Haggard’s deep baritone voice lent a world-weariness to his songs about the kind of life he lived, describing getting in trouble with and being chased by the law, living as a rambler and facing hardship and poverty. He also predicted the coming wave of patriotic country music with songs singing the praises of the United States (and bordering on jingoistic, depending on your point of view) and contributed plenty of entries to the pantheon of great trucker anthems, including “Truck Driver’s Blues,” “White Line Fever,” and “Big Wheels Rolling.” Truly, Haggard has left his mark on country music and trucking services both.

Yungas Road: We briefly mentioned Bolivia’s Yungas Road, or “Death Road,” as it’s called, last week. If you’re wondering how it got its name, consider that some estimates attribute between 200 and 300 deaths a year to its cliffside, barrier-free lanes. Connecting capital city La Paz to the mountainous Coroico, Yungas Road is barely wide enough for two trucks to pass each other, even though the road hangs on sheer cliff faces. Since 2006, there’s been a new modern route to replace Yungas Road, although many cyclists still take the Death Road just for the thrill.

Guoliang Tunnel Road: Originally built by villagers, it took five years to complete the three quarter mile long tunnel though the Taihang Mountains in the Hunan Province of China. Some workers died during the tunnel’s construction, but today it’s the sheer cliffs you’ll find outside the tunnel that are more dangerous.

18 Wheeler: American Pro Trucker: First released as an arcade cabinet in 2000, but successful enough to later be ported to all the major home consoles of the time, Sega’s 18 Wheeler tasks players with delivering their cargo within a strict time limit, beginning in Key West and traveling across the continent to San Francisco. Players could also choose their trucks and drivers, including the robust Texan Long Horn, token lady-driver Highway Cat and even a Dekotora enthusiast, Nippon Maru.

18 Wheels of Steel: Though they’re similarly titled, the 18 Wheels of Steel series replaces 18 Wheeler‘s arcade action for a more realistic trucking simulation. Apparently there’s a market for it: There have been eight Wheels of Steel games so far, including entries set in the United States, Canada, Mexico, Australia, Bangladesh and Bolivia, where players can brave the notorious Yungas Road, or “Death Road,” as it is affectionately nicknamed.

500 Miles: This track began life as a folk song and was later made popular during the ’60s folk revival. It was recorded by everyone from Peter, Paul and Mary, Elvis Presley and Roseanna Cash and could be heard coming from any number of East Village cafés before Bobby Bare understandably saw the connection between the song’s railroad-riding protagonist and the contemporary truck drivers. Bare’s new version, released in 1963, upped the country twang and gave the song a second life as a seminal country hit.

East Bound and Down: Though Jerry Reed wrote this song specifically to serve as the theme song for the 1977 film Smokey and the Bandit, the track became a veritable country music hit itself, peaking at #2 on Billboard’s country chart. It’s not hard to see why: With it’s infectious banjo-plucked riff, East Bound is a catchy piece of country pop that became so much a part of Southern America, it served as the title for the popular HBO comedy of the same name some 30 years later.

Unlike Mound Metalcraft’s gardening supplies, the Tonka trucks became wildly popular and the company changed its name to Tonka Toys Incorporated and made their metal toys their primary business. In subsequent decades, Tonka created extremely popular toys based on trucking services and construction vehicles, including semi trucks, tow trucks, fire trucks, tankers and diggers of all kinds.

Of course, by the 1990s, the steel trucks that made Tonka a household name had been replaced by plastic, and in 1991 the company was purchased by Hasbro. Sony Pictures Animation currently owns the film rights to the Tonka name and is currently working with Adam Sandler’s Happy Madison Productions to bring the famous trucks to the silver screen, so expect a brand-recognition romp appearing in theatres soon.

Incidentally, this was around the same time Hollywood became infatuated with truck drivers back in the States as well, releasing films like White Line Fever in 1975 and Breaker! Breaker! in 1977, but more on that strange fad another time.

Back in Japan, Dekotora took off on the back of the Truck Rascals films and the ostentatious trucks became a popular fad in and around Tokyo, where trucks became even more garish, not merely modifying the outside of the truck with murals, lights and neons, but even decorating the inside of the truck as well, outfitting it with wall paper, carpeting, home electronics and even chandeliers. Dekotora trucks became homes away from home for many overnight shipping drivers, not just a means of employment but a passion as well.