From Truck Driver to Millionaire: How YouTube Made Me Rich and Bought My Dream Home

Rajeshbhai Rawani reflects on his early days, “My father, a truck driver, used to send ₹500 home each month, which was just enough to run the house. We often struggled to make ends meet, especially when my father’s payments were delayed by up to 10-12 days, leading to great distress for my mother. We had to borrow money from others in the village to get by. Sometimes, we didn’t even have vegetables at home, and we had to beg around to make food. My mother would pawn household items to get some cash to manage the expenses.”

“Started working in a garage at 10 years old.”

Rajeshbhai explains how he got into trucking, “My father didn’t want me to drive trucks, but after he passed away when I was 16, our situation worsened, and I had to start working. I began working in a garage, repairing vehicles. Though I had learned a bit about truck driving from my father, working in the garage wasn’t enough to sustain us. Whenever trucks came in for repairs, I would drive them, which helped me improve my driving skills.”

“By age 15, I started driving trucks on trips.”

Continuing his story, Rajeshbhai says, “While delivering trucks, I learned a lot from other drivers who encouraged me to become a truck driver. Initially, I worked as a second driver, but eventually, I became a first driver. Even then, I was only earning around ₹10-12 thousand a month.”

“I used to drive 3,500 kilometers at a stretch.”

Rajeshbhai proudly recounts his driving experience, “I drove across all of India, from Nagpur to Bengal, Jharkhand, Gujarat, and more. At times, I would drive continuously for 3,500-3,600 kilometers. Nowadays, roads are better, and I can drive 350-400 kilometers non-stop.”

“There were times when I felt like crying while the truck was stuck.”

Sharing his experiences, Rajeshbhai adds, “Sometimes, I would get stuck in remote areas with no water or network, and it would be so distressing that I felt like crying. In Odisha, there were also issues with elephants damaging the truck.”

“I didn’t even know my channel was on YouTube.”

On how he started with YouTube, Rajeshbhai humorously says, “I never thought about it. I just made videos for my kids to show them where I was and what I was doing. They began uploading these videos on YouTube without my knowledge, and soon, we started receiving a great response.”

“Now, my son Sagar makes videos while I drive.”

Sagar, Rajeshbhai’s son, joined him to handle video production. “Initially, I was making videos myself, but as our subscriber count grew, Sagar started helping with filming while I drove. We’ve been doing this for two and a half years now.”

“In one month, our subscribers grew from 1,500 to 100,000.”

Sagar reveals, “After eight months of uploading videos, we received our first payment in August 2021, around ₹7,000. Once I joined in, our payments started coming in regularly. Now, we receive checks every month.”

“There were times when I thought of quitting.”

Sagar admits, “At one point, when there were issues with receiving payments, I thought about quitting. But when our second check arrived, it felt incredible, and we decided to keep going. Despite temporary problems, our views have consistently been around 3-4 lakh per day.”

“People teach us how to improve our videos through comments.”

Sagar adds, “Viewers often comment on how they like our starting music and suggest improvements. Their feedback helps us enhance our videos.”

“Even with millions earned, I’ll continue driving trucks.”

Rajeshbhai says, “Even though I earn well from YouTube, I can’t quit truck driving. It’s a part of me, and people still reach out to ask when new videos will be up.”

“Now I own my truck, but I continue making videos.”

Rajeshbhai shares, “I now own my truck. After the success with YouTube, I bought the truck and left my previous job. I earn around ₹60,000 to ₹100,000 a month, with ₹30,000 going towards truck expenses. The rest is reinvested into expanding my business.”

“From renting a small house to owning a big bungalow.”

Rajeshbhai describes his progress, “Before, we lived in a small rented house with just two rooms. Now, we have a large house worth around ₹2 crore. It’s a significant improvement from our previous living conditions.”

“Many truck drivers are now inspired by my videos.”

Rajeshbhai concludes, “Seeing my journey, many truck drivers have started their own YouTube channels. It’s fulfilling to see how our story has inspired others to follow a similar path.