Maximum Overdrive Mugs
Description: Jerusalem's Lot, Maine (often shortened to 'Salem's Lot or just the Lot) is a fictional town and a part of writer Stephen King's fictional Maine topography. 'Salem's Lot has served as the setting for a number of his novels, novellas, and short stories. It first appeared in King's 1975 novel 'Salem's Lot, and has reappeared as late as his 2019 novel The Institute (see list below). The town is described as being located in Cumberland County, between (or including parts of) the towns of Falmouth, Windham, and Cumberland, near the southern part of the state about 10 miles north of Portland. A map on King's official website, though, places 'Salem's Lot considerably further north, approximately in Northwest Piscataquis.
Description: Maximum Overdrive is a 1986 American horror film theatrically released on July 25, 1986, to both critical and commercial failure. The story takes place after a comet-induced radiation storm on Earth causes machines to come to life and turn against their makers on a worldwide killing spree. Holed up in a North Carolina truck stop, a group of survivors must fend for themselves against the mechanized killers. A diner cook, Bill Robinson, emerges as the unlikely leader of the pack, attempting to find an escape plan for himself and the survivors, who include his boss, Bubba Hendershot, and a newlywed couple. Despite being a box office flop, the film went on to become a cult classic and maintains a solid fan base for its mindless destruction.
Description: In 1936, Dick Cantlay and Joe Tanzola's trucking company purchased Western Truck Lines which allowed them to move into dry freight and then 20 years later, the purchase of Gillette Motor Freight had them changing names to Western Gillette Motor Freight and reaching all the way to Chicago and serving 1,400 cities in between. By the ’70s, the company had over 2,000 employees operating out of 52 company terminals in 15 States and a fleet of over 1,000 trucks. Cash flow problems started to rear their heads and in 1976 the company was sold to Roadway, marking the untimely end of Western Gillette Motor Freight.
Description: The naming of Deno’s 6 & 85 truck stop undoubtedly referred to the old two-lane highways this truck stop once served when it was built in 1947, which made it the oldest truck stop in the state. Located in Commerce, Colorado, just outside of Denver, the 6 & 85 wasn't a modern truck stop by any means and rather very old school. There weren't banks of diesel fuel pumps or even a mechanic on site - just a diner-style restaurant and separate bar surrounded by plenty of truck parking. Whether truckers were stopping off to grab a bite before hitting the road again or going to tie one on in the bar before sleeping it off in their rig, Deno’s was a go-to spot for truck drivers for decades, remaining popular right up until their closure in 2017.
Description: Located just west of Texarkana, Texas right off of Interstate 30, Lone Star Truck Stop has been open around the clock since opening its doors in 1964. Whether you need a bite to eat, to tank up on diesel, or a place to grab a shower and overnight, just head for the Lone Star where the lights are always on and the coffee is always hot.
Description: Unlike the 1970s CB craze which fueled movies like Smokey and the Bandit, and countless CB-themed songs – which in turn saw the CB phenomenon positively explode – today’s CB culture breeds a more mature mode of communicating. In fact, CB communications are alive and well and most likely living in your neighborhood as people are increasingly looking to CB communications. I’m not sure that state troopers will be returning to Citizen’s Band radio any time soon, but just in case, trust no one.
Description: It’s the logo Southern Californians can’t escape - a cartoon caricatures of three guys named Mark, Dan, and Wayne and the words “Western Truck Exchange,” placed on thousands of truck mudflaps in a city so dry that mudflaps are essentially unnecessary. Founded in 1922, the company's 'so bad it's good' logo was put into use back in 1982 and has been on the road ever since.
Description: If you were a trucker who running Interstate 35 through Minnesota between 1968 and 1993, odds are that you stopped at Country Driver's Truck Stop in Burnsville at least once. Located near I-35 and Highway 13 Country Driver's was a true mom and pop truck stop that hung on as long as they could until succumbing to completion from the big chains and their mega travel centers :(
