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Trucking History: Page 2
Overdrive Radio
What came before the CDL? 18 years old and hauling in 1917
This special edition of Overdrive Radio re-airs a talk with Jay Thompson, looking back on his family's history in trucking, all the way back to his grandfather Walter, 18 years old and trucking with a chauffeur's license in 1917.
July 27, 2021
Overdrive Extra
Overdrive founder Mike Parkhurst 'wasn't afraid of nothing'
Owner-op Donald Ridzonâs memories of Overdrive founder Mike Parkhurst havenât dimmed: âHe was always willing to dive into something that was different. He never backed out of it." Here find more memories of Parkhurst approaching 7 years since his passing.
July 19, 2021
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March 24, 2025
Channel 19
Updating the top 10 trucking songs of all time
Ten years ago, we asked, you told, then voted. Here are those results. Likewise a call to action: What song would you nominate, either on this list or not, for the No. 1 trucking song of all time today? Drop us a comment toward an updated top 10 for 2021!
August 4, 2011
Overdrive Radio
âHello, Iâm a Truck,â and Iâve got a few bones to pick with you, drivers
Red Simpsonâs âHello, Iâm a truckâ hit No. 4 on the country charts in January 1972, making it the biggest hit single in Simpsonâs long career. This latest "Songs of the Highway" installment channels that history, from the point of view of the truck.
July 4, 2021
Channel 19
Resurrecting the Rubber Duck's classic 1970 Mack RS700
This video showcases small fleet owner Anthony Fox of Rome, Ga., proud owner and caretaker of a piece of history that is one of the original 1970 Macks/60s trailer from the classic âConvoyâ trucking film of the 1970s, released today 43 years ago.
November 16, 2017
Trucking History
Little-known movie showcased Overdrive founderâs Hollywood, Nashville forays
Go way back in Overdriveâs 60-year history and youâll find more than a little dabbling in the bright lights of Hollywood and the country music scene of the â60s and â70s. At the heart of that is this little-known movie produced by founder Mike Parkhurst.
June 21, 2021
Overdrive Radio
Tales of three runaway trucks: Crises endured and averted, lessons learned
The advice was good then and it's good now -- see a massive pileup, a multi-fatality runaway, ask yourself, "Could it have been you?" Owner-operator Gordon Alkire's '70s runaway tale, among others, shows it could. When you least expect it.
May 3, 2019
Overdrive Radio
An eraâs social unrest finds an anthem in the rebellious âConvoyâ
The legacy of history behind the unlikely 1970s hit "Convoy," by C.W. McCall, aka ad executive Bill Fries. The song, heavily laden with CB slang and conversation, tells the story of a spontaneous truck convoy that clashes with authorities.
June 7, 2021
Custom Rigs
The day five famous 70s/80s rigs made history on 'Hollywood Hill'
A firsthand account of the event, bringing together restored trucks from movies âDuel,â âConvoy," and âSmokey & the Banditâ with âMovinâ Onâ and âB.J. & the Bearâ TV rigs â among others at the Southern Classic Truck Show in 2016.
December 21, 2016
Trucking History
'Bandit' lives on as a classic trucking movie
As the movie debuted, the May 1977 Overdrive highlighted the magazineâs involvement in 'Smokey and the Bandit,' notably the inclusion of a truck race banner bearing its name.
May 24, 2021
Channel 19
The proud trucking legacy of the Bixlers, Updegraves in Pennsylvania
How's an estimated 1,500 years' worth of cumulative trucking experience for one family over the course of just a few generations? Meet another trucking family here with a proud legacy, via longtime owner-operator Steve Bixler and kin.
May 20, 2021
Overdrive Radio
'Six Days on the Road' and the outlaw trucker image
âSix Daysâ remains in contemporary times one of truckingâs most popular songs -- a decade ago around Overdrive's 50th anniversary, readers voted the track as the No. 1 trucking song of all time. Hear more about its history in today's podcast.
May 17, 2021
Channel 19
Generations of owners' family legacy in Overdrive
How a trucking culture was built and maintained through the years with family, past and present. Meet Eddie Karwaski of Pennsylvania, Carl Nyhof of Wisconsin, Carl Rhodes of West Virginia, and others who learned from family, hereditary or not.
May 10, 2021
Overdrive Extra
Lisa Kelly of 'IRT' still drives Alaskaâs Haul Road
Kelly runs between Fairbanks and the oil fields around Prudhoe Bay on Alaskaâs northern shore. She still gets "Ice Road Truckers" fan mail.
May 3, 2021
Overdrive Radio
Remembering the inaugural Pennsylvania Make-a-Wish Mother's Day convoy
A special edition of Overdrive Radio looks way back into history to the first Make-A-Wish convoy to set off from Lancaster, Pennsylvania, with former trucker George Ruelens, hauling for Ned Bard & Son at the time. This year's convoy sets off May 9.
May 24, 2019
Trucking History
What's behind 'Woman Behind the Man Behind the Wheel'
This Red Sovine classic celebrated heroic wives and mothers, who shouldered the burdens of maintaining a household while their husbands drove over the road. It also subtly addressed doubts either spouse might have about the other ...
April 19, 2021
Overdrive Extra
Truck stop is part of Alaska's backcountry history
Coldfoot Camp and the Dalton Highway, which runs past it, have ties to development of the Trans-Alaska Pipeline and, more recently, the popular "Ice Road Truckers" TV series.
April 12, 2021
Custom Rigs
A salute to the 'Old Filthy' 1957 Kenworth fuel hauler
For this week's Overdrive 60th-anniversary installment, the story of how one longtime hauler came to own one of his first employersâ classic 1957 Kenworth 925. âOld Filthyâ was the first truck bought new by Montana-based owner-operator Gene Ballinger.
May 15, 2017
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Custom Rigs
Harlan Martin and 'Barney,' the purple 2023 Pete 389 with custom air ride, more mods
Owner-operator Martin combines whimsy and brawn in this custom 2023 Pete 389/2018 Eby livestock trailer combo. Custom-engineering, too, with his LB Customs side business: he designed the four-bag steer-axle air ride, likewise fender brackets over the drives.
Regulations
DOT calls out 'despicable' state failures on ELP, CDL rules after deadly crash
Overdrive Extra
Proper pressure -- key for tire, driver longevity and owner-ops' bottom lines
Overdrive Radio
Rise of the 'non-domiciled CDL' for non-citizen truck drivers: Safety, rates, security
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