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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