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Trucking History: Page 3

Overdrive Radio
Hey, mate, this classic American trucking song isn’t exactly American ... or much about trucking
"I've Been Everywhere," one of trucking's classic American road songs, has roots in another continent. Decades before Johnny Cash's popular rendition, it was recorded by Hank Snow and others.
March 29, 2021
Hank Snow
Custom Rigs
Race-winning V12 KW still in action after four decades
As seen in the short film from Overdrive’s late-1970s N.J. diesel drag races, the winning rig alive and kicking four decades later -- and one race attendee's reflections on trucking enthusiasm through the decades.
May 24, 2016
1971 Model A Kenworth of Richard Smith and family
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March 24, 2025
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Trucking History
The 'Mother Road' heyday of independent truck stops and diners
Take a tour down old Route 66 through the highway postcard collection of Joe Sonderman, which began early on for him on family stops at Gaspar’s Truck Stop in Kingdom City, Mo., where he saw a postcard showing its prior incarnation... The rest is history.
March 15, 2021
Three people eating at Trucker's Home in Arlington, Missouri
Channel 19
A '70s film at Overdrive's diesel drag races, and a 'Back in Time' tour
In 2016, a late-1970s short film on U.S. trucking, via Overdrive’s Englishtown, New Jersey, truck drag racing event, provided a clear window back in time, including a glimpse of Overdrive’s founder. This 60th-anniversary special takes you there ...
May 19, 2016
'just nancy' featured briefly in trucking film
Trucking History
First hit trucker song in history channeled road woes
Louisianan Ted Daffan visited honky-tonks frequented by truck drivers to help write his 1939 hit "Truck Driver's Blues." Find more about what's believed to be the first national hit of a trucking song in this Songs of the Highway special-edition podcast.
March 1, 2021
A sketch of a truck being loaded or unloaded sometime between 1935-1939
Overdrive Radio
The long tail of the CB's social utility
Owner-operator Mike Crawford in this Overdrive Radio edition expands on some of the themes showcased earlier this week in our special-edition podcast in part about the ongoing safety utility, and the decreased cultural importance, of the CB in trucking.
February 26, 2021
Mike Crawford sitting in a truck stop booth
Overdrive Radio
Use the CB -- it works
For Overdrive's 60th-anniversary series, a look back at the emphasis readers have placed on the citizen's band radio as a primary safety tool in dangerous driving conditions, right up to the present moment, and highway culture through history.
February 22, 2021
cb radio mic in truck cab
Trucking History
1970s documentary gives intimate look at truckers' lives
A nationwide tour opened doors of truckers' homes for documentary filmmakers to get an intimate look at the business and family lives of owner-operators in the pre-deregulation era.
February 15, 2021
Jobie Vaden standing in front of a Keaton Truck Lines White-Freightliner truck
Overdrive Extra
Video captures spirit of 1970s trucking at convention
A brief video from a 1974 truck show in San Francisco features interviews with exhibitors and attendees, including comments about Overdrive and a trucking shutdown.
February 8, 2021
Video crew member on shoulder of highway filming truck
Channel 19
Evel Knievel's Mack haul rig, restored
For Overdrive's 60th anniversary, take a run back through the half-decade-long journey of a famous Mack from weeds in a Florida yard to a fully custom-restored museum showpiece in Topeka, Kan., as covered in Overdrive.
February 1, 2021
Evel Knievel's Mack truck and trailer after restoration
Channel 19
Meet the driver of Evel Knievel's former haul rig
This latest in Overdrive's 60th anniversary series takes a look at one intersection of the business magazine and U.S. popular culture with the 1973 story on one of the most famous people on the planet at the time, the daredevil and sometime truck driver.
January 25, 2021
Truck driver Mike Draper behind the wheel
Overdrive Radio
Regulated rates, wildcatting, deregulation: A brief history of U.S. trucking
A special tour through the rise of the owner-operator in exempt agricultural markets from the 1930s, to wildcatting later, deregulation later still -- and this cabover monument to one owner's heritage.
January 22, 2021
side view of fred bowerman's 1978 Peterbilt 352
Overdrive Radio
Fatal wreck remembered in first recorded trucking song
No. 1 in Overdrive Radio's new 'Songs of the Highway' podcast series looks at a 1928 song believed to be the first recorded trucking tune.
January 18, 2021
Map with red location marker on Bent Mountain, southwest of Roanoke, Virginia
Channel 19
Look back at Junior Elmore's classic 1970s rigs
Another blast from the past for Overdrive's 60th anniversary -- trucker-photographer Don Christner's discovery of the boneyard of retired small fleet owner Junior Elmore contains plenty diamonds in the rough.
January 11, 2021
Junior Elmore’s Marmon caught Christner's eye right off for a very simple reason: 'I’d never seen a Marmon cabover in the flesh before,' he wrote. 'Up close, it’s easy to see why a Marmon cabover was used in the movie 'Transformers: Age of Extinction' as the Autobot Optimus Prime. Elmore’s Marmon COE #31 HDT-BC-86 was Manufactured 03/1977 in Garland, Texas. This is a complete truck with no parts taken off. Still running when parked in 1999. A good honest work truck that’s nicely spec’d out.' Find more details, and history, via this link.
Overdrive Extra
Buckle up for a year of trucking time-travel
Throughout this year, Overdrive will take a look back at early trucking to celebrate its 60 years of being "The Voice of the American Trucker."
January 4, 2021
singing wheels Screen Shot-2021-01-04-07-36
Trucking History
Truckstop Ministries founder ‘Chaplain Joe’ passes away
Rev. Joe Hunter founded Truckstop Ministries back in 1981 and was diagnosed with Stage 4 lung cancer in 2016. Details on Chaplain Joe here on Overdrive.
July 30, 2018
chaplain-joe-2018-07-30-14-00
Trucking History
Rush Enterprises founder W. Marvin Rush passes on
W.M. 'Rusty' Rush, current head of Rush Enterprises, released a statement about the loss of his father, W. Marvin Rush, and the legacy he leaves behind.
May 18, 2018
W. Marvin Rush with Mary Fallin
Trucking History
‘Ranch Hand,’ owner-operator who shared cancer battle on social media, passes at 62
Oklahoma truck driver Delvin Simmons Jr. joined online ubiquity two years ago with a viral video of him singing a moving gospel song on his final ride as a driver — amidst his battle with colon cancer. He died Friday morning. Catch the video of his song here.
May 8, 2018
Screen Shot 2018-06-08 at 1.15.35 PM-2018-06-08-13-15
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Custom Rigs
Kevin Hunter's high-powered 2024 Kenworth W900L hauls heavy with Cat 'C-17'
The 24-truck fleet owner ordered the 2024 Kenworth W900L when he found out Kenworth was discontinuing the model. He's since swapped in a tuned-up Cat C15 and fully customized the unit inside and out.
Getty Image Rough Road By Vicky Gosselin
Life
Fix the potholes! Truckers' Highway Report Card 'Best Roads' states lay paths forward
Screenshot 2025 12 10 At 2 57 08 Pm
Regulations
Even 21% of non-citizens support DOT's purge of 200,000 non-domiciled drivers
Driver Training Getty Image
Regulations
FMCSA auditing 1,500 CDL schools as part of training provider registry purge
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Overdrive Radio
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