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: A white woman with sunglasses is positioned in the center wearing a black tee-shirt and light colored shorts. Her mouth is open as if yelling and her left arm is raised as she gives 'the finger'. Behind her are two large trucks - a red one to her left and a white one with orange writing to her right.

After losing it all, she takes a second lease on life as a long-haul trucker in “Driver” on POV – Sept. 1 at 10pm


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‘POV’ Introduces Women Long-Haul Truck Drivers Rallying For Workers’ Rights in:

“DRIVER”

Monday, September 1, 2025, at 10:00 pm 

 

POV, the multi-Emmy® and Peabody award-winning documentary series, follows the journey of Desiree Wood, who takes a second lease on life as a long-haul trucker in DRIVER, the feature debut of director Nesa Azimi. Produced by Azimi, Nicolas Borel, and Ines Hofmann Kanna, the documentary captures Desiree Wood’s fight for a life on the road alongside an irreverent gang of women drivers.

A large white truck is positioned in profile to show its full length. Behind it are dark mountains shrouded in white mist.
Long-shot of a white 18 wheeler with the film’s protagonist, Desiree Wood, in silhouette at the wheel.

Executive produced by Maxyne Franklin, DRIVER will make its national broadcast premiere on POV Monday, September 1, 2025 at 10pm on PBS. It will then be available to stream until November 30, 2025 at pbs.org, and the PBS App.

Over the course of three years, DRIVER follows Desiree as she brings together her fellow truck drivers to demand respect in an industry that sees them as anonymous and disposable. In a rapidly changing labor landscape, Desiree and her community of drivers band together against the crushing forces of an industry indifferent to their survival.

Using an intimate and observational lens, DRIVER captures the experience of Desiree’s life on the road as she and her fellow women drivers support one another amid a system that routinely promises and denies them the safety and autonomy they require. Desiree struggles to balance the demands of being a working truck driver with her ambitions as the head of a driver-led movement run from the cab of her truck, which is constantly at risk of being repossessed. Working as a truck driver and being part of this sisterhood means everything to Desiree—having found her place in the world, she is determined to keep it.

Three white women stand in the middle of a crowded bar; one is in the center is in profile. She has dark hair, glasses and wears a gleeful smile. To the right of her another woman with short silver hair wears oversized red framed glasses. On the left side, a woman in a pink shirt puts on oversized pink glass. In the foreground an outstretched arm points to the right corner.
The film’s protagonist, Desiree Wood, a Mexican-American woman seated with a group of friends

“I wanted to make DRIVER to tell a universal story about labor through the experience of Desiree and her fellow truck drivers; formidable people whose lives are imperiled by corporate and public indifference,” said director Nesa Azimi. “Despite this alienating condition, Desiree and her friends work hard to maintain their bonds and provide solace to one another in an industry that conspires to keep them apart. I chose a durational approach to filming to prioritize an emotional connection to Desiree and her community. This film captures their spirits and tenacity in a real, less mediated way. More than characters defined by plight and circumstances, we see Desiree and her fellow drivers as the tough, hilarious, multifaceted people that they are: women who resist their condition in favor of a more collective way of living and working, with dignity and strength.

“PBS is the perfect home for this film. To have DRIVER on POV means that we can reach a broad audience of workers, truck drivers, and an American public who might not otherwise have heard these stories.”

“DRIVER offers a rare look inside an often overlooked industry where women continue to fight for equality and fairness,” said Chris White, Executive Producer, POV. “Protagonists like Desiree Wood are not only advocates for the women they know, but for those who will follow in this male-dominated space.”