The History of Trucking

The first truck to travel from coast-to-coast was a Sauger,
a Swiss built truck which traveled from Los Angeles to New York in 1911.

In 1916 the Seattle chamber of commerce paid the expense for a truck to drive from Seattle to NYC. It took 31 days of driving time.

In the 1920's the fifth wheel came along. In 1920 the semitrailer, whose front end rests on the rear portion of the hauling truck tractor, was gaining in popularity. In a semitrailer the truck tractor usually has a disk, known as the fifth wheel, located on a horizontal platform over its rear wheels; a pin located under the front of the trailer locks into this disk, thus attaching the trailer to the tractor and furnishing support for the front end of the trailer.

1935 Motor Carrier Act brought trucking under federal regulations.

The Federal Government spent $75 million on construction & improvement of roads.

Logbook rules, the same ones in force today, were developed in the late 1930's.

There was less than 15,000 miles of paved highways in the U.S. in 1914.

In the 1930's, the number of new trucks registered in the U.S. totaled some 329,000.

In 1966, the DOT was created by an act of Congress. The DOT became responsible for safety issues.

In the early 1800's the gasoline engine was invented, it was followed by the first gasoline powered trucks. These trucks did not have any windshields, doors, or roofs, drivers had no protection from the elements. The top speed on these trucks were a whopping 20 mph. These early trucks had a tiller bar instead of a steering wheel. Also, oil lamps were used for night driving instead of headlights.
In the 1950s, diesel fuel cost 14.9 cents per gallon.

Conventional trucks in the 1950's sported a hole in the wall to climb in to the unheated bunk, which was nothing more than a shelf on the wall.

In the 1950's, refrigerated trailers ran on propane.Trailer lengths started out at 33 feet, gradually increasing through the years.

In the early 1900s, trucks were limited for two reasons, first there weren't very many paved roads, and second, the trucks used solid rubber tires. This type of tire could be used only at low speeds. A feature developed around the time of WW1 that helped the trucking industry. This was the invention of the pneumatic (air inflated) tire. By 1920 this new tire became more and more popular. With the air inflated tire there was much less wear and tear on vehicles, so higher speeds were possible. The driver had a more comfortable ride.

During WWI trucks became more widespread, when manufactures produced 227,250 trucks to help transport goods for the war effort. Trucking companies such as Michigan Motor Freight, Yellow Freight, and Interstate Motor Freight got their start during this time.

In 1939 Al Gross, founder of the CB, invents the first walkie talky. In 1943 he made the first CB radio. Also in 1943 he began founding the Citizens Band Corporation. In 1958 the FCC introduced the first 23 channels of the Citizen Band. In 1962 Midland CB Radios introduced into the public market the first CB radio. By 1966 Midland had introduced 21 different mobile CB transceivers. During the early 70’s the oil embargo and the truck strikes pressed the need for the drivers to communicate to the home base and the company that he/she was working for. In 1977 the FCC introduced an addition 17 channels to make the current 40 channels that are available today. Also, in 1977 the FCC discontinued the license that was needed to operate a CB station. A license is not needed as long as you operate and follow the rules and regulations of the FCC.

The first tilt-cab, or cab-over, truck was built in 1935.

During 1910, production of trucks in the U.S. amounted to about 10,000.

In 1916 the Seattle chamber of commerce paid the expense for a truck to drive from Seattle, Washington, to New York City. It took 31 days of actual driving. This trip across country showed people that highways and trucks were going to become an important part of our lives.

Rudolf Diesel had patented the diesel engine in 1892.

The first tractors powered by diesel engines were built in the early 1930s.

In 1912, a Packard truck went from New York to San Francisco in 46 days. This was the year that trucks were first equipped with electric lights.

The first commercial vehicle was made in 1899. It was powered by a steam engine.