Over the Road tells stories of America’s long haul truckers and is hosted by one among them — “Long Haul Paul” Marhoefer — as he rolls through the hills of Kentucky to the meat patch of Nebraska, down the freeways of Texas and beyond.
A world with a lifestyle and mythology all its own, trucking is millions of drivers strong, increasingly diverse, and indispensable to the American economy. But that world is shifting as unprecedented technologies and regulations impact the daily reality of life on the road. Over eight episodes, we’ll listen closely as these realities play out. We’ll pull up to truck-stop counter debates and consider the differences between a ‘bedbugger’ and a ‘dock-bumper.’ We’ll recall tales of treacherous mountain roads and thousand-mile runs. We’ll find ourselves at an impromptu parking lot concert, seek out the best nanner nanner pudding off I-75, and spend Thanksgiving laid over at a produce market in Pompano Beach, thinking of loved ones back home.
With a blend of personal storytelling, humor and perception that can only come from those who’ve lived the stories, Over the Road is brought to listeners by Overdrive, the magazine read by owner-operator truckers across the country, and Radiotopia, home to extraordinary podcasts heard by millions.
Host
Paul Marhoefer
Paul Marhoefer, known throughout the trucking industry for his Americana folk music, hauls today for Moeller Trucking after long experience as an owner-operator. He lives with his wife, Denise, in rural Losantville, Indiana.
Paul wrote and recorded Over the Road's theme song — watch the music video now.
Editor & Channel One-Nine Host
Todd Dills
Over the Road Editor Todd Dills is also Senior Editor of Overdrive magazine and writes from Nashville, Tennessee, covering business, regulatory and lifestyle topics for an audience of small business truckers. His in-depth feature writing has earned repeated accolades in the Jesse H. Neal Awards B2B journalism program, and his Channel 19 blog at Overdrive covers a grab bag of on-highway hearsay, owner-operator news and driver views from the roadways the nation over. His work builds on a background of news feature, fiction and other creative writing and editing.
Producer & Sound Designer
Ian Coss
Ian Coss is an audio producer, composer and ethnomusicologist. His work has been featured on NPR, Al Jazeera, the BBC and over a dozen podcasts, recently earning an Edward R. Murrow Award for excellence in sound. More at iancoss.com.
Contributing Producer
Lacy Roberts
Lacy Roberts is an audio producer, documentary filmmaker and daughter of Montana bullhaulers. These days she is the managing producer at Brooklyn-based podcast production company Transmitter Media. Her work has been seen and heard in the New York Times, The Atlantic, PBS Newshour and NPR affiliates around the country.
Executive Producer
Julie Shapiro
Julie Shapiro is the executive producer of Radiotopia from PRX, and of the podcast Ear Hustle. From 2014 through 2015, she was the executive producer of the Australian Broadcasting Corporation's Creative Audio Unit. In 2000, she co-founded the Third Coast International Audio Festival and served as artistic director for more than a decade. She has taught radio to university students, presented at conferences across the world and produced stories for the airwaves and podcasts in the U.S. and beyond.
support crew
Over the Road is additionally supported by Audrey Mardavich, managing producer for PRX’s Radiotopia, and Erin Wade, digital producer for PRX’s Radiotopia. Over the Road would not be possible without support from the marketing, sponsorship and distribution teams at Radiotopia, Overdrive magazine and Moeller Trucking.