How frozen chicken helped create the U.S. pickup market

Overdrive Staff

Feb 24, 2016

Updated Mar 2, 2018

Check out this video from NPR’s Planet Money, which details how a brief post-World War II trade war between the U.S. and Germany helped establish the U.S. pickup market — a uniquely American automobile segment.

Indiana-headquartered owner-operator John Penn is making a name for himself amongst his peers for a drive to excel in fuel efficiency and management of customer relationships for steady business. Penn is the October Trucker of the Month, putting him in the running for Overdrive's 2025 Trucker of the Year award.

Trucker of the Month John Penn reaps 10-mpg-plus rewards of two decades learning, growing

Though owner-operator Penn might chalk his success up to dumb luck, his story's clear evidence of smart preparation before he ever bought a truck "trying to learn every facet of the industry," in his words. Today, he's a standout for efficiency above 10 mpg, even in a multistop operation hauling furniture LTL.

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'A Touch of Class': Greg Kiser Trucking's custom '08 Pete makes old-school style new

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Get your 2025 Highway Report Card: Worst roads, state DOTs, parking deserts

Overdrive Small Fleet Champ for 2025 in the 3-10 Truck Division, Wes Oberman of Oberman Logistics, is among a growing number of owners utilizing telematics-data enagement in tandem with his leased owner-operators to help keep the record clean and costs in line.

ELD-data engagement: Your insurance premiums could depend on it

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'Be the best': Lofty goals successfully executed define owner-op John Treadway's trucking career

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