Trucker Wars’ Documentary Focuses Spotlight On 3 Trucker Strikes Of 1974, 1979 And 1983 Aprille Hanson In 1962, Mike Parkhurst, founder and former owner of Overdrive magazine for 25 years, hopped onto the saddle of his Palomino horse named “Confusion” and started a two-month trek from California to Texas with a sign portraying a simple, yet powerful message to his fellow truckers: “19th century thinking, 20th century laws.” “I went on strike and deliberately did not put out the next issue of the magazine,” which he founded a year earlier, Parkhurst said, explaining that he was aiming to draw more people to unite as members in his Independent Truckers Association (later called Roadmasters). “I said, ‘OK guys, I’ve explained this to you. You’re thinking in the 19th century.’” It was of course a solo strike, but this trucker-turned-trucking-activist went on to help organize three major shutdowns in the country’s history, which he’s chronicled in his latest documentary film, “Trucker Wars,” one of a handful of trucking entertainment pieces he’s produced. The documentary includes commentary by Parkhurst stating that the creation of Overdrive was a means to unite drivers as well as different comments on the strikes — which happened in 1974, 1979 and 1983. He sold the publication in 1986. Grainy broadcast news clips throughout the documentary give viewers an upclose, in-your-face account of the shutdowns. “I went to a library that has all national news reports going back 40 years,” Parkhurst said about his research for the documentary. “I went in and spent three days looking at a lot of the coverage of the shutdowns … I just tried to trim off the fat. I cut out, believe me, I cut out a huge amount of what we used to call ‘star time’ where I was being interviewed. I didn’t want it to sound too egotistical.” However, several news clips were included that featured Parkhurst, as he was one of the faces of the shutdowns. In the 1970s, the Arab oil embargo caused the price of oil to go up 200 percent, causing the price of diesel to jump 40 cents. On Jan. 31, 1974, independent truckers began pulling off the roads and blocking truck stops from supplying fuel, which made the public and Congress wake up. While Parkhurst explained his documentary was centered on “The Good, The Bad and The Ugly,” the ugly takes front-and-center in the film. Violence, including shootings and bricks hitting windshields were the black-eyes of the shutdowns, the second of which happened in 1979. “We don’t want any violence; that’s what we’ve been trying to say. If truckers would just shut down, I’m sure the violence would stop,” Parkhurst said during a 1979 broadcast interview. However, in the news coverage, several company drivers said it wasn’t a reality for them to shut down — they couldn’t afford it and were scared for their safety. Parkhurst told The Trucker he believed three people were killed. Many broadcast stations reported the truckers taking part in the strike were threatening those still on the roads, particularly company drivers, which resulted in the violence. Parkhurst said not all the violence was caused by fellow truckers, saying a young farm boy was one of the ones shooting at passing trucks. Congress passed the Motor Carrier Act of 1980 that deregulated the industry, which effectively ended price and route controls. The 11-day strike in 1983 was the most challenging, since it was in regard to legislation that planned to raise the federal taxes on diesel fuel and gasoline and put an excise tax on heavy vehicles, Parkhurst said. Drew Lewis, then-secretary of transportation, said in broadcast footage: “We’re not out to put them out of business. We just think they should step up to the plate and start paying for the tremendous damage they do to our highways.” On Feb. 10, 1983, the strike was called off thanks to the promise of a congressional hearing on truck taxes and new road users’ fees, the documentary said. “The shutdown brought to the forefront the actual truckers that Congress didn’t know about, that the media didn’t care about, which then also supported and influenced the start of big trucking movies,” Parkhurst said in the documentary. The film also features Parkhurst talking to today’s truckers at truck stops, asking them about the state of the industry and about the possibility of a future shutdown, along with some political commentary. However, he’s adamant that a shutdown would not work today because no modern trucking group would step up to organize it. “They don’t have the guts or the money or the ability to organize a shutdown or, ‘hello why haven’t they done it?’” he said. Parkhurst took aim at the most recent widespread trucker shutdown called “Truckers Ride for the Constitution” in Washington D.C. in October, which had promised a turnout of thousands of trucks. Throughout the three-day strike, there were less than a hundred reportedly involved. “You mean the 30 trucks that went into Washington? Give me a break. It’s things like that that really irritate me. It puts a big black eye on truckers,” Parkhurst said. “Even if it had been 100 percent about trucking issues, it wouldn’t have worked anyway.” He said another reason a shutdown wouldn’t work — he’s not there to lead it. “Honestly, I’m not around to educate them [truckers] with the magazine,” Parkhurst said. “It’s a different era.” The documentary is being sold for $14.99 at TravelCenters of America/Petros, Love’s and independent truck stops throughout the country. It can also be purchased for $15 (shipping included) by e-mailing Parkhurst at SemiJustice@aol. The strikes portrayed a time in America where the independent trucker could unite with others to fight “the man” by shutting down his or her rig and get results. It’s a methodology of the past, but it’s a time that Parkhurst said he will never forget. “I hope you take this to heart because it’s something that has been part of my life for a long time and part of every trucker watching this documentary,” Parkhurst said in the film
Posted on: Fri, 12 Sep 2014 01:45:55 +0000
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