My newest favorite TV show is "American Trucker" (AT), shown on the Speed Channel and hosted by truck enthusiast Robb Mariani. To learn more about AT, please click here.

So far, every episode of AT that I've TiVo'd and watched has been quite enjoyable (and even a little bit educational) and I can feel Mr. Mariani's enthusiasm regarding tractor-trailers (a.k.a. "big rigs", a.k.a. "18-wheelers", or if you're British, you may call them "lorries"). As a roadgeek, I feel a near kindred spirit as both of us are fascinated with the open road and how our roads helped make America a great nation.

I have been intrigued, however, by what he did in the AT episode "Bandit and The Snowman", where he replicates the famous "Smokey and The Bandit" Atlanta-to-Texarkana round-trip beer run.

In SATB, "Bandit" (Burt Reynolds) and his buddy "Snowman" (the late, great Jerry Reed) accept a challenge from "Big Enos" (the late Pat McCormick) and "Little Enos" (singer/songwriter/actor Paul Williams) to travel from Atlanta to Texarkana, pick up a truckload of Coors Beer (which was illegal to possess in Georgia), and haul it back... and take no more than 28 hours to do so. Hilarity ensues, of course.

Enter Mr. Mariani, one replica of the SATB "big rig", and a Pontiac Trans Am...

As "gearjamming mythbusters", Mr. Mariani and company set off from the old Lakewood Fairgrounds in Atlanta (where the first part of SATB was filmed) and were "westbound-and-down, 18-wheels a-rollin'" to "do what they say can't be done". Did they do it? Well, folks, you're going to have to watch the show for yourself.

Now, it is time for "yours truly" to put on his "roadgeek mythbuster" hat...

First, I went to Yahoo! Maps and mapped out the Atlanta-to-Texarkana route. The initial route Y! Maps gave me did not include Arkansas, one of the states our movie heroes traveled through, so I had to adjust the route accordingly. Here's a screenshot of said route (1250 miles/2000 km one way)...



... and here's the route, broken into lower-level portions (starting eastward and moving westward)...







Y! Maps estimated that the round trip could be completed in 22 hours and 39 minutes, which makes such an endeavor plausible IMHO. However, I would consider this to be impractical and perhaps illegal in commercial trucking terms. Here is my case...

I. Truckers Can Only Drive So Long In A Given Day

Per Section 395.3 of the U.S. Federal Motor Carrier Safety Administration's rules and regulations, no commercial truck driver hauling property shall drive "more than 11 cumulative hours following 10 consecutive hours off duty". Driving 28 hours straight would, in and of itself, be a violation, in other words.

II. Truckers Will Encounter Weigh Stations Along This Route

Along the Atlanta-to-Texarkana route, there are weigh stations (including weigh-in-motion sensors along parts of I-20/I-59 in Alabama) that the trucker will encounter, and would have to enter (unless instructed otherwise through use of systems such as PrePass).

Failure for a trucker to pull their "big rig" into any given weigh station is an offense that can potentially jeopardize a trucker's career.

While in the weigh station, any given trucker may be subject to inspections of their vehicles, their logbooks (which must be accurately maintained to show travel and rest periods to ensure driver compliance), and their manifests (what type of cargo they are hauling). If "Snowman" were to had pulled into a weigh station, he and "Bandit" would have not exactly been able to make it back to Atlanta... or if they did, they'd've not been paid by "the Enoses".

Even if a trucker does not encounter a weigh station, local authorities could establish special "roadblocks" for the purposes of commercial vehicle law enforcement, thus subjecting truckers to the same scrutiny as thought they were at a permanent weigh station.

For weigh station locations throughout the U.S., see the website "Coops Are Open". ("Chicken Coop" is a trucker slang term for weigh stations, BTW.)

III. Transport of Alcoholic Beverages Into Georgia

Furthermore, if the truck with the illegal alcoholic beverage cargo does make it into Georgia, and said vehicle was stopped by law enforcement (e.g. Georgia State Patrol),  the driver would have been subject to arrest by revenue agents, unless the driver could show in his manifest that said cargo was for a legitimate Georgia-licensed alcoholic beverage distributor.

At the time when SATB was filmed, Coors Beer was not legally authorized in the State of Georgia. Not long after the movie was released, Georgia did allow Coors into the state. Nonetheless, anyone (personally-owned vehicle operators to commercial truckers) who transports any alcoholic beverage into Georgia (legally purchased or otherwise) is (IIRC) technically subject to arrest and prosecution since no Georgia taxes were paid on said beverage.

IV. If You Are Actively Chased By The Cops, You Will Get Caught

In SATB, Sheriff Buford T. Justice (the late Jackie Gleason) and his bumbling deputy and son "Junior" (Mike Henry) chase "Bandit" for the entire distance, but "Bandit" and "Snowman" successfully make it back to Atlanta. If you think that, in real life, you could keep running for several hours straight while cops are "tail-grabbing your a**", then I've got a really nice old bridge in Brooklyn to sell you.

NOTE TO ROBB MARIANI...

Dear Mr. Mariani,

I really enjoy "American Trucker" (AT) and appreciate your fondness of trucks and the open road, but I must respectfully call "shenanigans" on your efforts to truly replicate the famous SATB beer run.

Based on my analysis of the route (please see my blog for details), plus applicable rules and regulations on truckers and trucking, alcoholic beverage transport, and how one would never be able to keep running from an active police chase for hours on end, I must respectfully call this movie myth "BUSTED!!!" Nonetheless, I really enjoyed watching the AT show in question and do truly appreciate your love of all things trucks, roads, and SATB.

Keep up the good work and I look forward to many, many more AT episodes.

Respectfully Yours,
Steve Williams
Blogmaster, "The Georgia Road Geek"

Do you have any thoughts and/or other insights on this topic? If so, then please feel free to post them in the comments or e-mail your thoughts and/or insights to steve at georgiaroadgeek dot com.

That's it for now ("10-10" in trucker CB lingo). Keep your vehicle between the ditches, keep "Smokey" off your britches, and we'll "catch you on the flip-flop".

 

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