The Oscars are over. Nomadland, a film about Americans who travel the country without a home, was the big Best Picture winner. But nomads aren’t the only Americans who spend most of their life on the road – there’s also truck drivers!

The good news is that occasionally, we get a movie that represents trucking or truck drivers in an interesting way. The 2008 independent film Trucker is a deeply compassionate film about the freedom and isolation that comes with being a long-haul driver.

On the other hand, Steven Spielberg’s early film Duel showed the power and strength of an eighteen-wheeler by casting a faceless driver and his giant truck as a threatening, stalking villain.

But perhaps the most iconic truck driving film didn’t come out of Hollywood or even America at all. That film is called Wages of Fear.

Is Wages of Fear the Best Truck-Driving Film?

Wages of Fear is a French-language film, but don’t let the subtitles scare you off. This is a film with intense action and suspense, directed by Henri-Georges Clouzot who was nicknamed “The French Hitchcock”.

In the movie, four truck drivers (in two trucks) are tasked with driving explosive nitroglycerine to an oil field. The drivers must navigate boulders, bumpy roads that could set off the explosives, perilous cliffs, and even each other to make the haul to the destination.

The film is also known for an interesting first act that paints the South American setting and the desperation of the men who need this job to make money. And then once the trucks are off, the danger only escalates.

Wages of Fear won many international awards including the Palme d’Or, arguably the most important film award in the world. It is currently available to stream on HBO Max or rent digitally.

Have you seen Wages of Fear? Let us know in our forums what you think is the best trucking film.