As comedian Rodney Dangerfield used to say, “I don’t get no respect.” So it is with the drivers in Big Rig, a documentary that aired recently on the Halogen TV channel. Dated 2007 and released in 2008, the two-hour film (shorter without commercials) also aired on the PBS program Independent Lens in 2010. You can currently watch the entire show online, with embedded spots, at IMBD (Internet Movie Database).
The LA-based Colorado-born director is Doug Pray. In the fall of 2011, he won an Emmy in New York City for his latest documentary about the world of advertising, titled Art & Copy. Pray shares writing credit for Big Rig with Brad Blondheim who also acted as producer.
IMDB describes the film as a “portrait of contemporary American life, as seen through the eyes of long-haul drivers.” Everything we consume, from food to clothes to gas, depends on these drivers, and as they say, the country would shut down in three days if the trucks should stop running. Watching the film may give you, as it did me, a new appreciation of how grueling life is on the road. It’s a tough way and a lonely way to make a living. Some drive with a dog for companionship.
At one truck stop, Uncle Pete talks about the major reduction in these stops where drivers do have an opportunity to socialize. One other common problem: high fuel costs, in the hundreds of dollars for one tankful. The question comes up as to why diesel should cost more than regular gasoline when it takes less refining.
Mostly males do the hauling but the film includes clips of two female truckers. We hear different views on their occupation, comments on America and politics and, especially for females, on the dangers they face. One woman, Loretta (nicknamed Cadillac), drives escorted by her current husband in another long-haul rig. She carries a lipstick tube with a knife inside and a Taser gun.
Everyone on camera has a story to tell. One African American driver named Claude describes a time when he lost his brakes on a hill in the middle of the night and risked his life crashing his rig to make sure he didn’t kill anyone. While he also comments on racism, another driver from Poland gives his view on life in America and still another talks about driving with his artificial limb.
Interspersed with these real-life dramas are memorable images of America, cities and countryside, from coast to coast. Big Rig not only captures a micro vision of how these drivers live and work, but also of the land they travel by night and day. If you watch the documentary, you will likely understand why I felt compelled to write this article as a small way of showing support. Oh and I learned a new phrase in trucker’s language. Dirt nap is what they call death.
Sources:
http://www.trucktrend.com/features/news/2008/163_news080528_big_rig_documentary_tour/index.html
http://www.imdb.com/title/tt0462197/
http://www.dougpray.com/