Songwriter Dave Loggins, best known as a performer for his 1974 hit "Please Come to Boston", also wrote a string of hits for other artists, including Alabama's chart-topping 1984 single "Roll On (Eighteen Wheeler)". The article revisits the story behind the song, which was solely penned by Loggins and became one of the country band's most notable No. 1 singles, forming part of their acclaimed Roll On album.

The track, about a truck driver working to support his family, was reportedly commissioned after Alabama, then touring with an entourage of five buses and four lorries, asked for a trucking song. It was not their first choice, however: they initially recorded another Loggins composition, "Wheels", before switching to "Roll On (Eighteen Wheeler)" after hearing it. "Wheels" was not wasted, later becoming a chart-topping title track for Restless Heart in 1987 and appearing on a Bellamy Brothers record in 1985. The Roll On album, which also included three other No. 1 hits, earned a CMA Album of the Year nomination in 1984, the same year Alabama were named Entertainer of the Year for the third time.