Man who became US’s shortest truck driver reveals how he drives huge 18-wheeler
- Defying his dwarfism and eschewing labels, Joakim Mwangi revealed how he customized his semi-truck
- And his enthusiasm for his truck-driver role is clear
- Although he’s faced several obstacles along the road
Published on Jun 10, 2024 at 5:00 PM (UTC+4)
by Amelia Jean Hershman-Jones
Last updated on Jun 11, 2024 at 11:39 AM (UTC+4)
Edited by
Tom Wood
Defying his dwarfism and eschewing labels, truck driver Joakim Mwangi has revealed how his semi-truck has been customized to meet his needs.
Conversely, after spending small fortunes on Ferraris LeBron James and Dwayne Johnson faced the opposite problem.
The US-based Kenyan man is already serving as work-spiration for his more than 97K followers on Instagram and 292.6K on TikTok.
Thanks – in part – to the 18-wheel truck driver’s infectious love for his work.
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His alias of ‘Katuosis‘ comes from his former acting role in the K24 TV show, Jungu Kuu.
And his enthusiasm for the 53-foot semi-truck shines.
How did he get into truck driving?
When faced with restrictions on driving cars upon arriving in the US, he decided to go big in his new home.
“I challenged myself to drive big trucks,” he told KDTV.
“So I joined driving school for truck driving.
“Nothing is too big.”
How his customized truck makes his job possible
He’s gone on to prove that point by using customized brakes and gas pedal extensions, made for his automatic truck he nicknamed, ‘The Beast’.
His ‘comfortable’ seat features a backrest and moves up from the regular position, allowing him to see the road ahead clearly.
After passing his driving test on the fourth attempt, he persisted in his subsequent efforts to find a job.
In his role, he has now been covering bi-coastal routes from California to Boston for the past year, covering up to 3,000 miles per week over 70 hours.
Obstacles along the road
But he added that the road hasn’t always been a smooth one, with some doubting his abilities.
“They look at me, then look at the truck, and then back at me. They ask for my ID and CDL, give me the shipments, and are left wondering,” he said.
As co-founder and current president of the Short Stature Society of Kenya and the Little People of Africa Foundation, and with a history of advocating for dwarves’ rights – there’s no surprise that the 35-year-old speaks out about life with dwarfism.
While stigma and discrimination against people with dwarfism is sadly still alive and well, his grandmother taught him to accept himself.
His celebration of his uniqueness and refusal to let anyone dent his self-esteem shows he embraced that lesson.
In other news on how tech is helping people live life to the fullest, this wearable robotic ‘third thumb’ increases range of movement.
What’s more, this footage shows the first Neuralink patient controlling Mario Kart using his mind.
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All Supercar Blondie contributors undergo editorial review and fact-checking to ensure accuracy and authority in automotive journalism. After gaining her BA Hons in French and English at the University of Nottingham, Amelia embarked on a vocational diploma from the National Council for the Training of Journalists (NCTJ). This led to numerous opportunities, from interning at Vogue to being on the small team that launched Women’s Health magazine in the UK, which was named the PPA Consumer magazine of the year for three years running. As Health, Beauty and Fitness editor, Amelia personally received a Johnson & Johnson Award and was shortlisted for both PPA and BSME titles. Since then, Amelia has created content for numerous titles and brands, including the Telegraph, 111 Skin, Waitrose, Red magazine, Stylist, and Elle, as well as being Head of Content at Vitality and Editor in Chief at INLondon magazine. “My superpower is translating technical jargon about the mechanical workings of a supercar into a relatable story you’ll want to share with your friends after you’ve read it.” After joining the SB Media family as a senior journalist in September of 2023, Amelia’s role has evolved to see her heading up the SEO output of the editorial team. From researching the most ‘Google-able’ key terms to producing evergreen content - it’s been a time of hard work, growth, and success for the editorial team and the Supercar Blondie website. “I like to think of myself as a ‘method journalist’. In other words: I live and breathe whatever I am writing about. When writing about fitness, I trained as a personal trainer, and as a beauty editor, I completed an ‘expert’ in scent diploma with the Fragrance Foundation. “During my tenure at Supercar Blondie, however, I did something I never thought possible: I passed my driving test at the age of 36. One day I’d love to train as a mechanic to better understand what happens under the hood, too. “My sweet spot is providing readers with a ‘takeaway’ (read: something new they didn’t know before) after reading every one of my stories. While I don’t claim to be an expert in the automotive world, I know the experts and bodies in the field to rely on to provide our readers with an informative and thought-provoking story every time they visit the site.”
