Remember that girl from New York who thought she could handle the Dalton Highway? When Maya Sieber first showed up on season 5 of Ice Road Truckers, most of the grizzled veterans didn't give her a prayer. She was 27, a part-time model, and coming from the "soft" streets of the Big Apple.
People expected her to spin out or quit by the second episode. Honestly, I think the producers probably expected it too. It makes for great TV when a rookie fails, right? But Maya of Ice Road Truckers wasn't just a face for the cameras. She was a gearhead with a Kenworth tattoo on her neck and a serious point to prove.
The Reality of the Ice Road Rookie
Maya entered the scene in 2011. At the time, Lisa Kelly was the only woman really holding it down on the show, and the industry was desperate for more representation that didn't feel forced. Maya wasn't just some random hire. She had been around trucks since she was eight years old. She had been driving professionally in New York for three years before History Channel even called.
New York driving is its own kind of hell. You're dealing with aggressive taxis, tight corners, and bridges that were never meant for a 53-foot trailer. But the ice? That’s a different beast.
During her stint, Maya had to prove herself to the "Big Dog" himself, Phil Kromm. She took a road test that would make most people sweat. She passed. She hauled lumber, handled fuel runs, and even navigated those terrifying near-misses with southbound trucks on the narrowest parts of the Dalton.
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What most people get wrong is thinking she was fired or couldn't hack it. The truth is way more boring and way more "trucker." She just wanted to go back to real work. Reality TV is a grind, but it’s not the same as the haul.
Where is Maya Sieber Now?
Fast forward to 2026. If you’re looking for her on the red carpet, you’re looking in the wrong place.
Maya didn't stay in the limelight. After her season ended and she did a quick run on the spinoff IRT: Deadliest Roads—navigating the Andes, no less—she basically vanished from the mainstream. She didn't want to be a professional celebrity. She wanted to be a professional driver.
- Family Business: For a long time, she went back to her roots in New Jersey. She worked for the family company, Pyskaty Bros.
- The Marriage: She eventually married Travis Kelly.
- The Move: She didn't stay in the East Coast forever. These days, Maya is back in Alaska.
- The Current Rig: Reports and social media check-ins from the trucking community show she’s been piloting a Freightliner Coronado 122SD.
She still drives the long-haul routes. We’re talking Kenai to Prudhoe Bay. It's the same treacherous stretch of road that made her famous, but now there are no camera crews following her every move. She's just another hand on the wheel.
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The Model vs. The Trucker Myth
One of the biggest hurdles Maya faced was her look. Because she had done high-end modeling and looks like she belongs in a magazine, the "old school" trucking community was skeptical.
She once told an interviewer that she used to drive her dolls around in toy trucks when she was five. It wasn't a gimmick. She actually has a Kenworth tattoo on the back of her neck. That’s commitment. You don’t get a brand logo tattooed on your spine for a one-season TV contract.
She has balanced motherhood, modeling, and the open road for over a decade now. It's a weird mix, but it works for her. In late 2019, she even popped up in a music video for Jayne Denham called "Black Coffee and White Lines" alongside Lisa Kelly and Carey Hall. It was a nice nod to the IRT legacy, but it didn't pull her back into the Hollywood orbit.
Why Maya Still Matters in 2026
The reason people still search for Maya of Ice Road Truckers isn't just because of the show. It’s because she represents the transition of the industry.
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When she started, female truckers were a rarity—roughly 3% to 5% of the workforce. Today, that number has climbed significantly. She was part of that first wave that proved you could be feminine and still throw chains in -40 degree weather.
What You Can Learn from Maya's Career
- Don't quit when it gets lonely. Maya’s biggest piece of advice to new drivers has always been about the mental game. The first year is the hardest because you’re alone and everything is being thrown at you at once—backing, shifting, directions, and the weather.
- Master the basics first. She didn't jump onto the ice day one. She spent years in the hardest city in the world (NYC) learning how to handle a rig before she ever touched a frozen lake.
- Privacy is a choice. You can be a reality star and still go back to a normal life. Maya proved that you don't have to sell your soul to the cameras just because you had a few million people watching you for a year.
If you’re looking to follow in her footsteps or just want to see what the "Short Stack" (her nickname, since she's only 5'4") is up to, keep an eye on the Alaskan highways. She’s still out there, probably hauling a heavy load through a whiteout, exactly where she wanted to be all along.
To stay updated on the veterans of the Dalton, you should monitor the official History Channel archives or follow the Truck Boss Show, where Maya occasionally makes guest appearances to talk shop. If you're an aspiring driver, look into the Women In Trucking Association to find mentorship programs similar to the path Maya carved out for herself.