The latest movie about trucking includes a test of wills, plans gone awry, violence, police, a cliffhanger and, of course, plenty of 18-wheelers.
No, it’s not a sequel to last summer’s hit movie “Joy Ride.” In fact, it’s not a Hollywood blockbuster at all. “American Standoff” is a 90-minute documentary about the Teamsters union’s fight to represent drivers and dock workers at Overnite Transportation. The film, three years in the making, is set to air in June on HBO.

In the May issue of RoadStar magazine, News Editor Evan Lockridge takes a closer look at the video and talks with producer Barbara Kopple, who has already racked up two Academy Awards for labor-related documentaries.
Kopple and director Kristi Jacobson have crafted a movie that shows just how far Overnite is willing to go to keep the Teamsters from representing more of the company’s thousands of truck drivers and dock workers – and how much Teamsters supporters are willing to sacrifice to achieve their goal of union representation.
“Both the union and Overnite dug their heels in, and neither was going to quit,” Kopple says. “You’re seeing people who are not going to compromise with each other.”
Read more about the documentary in the May issue of RoadStar magazine.