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Films About Trucking

Movies about truckers aren't quite up there with movies about pirates or cops, but trucking films have steadily been made throughout the history of American movies. Many of these trucking movies have been low-budget B-movies. Almost no trucking movies were big hits with the exception of the movie about trucking that was the number four box office hit of 1977, the year of Star Wars.

  1. Smokey and the Bandit

    • Smokey and the Bandit ran in fourth place at the box office behind Star Wars. This movie stars Burt Reynolds, Sally Field and Jackie Gleason, although none of those actors play a truck driver. The plot has the character played by Reynolds hired to make sure a big rig carrying beer gets across the state line while fending off the attempts of a sheriff played by Gleason to stop him at any cost.

    They Drive By Night

    • This trucking movie stars two of the biggest tough guy actors of the time, Humphrey Bogart and George Raft. The two play wildcat truck drivers who must contend with rivals and loan collectors as they try to keep their trucking company afloat. They Drive By Night was released in 1940.

    Duel

    • Duel is a classic TV movie directed by Steven Spielberg four years before Jaws. The trucker in this highly suspenseful film is never seen. Much like he would do with a shark later on, Spielberg turns the truck itself into a predatory character seeming bent on destroying human beings. Duel stars Dennis Weaver as a driver stalked by the unknown trucker.

    Handle with Care

    • Handle With Care was made under the title Citizens' Band at a time when the CB radio fad was its height. The fad died down by the time the movie was released and the title was changed. This movie, starring an ensemble cast, is more about truckers than trucking itself, but trucking culture is a vital element of the story.

    Convoy

    • Convoy is based on the song of the same name that ignited the brief CB radio fad in America. A mile-long convoy is at the center of this film which also hinges on the plot of a bullying sheriff chasing after one of the characters. Unlike Smoky and the Bandit, the main character is chased is a truck driver.

    Big Rig

    • Big Rig differs from the other trucking movies on this list by virtue of being a documentary about real long-haul truck drivers. The movie shows what daily life is like for an 18-wheeler driver. More information about the job is gained through interviews with truck drivers and others along their route. This film was released in 2008 and became a featured selection at the Seattle International Film Festival.

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