August 2014 |
Overdrive
| 15
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knew how to get an audience
with a congressman."
A trucker in 1961, Carny
met Parkhurst at a truck stop,
where he was distributing the
inaugural issue of Overdrive.
They later collaborated on
business ideas, most recently on
a project to promote highway
safety. Other post-Overdrive
projects included producing the
DVD "Trucker Wars," which
recounted the trucker strikes of
1974, 1979 and 1983, and the
ebook "Semi-Justice – Digging
OPEC's Grave."
During Parkhurst's Overdrive
years, he also produced movies,
including the documentary
"Big Rig" (1965) and the film
"Moonfire" (1970), which fea-
tured boxing champion Sonny
Liston and Charles Napier.
After writing for Overdrive in the
1970s, Napier went on to star
in major feature films.
Russ Meyer, CEO of Min-
nesota-based fleet California
Overland, was involved in the
"Trucker Wars" production.
Parkhurst was "very good at
putting thoughts into words," re-
called Meyer. "Tenacious is the
word. I've never seen anything
like his drive to get something
done. He's a typical Type A
individual with a big heart."
Mike Parkhurst used Overdrive in its
first 25 years as advocacy press for
owner-operator rights, often pushing
for shutdowns to leverage the power
of truck drivers. This photo was taken
in Los Angeles in 1974.
