12. They Drive by Night (1940)
Two brothers, who own a small struggling trucking business, must try and figure a way out of driving for a larger corrupt company.
Starring: George Raft and Humphrey Bogart
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“The doors made me do it!” – Lana Carlsen
“Some day you road skinners will be sayin’, “Joe Fabrini’s a good guy to work for.” And I will be.” – Joe Fabrini
“You’re a nice guy. But you’ve got to remember that nice guys always leave when ladies ask them to.” – Cassie Hartley
Source: brewingdebate.kinja.com
13. Every which way but Loose (1978)
An easy going trucker with a pet named Clyde tussles with the law, bikers, and a female thief, between rounds as an amateur boxer.
Starring: Clint Eastwood, Sondra Locke, and Geoffrey Lewis
Tagline: Clint Eastwood will turn you Every Which Way But Loose
Source: www.dvdsreleasedates.com
14. Moonfire (1970)
Though a low budget film about truckers fighting villains in Mexico, it is often praised for its accurate depiction during the trucker scenes.
Starring: Richard Egan, Charles Napier, and Sonny Liston
Tagline: Two truckers! One trip! One triple-cross! That’s Moonfire!
Source: landskipper.blogspot.com
15. Big Rig (2007)
A documentary telling the real life stories of American truck drivers as they haul their loads across the country. (Starring actual truckers, not actors.).
Only a trucker would say:
“I’ve got a total of 268 lights on this truck. You gotta impress the girls, you know? Everything I do is for the women.”
Source: www.board.dailyflix.net
Honorable mentions
BJ and the Bear (1978)
Was not a movie but a weekly TV series following the misadventures of a trucker and his pet monkey, as the travel the highways of America.
Every week they would get involved in various adventures, or perhaps misadventures, along the way. Starring Greg Evigan, Eric Server and Linda McCullough.
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Ice Road Truckers (TV show 2007)
Long haul truckers dare to travel the icy roads of Canada’s most remote places, often daring to drive across the frozen waterways. In doing so they keep the villagers, businesses, and companies supplied.
Other trucker/rig related titles worth mentioning
- Mad Max 2 (The Road Warrior, 1981)
- Maximum Overdrive (1986)
- Big Trouble in Little China (1986)
- Universal soldiers (1992)
- Duel (1971)
- Joy Ride (2001)
- Breakdown (1997)
Related films
- Transformers (2007)
- Space Truckers (1996)
- Sorcerer (1977)
Naturally, being limited by time and article length, that means plenty of great films were left off of this list. With that said, this list would make for one heck of a weekend movie marathon that would have anyone feeling inspired to take a joyride in the big rig.
If you are a trucker, somebody that is involved in, or a big fan of the trucking industry and haven’t seen these movies, what the heck are you waiting for? Those are some of the classic, in their own way cinematic milestones, iconic films that are a must watch. I’m sure I missed some other great movies. Which would you include on the list?
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