Trucking History – August/September 2025
Aug. 10, 1961
Johnnie Bryan Hunt and his wife, Johnelle, founded J.B. Hunt. The company headquarters moved to Northwest Arkansas in 1969, and by 1983, J.B. Hunt operated 550 tractors and more than 1,000 trailers with around 1,000 employees. In 2017, J.B. Hunt became a NASDAQ-100 company. According to its website, J.B. Hunt Transport Services Inc. provides intermodal, dedicated, refrigerated, truckload, less-than-truckload, flatbed, single source, last mile and transload services. The Lowell, Ark.-based transportation company is a component of the Dow Jones Transportation Average and is an S&P 500 company and a Fortune 500 company.
August 1980, 1983
August has been a popular month for sequels to the original “Smokey and the Bandit” film. On Aug. 15, 1980, “Smokey and the Bandit II” was released, grossing nearly $11 million in its opening weekend. This was the second-highest amount on record at that time. The film was panned by critics despite generating more than $66 million across U.S. and Canadian box offices. The third installment of the “Smokey and the Bandit” franchise hit theaters on Aug. 12, 1983. In this instance, the reviews aligned with revenue, with the film grossing around $7 million against a $9 million budget.
August 2002
Michelin published its first North American Road Atlas, featuring more than 170 distance charts and additional maps of the northeastern U.S., stretching from Washington, D.C., to Boston.
“Truck drivers need easy access to accurate directions to help them navigate their way across North America,” Gayle Sparks Miller, vice president of Michelin Travel Publications, said when the atlas was announced. “Whether planning their trip ahead of time or seeking an alternate route because of traffic, weather or other unexpected complications, truck drivers will find Michelin’s new North America Road Atlas an invaluable companion.” The most recent edition, released in April 2024, includes 245 city maps across more than 300 pages.
August 2019
A dismissal agreement was reached regarding an OOIDA lawsuit against the state of Virginia for enforcing the federal 30-minute rest break rules without authority. This led to thousands of violations being removed from the federal database. According to the lawsuit, Virginia State Police were enforcing the rule even though it wasn’t part of law for the Commonwealth of Virginia until Dec. 14, 2017. “We consider this a victory for truck drivers,” OOIDA Executive Vice President Lewie Pugh said. “There were about 2,632 violations found in 2015, 2016 and 2017 that would have gone on CSA and (pre-employment screening) reports for the drivers. The state of Virginia admitted that they couldn’t enforce this and that they were wrong by giving these, so all of these violations will be wiped off your CSA and PSP reports.” LL