Jessie Johnson sports mahogany highlights, beaded anklets and light make-up, not quite the grooming one would expect from a truck driver – especially one who drives not on paved highways, but through rugged logging roads and dense jungles in Sarawak.

“Everyone says I don’t fit the bill of a rough and tough 4WD driver. While I may not look the part, I can share a fair bit of heart-stopping stories about my experiences manoeuvring through the muddy and slippery roads from Bario to Miri,” says the 31-year-old Kelabit woman during an interview in Bario recently.