A Documentary You MUST See

Today, I gathered a random sampling of items from around my home to check out where they were manufactured. This is what I learned.

CD Case: Made in Philippines

Cocktail Dress: Made in China

Laptop Computer: Made in Japan

Pen: Made in Japan

Steam Iron: Made in Germany

None of these products was manufactured in the United States. Hold your horses; this is not another post about the loss of the U.S. manufacturing base. However, it is a post about a new documentary showcasing something just as important: the lives of long-haul truck drivers. That’s right. I’m encouraging you to check out a new documentary about truck drivers, one of the most under-appreciated professions around. Think about it. I have never visited China or Japan (although I would certainly like to). I did not have to save thousands of dollars to pay for an “around the world in 30 days” trip to gather all these items. Instead, I drove approximately 5 miles up the highway to my local discount retailer and shopping mall where I spent a mere $6 to buy a ball point pen produced thousands of miles away.

Long-haul truck drivers, these unsung heroes, did all the heavy lifting for me (and for you). Their efforts are detailed in a new documentary, Drive and Deliver, filmed by Academy Award-nominated director, Brett Morgen. Get a behind the scenes look at the men and women who spend hours at a time on the open road so that you don’t have to. Drive and Deliver premiers Friday, August 22nd at the Angelika Film Center (5321 East Mockingbird Lane, Ste. 230) at 6pm. The premier coincides with the Great American Trucking Show taking place in Dallas, TX at the Convention Center.

Update: I just got some bad news. The premier is a private screening for participants of the Great American Trucking Show only. But never fear, eventually the documentary will be released on DVD for us all to enjoy and to help us appreciate our friends driving the huge trucks that we can’t see around and never take off quite as fast as we would like. For more information visit: http://standalone.internationaltrucks.com/default.aspx .

Are you into documentaries? Leave your recommendations in the comments section.