The film envisions rarely-seen forms of liberation, autonomy, and power even and especially in the face of great adversity.

Directed by Hansen Bursic | Produced by Mars Verrone and Carolina Sabrina Caruso | Editor Sowjanya Kudva | Director of Photography Erick Stoll | Orignial Score by Ariel Loh