Obviously, this list is solely a matter of opinion and meant just for fun, but seriously, why do most trucking movies revolve around some whacked out crazy truck driver spending every ounce of energy they have chasing down some poor four-wheeler who cut them off in traffic? If there were even a shred of truth to that notion, the entire country would be filled with tractor trailers chasing cars throughout residential neighborhoods right after rush hour traffic.
Trucking Movies To Avoid
Anyway, in no particular order, here is our list, we would love to hear any other suggestions you may wish to add.
Black Dog
This 1998 trucking movie has everything anti-trucking you could imagine. The main character Jack Crews (played by Patrick Swayze) gets back into a truck after being released from prison on a manslaughter charge stemming from a trucking accident. He hooks up with Earl (played by Randy Travis) as a sidekick and they transport $3,000,000 worth of illegal guns from Atlanta to New Jersey. Sounds like a real family-friendly film, huh?
Duel
Dennis Weaver plays David Mann, an electronics salesman, who is traveling on a California highway when a truck driver in a 1955 Peterbilt decides to run him off the road, steer him into oncoming traffic, and follow him into and out of small towns terrorizing him for no apparent reason. This Steven Spielberg-directed waste of 90 minutes was actually nominated for a Golden Globe award in 1972. It lost. Shocker.
White Line Fever
Jan-Michael Vincent starred as truck driver C.J. Hummer in this 1975 feature film about a trucker forced to haul untaxed cigarettes and illegal slot machines (starting to see a pattern here?). C.J. tries to find other driving jobs but his boss has blackballed him in the industry. The entire movie is based around C.J. trying to find legal freight to haul, but apparently there isn’t any to be had. In the end, C.J. helps the entire trucking population of Tucson, AZ go on strike in order to stop hauling illegal freight.
Smokey And The Bandit Part 3
I need to go on record saying that I LOVED Smokey and the Bandit. I even like Smokey and the Bandit II. But, why ruin a good thing by trying to make Sherriff Bufford T. Justice become Bandit? It was too much effort and the end result was a bad trucking movie. Big & Little Enos Burdette offer Justice a wager on his ability to move some freight a long way in a short amount of time. The rest of the movie is a lot like the original but way worse. Don’t waste your time on this one.
Road Rage
Yasmine Bleeth starred in this 1999 movie about a truck driver who makes it his life mission to kill Bleeth and her daughter because Bleeth cut her off in traffic. Again with the traffic altercation causing a truck driver to snap and follow a four-wheeler for the rest of his life.
The Sad Truth Of The Matter
I guess that a movie about a guy or gal who does their job, drives safe, keeps good logbooks, and helps out others on the road when given a chance to do so wouldn’t make a very good movie, but it would be a lot more realistic than these five stinkers. If you have the opportunity to spend some time Netflixing this weekend, a good laugh-enducing comedy will be better for you than a bad trucking movie!
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