In the summer of 1984 it was second most popular VHS rental title in Australia. The first place spot was claimed by James Cameron's The Terminator.
Buddy pucks up a rider who calls him "BJ" and asks him "where is your bear?" This is a reference to the truck driving themed TV show BJ and the Bear. It was a somewhat popular show about a trucker who travels the country with his pet chimpanzee.
Buddy's journey allegedly takes him across several states from Los Angeles, CA to Texas. In reality all of the filming locations are places in Los Angeles, and he never actually leaves the outskirts of the city.