The portrayal of the truck industry in US popular culture includes the depiction of trucks and truck drivers, because the masculine side image is a common theme. The racer's drawings range from heroes in the 1950s, living a free life on the open road, to the depiction of troubled serial killers in the 1990s. Songs and movies about truckers first became popular in the 1940s, and memonologized their wandering lifestyles in the 1960s. Truck drivers are glorified as modern cowboys, criminals, and rebels during the height of truckers culture in the 1970s.
During the latter part of the 20th century, the image of the trucking industry began to diminish, and their reputation suffered. Newer truck drivers' description is as chauvinist men or serial killers. The portrayal of semi-trailer trucks is actually mostly concentrated on stories about machines that come alive, or self-conscious, usually with the help of outer earth.
Video Trucking industry in popular culture (United States)
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1939-1980
In the early days of the truck culture, truck drivers were more often described as protagonists in popular media. At Trucking States: The road to Wal-Mart America's economy, author Shane Hamilton explores the history of trucks and how developments in the trucking industry helped large-box stores dominate the US market.
The 1940 Movie They Drive by Night starred Humphrey Bogart as an independent truck driver who struggled to become economically independent during the Great Depression. The Gang's All Here is a story about a trucking company targeted by saboteurs, released in 1941.
In the 1950s, truckers were regarded as "Knights of the Road" to help stranded tourists. The racer is seen as the antithesis of "The Organization Man" (the title of William H. Whyte's bestselling book of 1956) or "man in a gray flannel suit", who sits in the office every day or supervised by the manager. His popular driver songs glorify the drivers' lives as independent "nomads," while attempts to bring factory-style efficiency (using tachographs) to trucks are unsuccessful. Drivers are routinely sabotaged and find new ways to fake machine records.
"Six Days on the Road" was a hit charter-topping trucker released in 1963 by country music singer Dave Dudley. Country music writer and historian Bill Malone recorded the song "effectively capturing boredom and excitement, as well as arrogant masculinity, often accompanied by long-haul trucks."
The decade of the 70s saw the glory of truck driving, and a dramatic increase in the cultural popularity of truckers. Truck drivers are romanticized as cowboys and modern-day criminals (and these stereotypes remain today). This is due in part to the use of Citizens Band (CB) radio to convey information to each other regarding the location of police officers and transportation authorities. Plaid shirts, trucker caps, CB radios, and the use of CB slang are popular not only with riders but among the general public.
Author Lawrence Ouellet examined the life of the truck driver in his book, Pedal to metal .
The 1971 film Duel depicts a truck driver as an anonymous stalker, and is the first long film directed by Steven Spielberg.
White Line Fever is a film released in 1975, which tells the story of a Vietnam War veteran who returns home to take over his father's trucking business, only to find that a corrupt sender wants to force him to carry illegal goods contraband. The film is screened on several western movie cowboys and motifs, and illustrates the idea that truckers are possessed with certain wandering passions.
In 1976, the number one hit on the Billboard chart was "Convoy," a new song about a truckers convoy avoiding speed traps and toll gates across America. The song inspired the 1978 action film Convoy, featuring a bare-chested and challenging Krisdayanti while shouting "Piss on your law!" After the film was released, thousands of independent truckers broke down and participated in violent protests during the 1979 energy crisis (although a similar strike occurred during the 1973 energy crisis).
The year 1977 saw the release of Smokey and Bandit, the third best-selling film of the year, beaten only by Star Wars and Close Encounters of the Third Type . Protagonist Burt Reynolds as "The Bandit", who escorted "The Snowman" in an attempt to provide a contraband (or "pirated") beer, envisioned the truck as a "hedonistic joyride completely devoid of economic reality". Breaker! Breaker! is another 1977 action film focusing on truck drivers, starring Chuck Norris and featuring a movie poster with the tagline "... he has a CB radio and a hundred friends who might be angry!"
Sylvester Stallone starred in the 1978 film F.I.S.T. , a story loosely based on United Timsters (unions covering truck drivers) and its president, Jimmy Hoffa.
1980-2000
The last part of the 20th century saw a decline in truck culture, and the image of the driver generally moved to a more negative portrayal. As a result truck drivers are often described as antagonists in the film.
In 1982, a Southern California truck driver named Larry Walters earned a brief fame as "Larry Lawn Chair", for pulling out acrobatics where he climbed to a height of 16,000 feet (4,900 m) by attaching a helium balloon to a lawn chair. Walters claimed he intended to float low to the ground, but was surprised when his chair initially jumped at a speed of 1,000 feet (300 m) per minute. Walters blamed poor vision for ruining his dream of becoming an Air Force pilot, which eventually led to his acrobatics.
The animated TV series 1984 The Transformers tells the story of a group of humanoid space robots, who disguised themselves as cars. The protagonist of the Autobots clan, Optimus Prime, is described as a semi-truck.
The American Truck Association started a campaign in 1985 to improve the image of the trucking industry in the face of diminishing public opinion. One such move is to change the name "Rodeo National Truck" to "National Driving Championship", because the term "rodeo" seems to imply frivolous driving.
The 1986 horror film Maximum Overdrive by author Stephen King is a campus story about a truck that has come alive due to radiation coming from a passing comet. The trucks force people to pump their diesel, and the leader is portrayed with the Spider-Man antagonist's face, Green Goblin.
The 1991 movie Thelma & amp; Louise features repetitive minor characters, dirty and rough truck drivers who often harass key characters during an opportunity meeting. The writer Michael Dunne describes the character as "fat and stupid" and "a fool of lust blinded by the delusions of male superiority". Thelma and Louise finally took revenge by pretending to be attracted to her, then blowing her tanker truck full of gas.
The most famous image of the 1992 Los Angeles riot was the Reginald Denny incident. Denny was a white truck driver who was attacked in a black neighborhood during the riots, and was almost beaten to death. The recording received media coverage nationally, and the defendants in the case ("L.A. Four") claimed to be fighting "economic oppression".
Long-haul trucker Keith Hunter Jesperson made headlines in 1994 when it was discovered he was "Happy Face Killer".
The 1998 movie Black Dog starred Patrick Swayze as a truck driver recently released from prison, who was then manipulated to carry illegal weapons. Writer Scott Doviak describes the film as "high-octane riff on White Line Fever" and "a setback in 70s trucker films".
In 1999, The Simpsons Maximum Homerdrive episode aired. It featured Homer and Bart making deliveries for a truck driver named Red after he died abruptly from 'food poisoning'.
Maps Trucking industry in popular culture (United States)
21st century
The feature film 2001 Joy Ride describes the story of two college age brothers who bought CB radio while traveling. After trying to ramble on an anonymous truck driver, the couple soon find out that the driver is a dangerous killer who wants revenge. In the direct-to-DVD sequel 2008 Joy Ride 2: Dead Ahead, the killer truck driver ("Rusty Nail") plays a psychological mind game with a young couple on the way.
Zero suspect is a 2004 movie featuring a truck driver as a major serial killer, committing crimes in all 50 states without leaving behind evidence to link his crime together.
Also in 2004, the Federal Bureau of Investigation (FBI) began investigating a series of murders in which victims were found along the Interstate 40 corridor in Oklahoma and several other countries, triggering the creation of the Great Serial Murder Initiative. The main suspect in the case was John Williams, a long-distance truck driver who was later convicted of killing a woman in Mississippi.
The 2008 feature film Trucker discusses the unique perspective of female truck drivers. Starring Michelle Monaghan, the actress spends time with other female drivers and actually appeals for her commercial SIM. He claims that if he fails on a driving test, he will step down from the role. LA Times author Paul Brownfield describes the film as a small, low budget, and contrasted with the actress's previous starring role in Made of Honor.
In 2009, the FBI released the results of a five-year study (the Highway Serial Killings Initiative) which investigated over 500 unsolved murders of prostitutes, riders, and stranded riders, many of whom were dumped on or near major truck routes. The FBI has speculated that many of these victims were killed by long-distance truck drivers, some of whom may be serial killers. Researchers suspect that the mobility and lack of supervision enjoyed by truckers has contributed to this phenomenon.
In response to the inquiry, executive vice president of the Operator-Owner Independent Association, Todd Spencer, said, "Truck drivers are really angry that media sources or FBI will draw the conclusion that truckers are overly represented in the killer serials".
Source of the article : Wikipedia
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