
The public idea of the trucking industry in the United States popular culture has gone through many transformations.However, images of the masculine side of trucking are a common theme throughout time.The 1940's first made truckers popular, with their songs and movies about truck drivers. Then in the 1950's theywere depictedas heroes of the road, living a life of freedom on the open road.Trucking culture peaked in the 1970's as theywere glorifiedas modern days cowboys, outlaws, and rebels. Since then the portrayal has come with a more negative connotation as we see in the 1990's.Unfortunately, the depiction of truck drivers went from such a positive depiction to that of troubled serial killers.
Invented in 1890, the diesel engine was not an invention that became well known in popular culture.It was not until the 1930's for the United States to express further interest for diesel engines tobe accepted.Gasoline engines were still in use on heavy trucks in the 1970's, while in Europe they had beenentirelyreplaced two decades earlier.
The main purpose of the HOS regulation is to prevent accidents due to driver fatigue. To do this, the number of driving hours per day, as well as the number of driving hours per week, havebeen limited.Another measure to prevent fatigue is to keep drivers on a 21 to 24-hour schedulein order tomaintain a natural sleep/wake cycle. Drivers must take a dailyminimumperiod of rest andare allowedlonger "weekend" rest periods. This is in hopes to combat cumulative fatigue effects thataccrueon a weekly basis.
The Federal Motor Carrier Safety Administration (FMCSA) issues Hours of Service regulations.At the same time, they govern the working hours of anyone operating a commercial motor vehicle (CMV) in the United States.Such regulations apply to truck drivers, commercial and city bus drivers, and school bus drivers who operate CMVs. With these rules in place, the number of daily and weekly hours spent driving and workingis limited.The FMCSA regulates theminimumamount of time drivers must spend resting between driving shifts. In regards to intrastate commerce, the respective state's regulations apply.

The year of 1977 marked the release of the infamous Smokey and the Bandit.It went on to be the third highest grossing film that year, following tough competitors like Star Wars and Close Encounters of the Third Kind.Burt Reynolds plays the protagonist, or "The Bandit", who escorts "The Snowman"in order todeliver bootleg beer.Reynolds once stated he envisioned trucking as a "hedonistic joyrideentirelydevoid from economic reality"
Another action film in 1977 also focused on truck drivers, as was the trend it seems. Breaker! Breaker! starring infamous Chuck Norris also focused on truck drivers. They were also displaying movie posters with the catch phrase "... he's got a CB radio and a hundred friends whojustmight get mad!"
Driver's licensing has coincided throughout the European Unionin order tofor the complex rules to all member states.Driving a vehicle weighing more than 7.5 tons (16,535 lb) for commercial purposes requires a certain license. This specialist licence type varies depending on the use of the vehicle and number of seat.Licences first acquired after 1997, the weightwas reducedto 3,500 kilograms (7,716 lb), not including trailers.