The highways that reshaped America moved goods as well as passengers.

Experimentation with car bases followed the initial mass production of autos, but trucks gained special impetus with First World War mobilization. Trucks were produced by the Big Three automakers as well as specialists like Mack Trucks. In the 1930s they extended their reach through urban and rural areas, forcing government regulations (although the situation remained chaotic through the Second World War). As the Interstate Highway System expanded, trucks became a major force in national transportation, challenging trains with their flexibility and connections. Smaller trucks adapted to the urban landscape—from deliveries to ice-cream vendors whose music evokes summer days and cold popsicles—or rural work, where pick-ups have replaced horses. Over decades, moreover, trucks and truckers have changed American geography with truck stops and motels and have created an American folklore of the freedom of the road in songs, language (on CB radios) and activities of the Teamsters Union that represents many drivers.

Trucks may be owned by companies (private carriers) or leased from for-hire carriers.

Roughly 100,000 independent truckers own and operate their own vehicles, although often within permanent lease arrangements. The 1973 oil crisis and later deregulation, in fact, increased some aspects of dependency and lessened government protection. These truckers, nonetheless, sometimes depicted as modern cowboys, have captivated American media in representations of class, independence and generally male stereotypes (in the female road movie Thelma and Louise (1991), blowing up a man’s truck declares independence). Convoy (1978) and Over the Top (1987) offer more standard visions of men grappling with social challenges. Trucker music—“Six Days on the Road and I’m Gonna See my Baby Tonight”—has also defined road folklore, alongside “urban legends” of vanishing hitchhikers and media representations of killer trucks.

Another characteristic adaptation to life on the road is the truck stop, which offers fuel, food, relaxation, showers, even occasional religious services. Like gas stations, truck stops have sometimes been templates to play with modernist design, but more often they are functional service and food clusters near major highways. Nearby motels may offer lodging, but many large trucks are designed with living and sleeping quarters for long hauls.

This is not to say that trucks are without enemies. Concerns over congestion and safety in urban areas as well as highway dangers are often spurred by media reports on speeding, fatigue and accidents. Damage to roadways through overloads and environmental deterioration are also concerns of a truck-reliant society.

Most of these concerns are aimed at multipleaxle, large vehicles. Other trucks in common commercial use include vans and pick-ups. In fact, in the 1990s, small pick-up trucks have moved beyond the workplace to become mass recreational vehicles.