In The News

Looking Back: rolling back the years

Without someone to chronicle the times in words and pictures, the heritage of trucking—the bloodline of this fascinating industry — would be lost.

Fortunately, the American Truck Historical Society has done for trucking much the same that the late Alex Haley did for Americans of African heritage with a book he wrote called Roots. Haley helped instill a sense of pride in the ancestry, culture and lineage of the descendants of people who came to this country in bondage.

Since the first commercial gasoline powered delivery truck was built by the Winton Motor Carriage Co., in Cleveland, Ohio in 1898, the growth and development of trucking — not only from the standpoint of the equipment, but also from the perspective of management and labor — has been at various times alluring, distressing, wearisome and glorious.

Whatever the case, it would have been pathetic if no one or no organization had come along to try to preserve the history of American trucking.

Humble beginnings: a small group took action

In 1971, a small group of men met to discuss the need for preserving the history of trucks, the trucking industry and its pioneers. The group incorporated the American Truck Historical Society as a general Not-For-Profit corporation in the State of Illinois.

Howard L. Willett was elected president of that first group. Another group had incorporated for the same purpose, the United States Truck Historical Society, in 1970, but in 1972 the two groups merged, establishing headquarters in Michigan.

Bart Rawson, who had recently retired from the Commercial Car Journal, was hired as managing director for ATHS in 1974. He started a newsletter and was instrumental in converting it to the ATHS’ magazine, Wheels of Time, now published six times a year.

The late Harris Saunders Sr. became president of ATHS in 1977 and moved the headquarters to Birmingham, Ala., site of its current offices. Saunders hired his daughter, Zoe James, to take care of the library and archives. At that point, membership was at 350.

By 1980, with Saunders’ support and Zoe James’ dedication, membership was increased to over 1,000. It was that same year that the late Bill Moon, then president of the Society, suggested that the newsletter be replaced by a genuine magazine.

Today, the ATHS has more than 15,000 members, an amazing jump in just over a decade.

“For our first 10 years, our only contact for memberships was through trucking executives. Having a magazine really let people know we were around,” said Larry Scheef, ATHS managing director. “You can see the mercurial increase in members from the very onset of the issuance of the magazine.”

ATHS has 52 regional chapters throughout the U.S. and Canada, and holds an annual convention every year in a different part of the country. Antique truck shows were added to the event in 1980, at the suggestion of Bill Moon, who owned Iowa-80 Truck Stop, the biggest truck stop in America.

Photos, magazine provide sweeping historical awareness

Wheels of Time covers similar themes that our “Looking Back” series covers, but in a more expanded endeavor. Articles ranging from the development of roads from mountain passes, to driving conditions in the old days, profiles of key figures in the industry, and articles about various models of trucks — always abundant with old photographs — grace the magazine. There is even a “Shoppers” column offering classified ads for old and historic trucks for sale.

Since January of 1991, the ATHS operation has been run by Scheef, who is managing director. Larry began collecting old truck magazines when he was 12 years old, and while in the finance and loan business most of his career, he continued to take an interest in collecting truck photos and magazines. In 1980, he joined the ATHS and in 1983 he helped found the Gateway Chapter of the ATHS.

“I have no trucking background, other than having had this long interest in collecting old truck literature, but I have a good background in management,” Scheef said. “The ATHS Board was aware of my background and called me in for an interview. This is a dream job for me because it ties in with my love of old trucks and old truck literature. It’s a vocation that is more like an avocation.”

Wheels of Time might even run an article, which it did in one issue, on a subject such as the chauffeur badges that truckers once had to wear. The first known chauffeur license was issued in France in 1899, and in the U.S. in 1902, the latter requiring a paper license and a badge, sort of like a sheriff.

The badges disappeared, evolving into the plastic coated state-controlled chauffeur licenses to the federally-mandated commercial driver’s license (CDL) that went into effect about 16 years ago. The article featured photos of old badges from various private collections.

Or there might be an engrossing account like one provided by Dan and R. Fitzgerald Dauphinee about trucking wood in northern Maine — about how the truck trains of northern Maine hauled loads of wood exceeding 40 cords in the 1950s through the icy gravel woods-roads that would turn into mud in the spring.

Or stories about truckers who drove through blizzards on hairpin turns in places like Wolf Creek Pass in the worst of the Colorado winters. Like the ordeal of one Melvin “Frenchy” Herron, who was driving for Watson Brothers out of Denver when a gigantic slide buried U.S. Highway 6 and Loveland Pass near Dillion in December of 1951. The slide killed two of the occupants, but Herron survived because he was in the sleeper when the avalanche hit.

The sleeper was ripped off the tractor and literally floated on top of the snow. The slide was 1,000 feet long and 350 feet deep.

Somehow, Herron managed to make it to a State Highway Department maintenance shack on the west side of the pass, where he was rescued days later.

The ATHS’ 15,000 members are the organization’s biggest source of articles, people who have been in the business and have seen these things first hand.

Also, there are many young people who may be descendants of trucking people, who are intrigued by the history of trucking and want to contribute to the magazine.

Photos on file from the turn of the century

Charles Duryea built the first American gas-propelled vehicle, about a year before Henry Ford built his first one. A year after the Winton Motor Carriage Co. built its first gas-powered delivery wagon in 1898, the U.S. Post Office Department started experimenting with collecting mail via motor vehicles.

The ATHS has photos and historical records dating back to the turn of the century, highlighting some of the early landmark events in trucking history. You can learn, for instance, that the Morgan Truck Co. of Worchester, Mass. manufactured a gigantic truck in 1902, one which had a carrying capacity of 10 tons.

The Post Office Department said “the mail must go through,” but in 1905, Anheuser-Busch Brewing Co. declared that the beer must go through, as well, building what was then the largest motor vehicle fleet in the world, with 30 vehicles and another 30 then on their way.

The photographic and written archives take you through other turning points, such as the opening of the 3,400-mile Lincoln Highway in 1913, which ran coast-to-coast through 13 states; C.H. Martin’s invention of the rocking fifth wheel, a key in the development of semi-trailers; the first wartime need for trucks, with a riveting collection of World War I truck photos, after the War Department had quickly ordered 70,000 trucks as soon as the war was declared with Germany — like the AC Bulldog Mack, the White Class A Army artillery truck, and the old Nash Quads; along with a myriad of photos and written accounts that take you through every decade up to today.

The archives journal the days when sleepers were actually in the noses of trailers; the motor carriers that have bade a historical impact on trucking; feature articles on trucking museums; and profiles of unique and historic trucks, always with an abundance of photos.

Goodbye horse

In the inaugural issue of Wheels of Time, there was an interesting story of how Harvey Firestone, founder of the Firestone Tire and Rubber Co., promoted trucking to the public.

In 1919, Firestone staged a “Ship By Truck” parade in New Orleans. World War I, just ended, had demonstrated the effectiveness of trucks to ship goods and as effective military vehicles. Firestone ran newspaper and magazine advertisements with the slogan “Ship By Truck”, including examples of the truck’s usefulness. Other ads compared the relationship between truck and rail, pitching that trucks would relieve the railroads of a large percentage of the short-haul and less-than-carload-lot shipments.

Firestone established “Ship By Truck” bureaus in 67 cities. The main job of a bureau was to keep updated lists of truck express companies serving the bureau’s city and bring the information to the attention of the community’s shippers — acting as a sort of go between or matchmaker. The bureaus also helped locate return loads for truckers coming in from distant cities.

Men like Firestone and tactics such as those did a lot to advance the industry in those days. In 1919, Firestone congregated a fleet of trucks in Akron, equipped with his pneumatic tires, and the whole fleet drove to New Orleans for an awaiting parade. The trucks had a motorcycle escort while city dignitaries sat in a Packard car and, along with a motorized fire truck, led the parade. A sign on the fire truck read, “Goodbye Horse.”

Although electric vehicles are thought of today as a real possibility for the not-so-distant future, the ATHS has recorded the existence of efficient electric trucks that were in the marketplace from about 1910 to 1927.

The particular electric truck featured was a type used by the Curtis Publishing Co., which at one time had a fleet of 22 electric trucks. Curtis Publishing produced the Saturday Evening Post and the Ladies Home Journal, among others. The trucks carried up to 10 tons of paper and miscellaneous cargo through big city traffic and were built by Walker Vehicle of Chicago.

The trucks were named the Commercial Electric Truck, and they seemed to glide gracefully through traffic, powered by nine sets of batteries that produced a total of 90 volts. The 85 volt, 10 amp power system was recharged nightly. A few of these economical trucks were used by Curtis even well into the 1960s.

Thanks for the efforts of the American Truck Historical Society and its members, the heritage of American trucking is in good hands and the roots of trucking are being preserved for not only the enjoyment and enlightenment of we who are curious now, but for generations of the curious to come.

For someday in the not too distant futures, what you are doing this very day may be chronicled as part of the American trucking history, and the line from a popular song will become reality: “These are the good old days.”