The world’s changed a lot in 60 years. Trucking is no exception.
Consider that climate-controlled, relatively quiet cab you work in, with all sorts of music and entertainment streaming through a state-of-the-art sound system. And how about that spacious, comfortable sleeper?
These amenities would have seemed as radically different in 1961 as electric-powered and semi-autonomous trucks seem today. Ditto for communication systems, logbooks, truck stops, trucking culture and more.
Ever since its start, Overdrive has been an advocate for owner-operators and the things they care about. It’s been “The Voice of the American Trucker,” a tag carried on the cover throughout history and still used today on our website.
![This scene is from “Singing Wheels,” a trucking promotional film produced by the Motor Truck Committee of the Automobile Manufacturers Association to highlight the industry’s contribution to the economy.](https://img.overdriveonline.com/files/base/randallreilly/all/image/2021/01/ovd.singing-wheels-Screen-Shot-2021-01-04-07-36.png?auto=format%2Ccompress&fit=max&q=70&w=400)
On Mondays throughout this year we’ll feature installments about the early years of trucking and Overdrive itself. There will be stories, photos, podcasts, videos, interviews and more that will strike a chord with those who’ve logged millions of miles and enlighten those more on the newbie side.
And to set the mood, here’s a classic trucking industry promotional film, “Singing Wheels,” from the early 1940s. It’s 23 minutes of trucks, truckers, docks and more, with the feel of an old movie-theater newsreel.
Enjoy – and I hope you’ll join us for a year-long road trip in the trucks-only lane.